What makes the lopi we dye unique?
In our previous article, we explored what makes Icelandic wool and lopi so unique. It therefore is fitting to take a closer look at the lambwool that Hörpugull dyes (Þingborg-lopi). The process of that lambwool lopi yarn is based on preserving as much as possible of the wool’s natural properties.
Þingborg lopi is plötulopi (unspun wool yarn) which, at first glance, can seem fragile. It is loose, soft and unspun — very different from the spun yarn most people are used to. It does not take much to pull it apart.
So it is natural to ask: Why work with a material that seems so delicate?
The answer lies not in what the lopi lacks — but in what it preserves.
Carefully selected wool shaped by decades of experience
At Þingborg, there has long been an emphasis on working with Icelandic wool in a way that preserves its natural qualities. It is not only about producing material for knitting, but about working with a raw material shaped by Icelandic nature and Nordic weather over more than a thousand years.
An important part of this approach is how the wool is selected.
Each year, we — together with other women from the Þingborg group — go to the Ístex washing station, where wool is collected in Iceland. There, we go through large quantities of autumn-sheared wool and carefully select only the very best to make Þingborg lopi.
Special emphasis is placed on high-quality lamb’s wool, which contains more þel, making it softer and warmer. Each fleece is examined to ensure that the wool chosen for the lopi is of the highest quality and as clean as possible.
Autumn wool has a natural advantage over spring wool. After spending the summer outdoors, it is generally cleaner and in better condition than wool that has accumulated dirt indoors during the winter months.
This process is built on decades of experience. For more than thirty years, the Þingborg group has worked in this way. Over time, this creates a deep understanding of the wool — and how to ensure that products like Þingborg lopi maintain a consistently high quality.
Natural sheep colours – directly from the source
But it is not only the texture that tells a story.
One of the first things people notice when holding Þingborg lopi is its natural colour.
Not just the colour itself — but how real it feels.
Icelandic sheep come in a wide range of natural colours. While white sheep are the most common, there are many shades of grey, moorit (brown), black and darker tones, often with varied patterns. These are known as natural sheep colours (sauðalitir) and are an important part of what makes Icelandic wool unique.
In larger-scale processing, these natural colours are not always preserved in their original form. White wool is often evened out in tone, and darker colours are grouped together and processed further to achieve a uniform result.
Þingborg lopi is handled differently.
The wool is sorted according to its natural colours and kept as it is. White wool remains white — not artificially brightened. Grey and moorit tones retain their natural variation.
The result is lopi where the colour comes directly from the sheep itself.
There is something special about holding a material where the origin is so clearly visible. The natural colour carries with it a story — of the land, the animals and the environment it comes from.
Unspun plötulopi in its natural form – airy, soft and full of life before it is knitted into a finished garment.
Lopi or yarn – two paths from the same origin
Once the wool has been selected, it is washed — using a gentler process than in large-scale production. The goal is not to alter the wool more than necessary, but simply to clean it and prepare it for the next step.
The wool is then carded, where the fibres are aligned and drawn into soft, continuous strands. This produces plötulopi — unspun, airy and loose.
If the goal is to produce spun yarn, the lopi is worked through the spinning process, where the fibres are twisted together into a stronger and more compact yarn.
At Þingborg, both approaches are used. Some wool becomes plötulopi, while some lopi is spun into yarn. The foundation is the same in both cases — carefully selected raw material, handled with the intention of preserving its natural qualities.
The fragility of plötulopi — its greatest strength
As Hörpugull primarily works with plötulopi, it is important to understand what makes it so special.
Plötulopi contains more air than spun yarn, making it lighter. It breathes better and insulates differently — not because of thickness, but because of the air trapped between the fibres.
But this also has another side. Before knitting, the lopi is delicate. Because the fibres are not twisted together, there is less holding them in place. It needs to be handled with care.
And this is exactly where its strength lies. When knitted, something remarkable happens. The fibres settle together, grip one another and form a cohesive fabric. The tog (outer layer of the wool) provides structure, while the þel (inner layer) fills the spaces and traps air within the garment. To understand better the difference between the layers you can read our last article.
Because Þingborg lopi is made from lamb’s wool — which contains more þel than wool from older sheep — it holds even more air, making it softer and warmer than spun wool yarn.
What was once loose and fragile becomes a material that holds together well. With use, the fibres continue to settle and felt slightly, making it very difficult to unravel the garment.
This is perhaps the biggest difference between plötulopi and conventional yarn.
Spun yarn is designed to be strong from the start — able to withstand tension, friction and handling before it becomes a finished piece.
Plötulopi gains its strength through the process itself. It becomes strong when it is used — as the fibres come together in the knitted fabric.
This may require a slightly different approach to knitting. You become more aware of the material in your hands, working with it rather than controlling it.
For many, that is exactly what makes the experience so rewarding.
Close-up of a knitted garment made from hand-dyed plötulopi, where the fibres have settled together to create a warm and durable fabric.
A material that stays close to its origin
Þingborg lopi is therefore more than just a material.
It is the result of carefully selected wool, experience and a way of working that aims to keep the material as close as possible to its natural state — in texture, properties and colour.
In a world where many materials are designed to be uniform and fully processed before they reach us, there is something special about working with something that still feels “alive”.
Perhaps that is what makes it so compelling.
Delicate in your hands — but strengthens when stitches and rows entwine with each other while forming a soft, light quality garment.
Would you like to see how these colours come to life in plötulopi?
At Hörpugull, we dye plötulopi in small batches, where each colour is inspired by nature and shaped by the wool itself. No two skeins are exactly the same — and each colour has its own character.