Today is the one year anniversary of my trip to Iceland. It’s hard to believe that it has already been a year since I packed my oversized camping backpack, boarded a flight, and landed in a country where the sun doesn’t set until 11 PM and where 45 degrees in May is considered balmy. Where nearly all of the vegetables are imported and where cities feel like they haven’t aged in years.
That trip was big for me for so many reasons, but a highlight that I still treasure the most while traveling with my group around the western coast was the afternoon we spent learning about Icelandic traditions of natural dyeing with Gudrun Bjarnadottir. (You can read all about that day and the incredible people we met here.) I got a chance to purchase these mini skeins from a local wool cooperative outside of Reykjavik, naturally dyed by local artisans and made out of, of course, single ply Icelandic wool. Unfortunately, these skeins can’t be found online, but you can find naturally dyed Icelandic wool in full skeins at Gudrun’s Etsy store, or by searching for Hespa yarn, and a very similar single-ply base in the wool called Einband.
I still remember SO VIVIDLY standing in that co-op agonizing over which of these skeins to bring home because each of the dozens of shades on display was so lovely and I had such a hard time choosing. I have a lot of dreams for what I would like for these skeins to be but even now, a year later, I am perfectly content admiring them and making as careful of a decision for what they will be as I was in choosing them in the first place. Their colors haven’t faded even a bit from their original beauty and I know that they will be skeins or finished pieces that I will share with my loved ones for many years to come.