Afmæli Christmas Jumper, in January

I have no idea how to pronounce this, but I was able to make it!

The pattern is Afmæli from Istex, the Icelandic wool manufacturer. I used the yarn it was written for, Létt-Lopi, ordered from Iceland.

Although it is not perfect, I am delighted with this jumper. I love the vibrancy of the colours, I love how warm it is and I really love how accomplished I feel as a knitter, having done all that colour work - with no ripping out!  Whoo hoo!

The down side is that, I am sorry to say, I made the sleeves too short. I made the child size, 10-12 years. The measurements were the same as the ladies small and I liked the pattern better, so I went with it. No modifications, apart from going up a needle size, which is normal for me. The small sizing is my own fault, rather than a problem with the pattern. I should have carried on for another 7cm in the sleeves, and perhaps a few more centimeters in the body. I'm a bit worried about washing it, any shrinkage will be the end of this fitting me. You can really see the short length in this photo of the back.

I do have this weird riding-up through the front yoke effect. I am not sure if this is common with this kind of jumper. There is no difference between the front and the back neckline. With no scooping out of the front neckline, it seems to be pooling in my upper chest. Maybe I just have really hunched shoulders, but I suspect it is because there is not quite enough ease through the underarms. My own fault, again.

I love the fact that this yarn really did come to me from Iceland. I have wanted to visit this fascinating country for ages, but I fear that this might be the closest I will get. The yarn is really light and incredibly warm. I bet it is extremely good at repelling water, but I haven't put that property to the test. It is really scratchy though. It is not soft to handle and I have to wear it with a turtleneck underneath. I don't want it touching my skin anywhere, and I really would not recommend this yarn for children. However, it is affordable, the balls are a generous amount, and the colour choice is huge. I used way less than the pattern called for, which is nice change from running out before the end, as I often do. There was even a tiny bit of Icelandic grass that I pulled out of the fibres as I went along! 

Check out my floats! I used to be in awe of colour work floats and did not ever believe that my knitting would be neat enough for innards photos. It just goes to show that practice really does make perfect!

The total cost, including shipping from Iceland, was £23.13. You wouldn't even get an Acrylic jumper on sale for that.

And here I am, 15 months later, wearing it in the Lake District: