Icelandic wool yarn
Plötulopi - Icelandic Unspun Wool Yarn
Unspun plates — the softest, lightest lopi
About the yarn
Unspun plates — the softest, lightest lopi
At a glance
- Weight
- Unspun plates, plied to taste
- Ball
- 100 g plate ≈ 300 m
- Gauge
- 14 sts / 10 cm (2 strands)
- Needles
- 5.5 mm (2 strands)
- Fibre
- 100% Icelandic wool
- Care
- Hand wash, dry flat
- Best for
- Soft lopapeysur, shawls, felting & weaving
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Knitting kits with this yarn — yarn, pattern and everything you need in one box.
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Which lopi is right for you?
Pick the right weight for your project — the highlighted row is the yarn on this page.
| Yarn | Weight | Gauge | Needles | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Einband | Lace | 23 sts | 2.5–4 mm | Shawls, lace, fine work |
| Léttlopi Most popular | Aran | 18 sts | 4.5–5 mm | The classic lopapeysa, hats, mittens |
| Álafoss Lopi | Bulky | 13 sts | 6–6.5 mm | Outerwear, blankets, fast sweaters |
| Jöklalopi | Super bulky | 9 sts | 8–9 mm | Very warm, very quick knits |
| Plötulopi | Unspun plates | varies | 4.5–6 mm | Softest, lightest lopi — single or doubled |
Good to know
Plötulopi questions, answered
Is unspun yarn hard to knit with?
How many strands should I use?
Why choose Plötulopi over Léttlopi?
Can I see the colours before buying?
Icelandic Plotulopi unspun wool yarn
Istex Plotulopi wool yarn (Icelandic Plötulopi) can be worked one, two or more ply at a time, depending on how bulky a yarn you want. It has been used by Icelanders from the time the Vikings settled this land and has become very popular in modern times because of the many possibilities of use. Gently wind the required number of strands together into a ball by taking the end from the center and the end from the outside of the plate, or plates.
The Ístex Plötulopi wool yarn is sometimes misspelled as plutolopi and plutolopi yarn
Icelandic plötulopi (plotulopi = unspun plates) - 100% new wool yarn each unit is 100-110 g (3.5 oz) approx. 300 m (328yd).
Plötulopi by Ístex is the unpsun Icelandic wool, pencil roving, and comes into “plates”, hence its name, or “wheels”. Plotulopi is traditionally used to make authentic Icelandic Lopi sweaters.
Plotulopi is very fragile to knit. We recommend the continental knitting technique as it permits control with very loose tension. Since Plotulopi is an unspun yarn, it is fragile to knit; however, due to the length of its fibres, it knits into a sweater that is both sturdy and soft.
Knitting with Plotulopi. 1 strand of unspun: very light sweaters, shawls, scarves. Needles (for example) 4-5mm/US 6-8. When knitting cardigans it's a good idea to strengthen the edges by crocheting around them with one strand of plotulopi and one of einband or kid mohair or some other fine yarn from your stash. For a stronger garment, try knitting the whole garment with one strand of plotulopi and one strand of Einband, kid mohair or another type of fine yarn held together.
Knitting with Plotulopi. 2 strands of unspun or Lopi Light: You can experiment with needle sizes and knit garments with Lopi Light in garter stitch with needles up to 7mm/US10.5. If given space the yarn opens up and uses the space. So using large needles gives a very soft and fluffy garment. Normally sweaters for indoor and outdoor use are knit with 4.5mm/US 7 needles. Also very nice for knitting hats, gloves and other smaller accessories.