Lopi – New England's Narrow Road

Knitting a Man’s Sweater in Bulky Yarn

This bulky wool yarn sweater was knit loosely from the Joker pattern in the Lopi 41 book. It is made in a size XL for a man.

The warmest sweaters are knit with wool but caring for wool is not so simple. My son lives in a cold climate and I’ve wanted to make him something warm. I know he will never hand wash anything in a sink. So, finally I told him that he will never have to wash the sweater. If it gets a spill, rinse the spot and let it dry.

If he always wears the sweater over other clothing, it should be fine.

I’ve been looking for some simple sweater patterns that men would wear.

I’ve settled on the Joker pattern in the Lopi 40 pattern book – Ravelry page here. The pattern uses bulky Alafosslopi yarn which creates a nice thick sweater that will knit up quickly. I don’t plant to do all that colorwork on the yoke because my kids like subtle, dark colors. I’ve used Alafosslopi to knit the Carbeth Cardigan, which had no colorwork. And honestly I found that knitting stranded with two hands was a bit tough to do with this yarn.

Gauge Swatch and Casting On

My gauge is goo with needle recommended. I knit with a couple of black stripes with the main color green to see how well that worked. When there is a long cast-on like the beginning of the body, I do a two-stranded cast on using yarn from two skeins. That way I won’t have to worry about running our of yarn for the Old Norwegian cast on.

Alafosslopi yarn skeins — Alafosslopi in olive green and black heather.

Joker sweater gauge swatch — Alafosslopi in olive green and black heather.

Yarn Amounts Used

In the end, this is approximately how much yarn was used. Eight skeins total needed to knit size XL if done in one color.

Alafosslopi Green – 6 + a little
Alafosslopi Black – 1 + a little

The Joker pullover is knit from the bottom up. Then the sleeves and body are attached and a colorwork yoke is knit. I was not looking for a colorwork pattern, and ended up not doing much of it.

The Joker pattern is pretty straightforward for anyone who is used to knitting a sweater, but does not go into detail. Directions are in cm which I had to convert. Under the sleeves, the armpits have Kitchener stitch to close up the hole.

One note that I hope will be helpful to others, and to myself for next time, is to do a very stretchy bind-off around the neck. I had to rip back and re-do the neck. Binding off loosely is not enough. The neckline curls under so the bind-off is hidden.

How I did the stretchy bind-off: Like this video by Andrea Mowry, EXCEPT I only did 2 stretchy style, then did 2 regular style. I’ve found that doing the stretchy bind-off all the way around will often make that last row way too loose. So I alternated and it turned out great.

Stretchy bind off alternating: Knit one, bring yarn over needle to add another stitch. Knit one – 3 stitches on the right needle. Pass the first two over the last stitch to leave one on the right needle. Do this twice, then do a regular knit one, pass the first stitch over (twice).

We went camping for a couple of days at Long Point Campground, and the sweater was still damp when we returned home! It had been drying for 4 days! So I put the dehumidifier on which helped.

Joker Alafosslopi sweater — Done knitting, before the wash

Joker being washed in sink — Done knitting, before the wash

Sweater is finished – March 27, 2023, just in time for my son’s visit. He can take it back home with him! But first, Skittle needed to make sure it was good and comfy.

Joker sweater knitting — Closer to the true colors

black cat curled up on hand knit sweater — Closer to the true colors

Please keep reading more knitting stories

Saying Good-bye to 2025 and Another Year of Knitting in the Books

A look back at all the knitting projects I’ve completed over the year. Also, what is already in the plans for 2026.

12/19/202512/08/2025

Year-Round Camping in Florida; Enjoying Nature While I Knit

The peaceful days of camping in the wilderness go perfectly with knitting. What could be better than having coffee outside, with knitting on my lap? We camped twice in the last month and here is a look…

12/16/2025

Knitting Project Review: Magnolia Chunky Cardigan

This sweater knitting project was a fun one. Although there were a few things to figure out, I recommend the pattern to any fairly experienced knitters out there.

11/12/202511/28/2025

Camel Yarn Weekend Hat Project

A simple ribbed hat pattern with enough brim folds to keep ears warm. The Weekend Hat is a pattern by designer PetiteKnit.

11/04/2025

Pattern Review: Beginning the Magnolia Chunky Cardigan

I’m knitting a beautiful cardigan pattern by Camilla Vad. The Magnolia Chunky Cardigan is knit top-down with lace and bobbles on the body and sleeves. On this page I cover some issues I had in the beginning.

10/16/202510/29/2025

Three Knitting Projects On My Needles in September

Three knitting projects recently begun by me. It is nice to have a variety, but three tops at one time is something I do not usually do.

09/17/202510/04/2025

Winter In Florida, Wearing My Wool!

On a recent morning my i-phone said it was 42 degrees, I dug out my hand-knit woolies and went outside to feed the birds! It was the perfect time to get some “real life” photos of me wearing a sweater, hat and mittens!

Florida backyard with me wearing my hand-knit woolies.

This is a cold temperature for Florida, but it’s been worse. I’ve lived (off and on) in Central Florida since 1979. I’ve seen freezes, rolling blackouts, and ice on trees when sprinklers are left on. Forty-two degrees is not exactly freezing, but I loved that I could dress up and pretend!

It was fun to dig through my knitwear and don my Triple-patterned watchcap, Woolfolk cowl, Farfuglar sweater, and Clacks mittens. All items were knit by me.

wearing hand knit sweater, mittens, hat and cowl

I remember how long winter months can be from my time living in New Hampshire. For all of you who live in the really cold winter climates, remember that Spring – and green – is right around the corner.

Green field and rustic roadway through tall trees of green leaves. — Ukraine forest – image from Pixabay

Please Keep Reading!

First Attempt at Knitting Clotilde

09/06/2025

Christmas Gift Knitting; Hats For the Guys

09/04/2025

Binding Off Troubles On The Simple Stripes Pullover

09/03/2025

Discovering The Goodness of Icelandic Lettlopi Wool

The last thing you may expect a Florida gal to do is order wool from Iceland to knit a sweater! But that is just what I did a couple of weeks ago. I have now fallen in love with this wonderful Lopi wool.

Lettlopi wool skeins in white and blue — White and Air Blue Lettlopi yarn from Iceland

While living here in the jungle heat, I dream of being in a normal climate where seasons change and people wear sweaters, hats and mittens. My cold weather wardrobe is being knit with the hope that one day I will live in New Hampshire again.

I’ve come to love beautiful wool and appreciate knowing where my yarn comes from. Unlike many knitters, I never get to sit in front of a winter fireplace, happily knitting something I know I will need to stay warm. My knitting is mostly done in air-conditioned rooms with ceiling fans running. Fall doesn’t mean anything really to Floridians. Days do get cooler, but compared to the heat of summer, that means little really. Winter means some cold, damp mornings – we even get ice in the birdbaths occasionally – but snow never falls and temps usually warm up by mid-day.

It’s a boring place unless we get out on the water.

Florida neighborhood oak trees flat street — Live Oaks make a “tunnel” effect over the road where I walk in the morning.

Instagram For Knitters

I became interested in the Lopi yarns after seeing photos posted by knitters on Instagram. If you knit, you should set up an Instagram account (this link goes to my Insta account) and follow other people who knit. I’ve discovered new knitting patterns and sales on yarn (and patterns) from the site as well. I don’t do much on Instagram myself, except share a photo now and then, but I love to see what designers and yarn sellers have to offer.

Buying My Lettlopi Yarn

This has been my year for knitting sweaters. I have three pullovers on my needles at the present time- Calliope (finished!), Meadow Moon and Farfuglar (finished and knit with Lettlopi!).

Someone shared a photo, on Instagram, of a new sweater design using Lettlopi wool, and it was beautiful. I looked into the yarn further and ended up ordering from the Icelandic Store. I’d chosen a sweater pattern by Jennifer Steingass which used this yarn. The pattern, called Treelight, ended up being a pain in the neck to get started because of gauge. I gave up on it and found one in my new book, which I had ordered along with the yarn. The book, Lopi 40, is full of beautiful patterns and I have begun knitting “Farfuglar” meaning “Migrating birds”. (I finished this sweater in November and love it.)

Lopi 40 book of knitting patterns — Lopi 40 Book

Farfulglar sweater in blue and white Lettlopi yarn — Lopi 40 Book

A lot of Lopi yarn colors are out of stock, but I wanted light blue and white which were both available. I bought ten skeins of Air Blue and five skeins of white. I had to pay shipping, but the yarn itself was so cheap, compared to US stores, that I believe I got a good deal. The shipping process took over a week, but I was in no hurry.

Plotulopi Yarn

Another wool yarn that gets good reviews is Plotulopi. It is described as “unspun plates of Icelandic wool”. It is equal to a worsted weight and comes in lengths of 328 yards. At the Icelandic store each plate is about $5.. .which is a deal compared to ordering from US stores!

So my yarn plates have arrived, along with more Lettlopi, even though color selection in the Lettlopi was slim. The Icelandic Store is on the ball, and this shipment arrived very fast.

I have begun knitting a pair of mittens using the Wine Red Plotulopi. This yarn is unspun and that means it will pull apart very easily. I wondered how it would work while knitting colorwork! I did okay, except when I had to tug on an end that was hanging, and the red yarn came apart! I used a crochet hook to catch the short end piece and wove it in. It means being careful when knitting with this yarn.

So this yarn is a little weird, but it’s cheap, and I love the colors! They make up for all the missing Lettlopi shades that are out of stock.

Plotulopi wool yarn plates — Plotulopi plates of yarn

plates of plotulopi wool yarn — Plotulopi plates of yarn

Alafosslopi is The Bulky Yarn

By looking through the book, I discovered the heavier weight Alafosslopi yarn. It is a bulky yarn and is used to knit some wonderful sweaters that would be very warm. I have a pattern chosen to use this new bulky yarn, but many of those colors are also out of stock at this time. Since I had limited colors to choose from, I settled for Ecru Heather and ordered a box full of yarn.

This time the yarn was delivered much quicker, but I had to pay more for shipping. There was no choice and this may have to do with the size of the shipment, but I got the order very fast. AND… they kindly included a chocolate candy bar with my order! I have begun knitting the Carbeth Cardigan using this pretty yarn.

Alafosslopi yarn in ecru heather color — A little candy surprise in with my Alafosslopi yarn delivery!

Buying Lopi Yarn Online

Some places have the yarn to order in the US but the cost is about $5 more each skein! I’ll need about 13 skeins for the sweater I want to make. Webs yarn offers big discounts for bulk orders but at the present time, colors are scarce. For this reason I ordered directly from Iceland. The skeins are cheaper, much cheaper, but there is shipping to pay. Still, for me, it was worth it.

The Icelandic Store has very quick shipping. I also have ordered from the Nordic Store but haven’t had the best luck. They had a big sale going on and I placed an order only to find out a few days later that many of the yarn colors I ordered were out of stock. I was a little ticked off that nothing that showed as available was really available. So my preference is to order from the Icelandic Store.

I hope that more yarn is being created and we’ll have more color selections soon. Until then, I have plenty of nice yarn to play with.