Álafoss
A tradition of quality since 1896 When Álafoss was established at the end of the 19th century, it was marked as the true beginning of Iceland’s wool industry. Álafoss is located in the old factory house by the waterfall Álafoss that was used to drive the mills of the old factory, which for decades were the leading manufacturer and exporter of Icelandic wool products.
History of the Handknitting Association of Iceland
There you can find a great selection of the popular traditional Icelandic wool sweater, “lopapeysa”, knitting wool yarn and almost any wool product you can think of as well as experience this important side of Iceland’s industrial history in the form of the factory building and an exhibit of selection of old knitting machinery and photographs from the early days.
The Handknitting Association of Iceland was founded in November of 1977. A few women, who had used knitting to supplement their income, decided to join forces and established an organization in order to facilitate more extensive marketing of their knitted products. The initial members meeting was held in Reykjavík and was attended by close to a 1.000 people. Active members are currently around 200. The Association is housed at Skólavörðustígur 19, in the old city centre of Reykjavík. Soon after the Association was established, a store was opened to sell members hand knitted woollen goods. The store, which is also located at Skólavörðustígur 19, is a flourishing business in its own right. The Association now employs a staff of four.