They call Iceland a land of contrasts, and that seems the only way of describing it. There is the landscape of fire and ice, boiling water and icy waterfalls, steaming geysers and giant glaciers. There is also the pride in their unique history and traditions, along with an ultra-modern hyper-consumerism reflected in the expensive shops dotted around Reykjavik (once the richest country in Europe, their economy has now essentially collapsed.) Or contrast the generally cold weather and icy landscape with the wonderfully happy, sunny dispositions of the people who live there. Or their extremely progressive views on most environmental issues, contrasted with outdated and harmful practices such as whaling.

This was my first trip to a Scandinavian country, and I must say that Reykjavik looked very much like I’d imagine a small Scandinavian city to look: elegant, pristine, bright, but with a certain coziness and warmth to it.

Aside from being a gorgeous place, Iceland is also paradise for a knitter. It must be the wonderful combination of Nordic and Celtic ancestry in Iceland, but knitting here is elevated to an artform. It has a rich history, and the colorwork pattern and designs from Iceland are some of the most beautiful I’ve seen. I was so inspired by them. My big splurge on this trip was a giant, gorgeous book of traditional Icelandic colorwork motifs and patterns, published by the local museum. I hope to share the book a little later.

You can also buy hand knitted goods in Reykjavik, some of which come with little tags telling you who knitted them.

More pictures on Flickr