Awwwwww......look how cute!

Our adorable Design and Development team at this year's Sales meeting and Runway Show.

Get a glimpse of what's to come...introducing the Fall 2012 Collection Sneak Peek!
Come see it in person at SIA Snow Show, Outdoor Retailer and Stylemax later this month.

 

Accessory Give-Away!

Our friends at Fasionista Cafe are giving you a chance to win our Windsor Bomber or our Red Alpine Earmuff! Both are trimmed in the coziest faux-rabbit fur. 

Hurry! Give-away ends in just 3 days! (Entry form is on upper right hand side of their home page (click to go there now):

 

Help us raise funds to distribute blankets this winter to the elderly

Our Kamala Sweater (or "Kathmandu Cardigan") as filmed for Sundance Catalog

Our Pretty New Site is Up! Take a Gander...

Just another day in the life.....

...of the Icelandic Design offices. Five dogs today...and that's not even a record!

Our CFO Kayes tries to subdue (not really) his pack.

The Ancient Art of Felting Makes a Comeback

A Lovely Bouquet Of Icelandic Felted Doo-dads

Felt is the oldest natural fabric known to mankind, predating knitting and weaving. Archaeologists have unearthed fragments of felt dating back to the Bronze Age in stone burial chambers in the Altai Mountains of Siberia, and in Turkey ancient felt artifacts date back to 6500 B.C. 

Many cultures have legends as to the origins of felt making. One folk legend (erroneously) attributes the first felting to St. Clement ("Patron Saint of Hatters") who, it’s said, padded his sandals with sheep’s wool to aid him in his escape from his pursuers. 

When he finally arrived at his destination he removed his sandals and found that the wool had felted into socks around his feet due to the heat, friction and perspiration. 

A Mongolian Yurt Made of Felt

Nowhere in the world has the art of felt making flourished as it has in “The Felt Belt”, the areas in and around Central Asia. Traditional felt making continues to this day in places such as Nepal (in traditional handicrafts like slippers and handbags) and Mongolia (through traditional felted yurt building).  

Because the craft of felting had lost popularity in the West for so long, we often think of “felt” as the cheap material sold at craft stores for kids. 

Needle Felted Cat Toy Balls at Etsy Retailer ArtSincerely

Thanks to the revival of the handicraft movement in recent years (helped in large part by Etsy) the craft of felt making, using both traditional and modern methods, is making a comeback.

Felt is made when animal hair fibers, usually sheep’s wool, are caused to permanently entangle forming a dense fabric.  Usually this is achieved by layering combed wool in a desired shape, wetting with soap and water, then agitating by rubbing, rolling or pounding. 

This Year's New Stocking with Felted Gingerbread Man

While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any color, and made into any shape or size.

Icelandic Design’s Newari accessories use traditionally hand felted appliqués to decorate our stockings, hats and gloves hand knit in Nepal. 

You can see the fascinating process in the following video.

While this video does not depict our product being made, the methods used for our accessories hand-felted in Kathmandu are identical.

Note: our wool is imported from New Zealand (not the Netherlands as in the video).

See some of Icelandic's new felted gifts here.

Alpacas 101

Alpacas are alert, intelligent, curious animals that communicate by softly humming.

Alpaca fleece produces one of the warmest yarns, as the fibers have hollow cells which act as insulation. It can be softer than cashmere, while warmer and lighter weight than wool. Alpaca fiber is also hypoallergenic, making it the ideal choice for those allergic to wool.

Alpaca fleece was referred to as “The Fiber of the Gods” by the ancient Incans. After Spanish invasion, much of the Alpaca herds were killed by conquistadors while conquering the natives. The surviving bloodlines, from the herds that escaped high into the Andes, now produce hardy creatures with a dense fur.

In 1948 a small group of importers brought the first herd to North America, and Americans and Canadians quickly embraced the lifestyle of raising alpaca.

Although Peru, Bolivia, and Chile are still home to the largest percentage of alpacas in the world, there are currently 53,000 alpacas being raised on farms in the US (with Colorado as one of the most alpaca populated states). 

We plan to visit Annie's Alpaca Farm in our own Longmont, Colorado, for the accessory photo shoot this winter. Here is a photo of the most adorable little baby born recently on the ranch, sent to us by Annie...

Alpacas have soft padded feet, making them gentle on their pastures, and they have no top teeth in the front. The average height of an alpaca is 36" at the withers (the point where the neck and spine meet), and they weigh from 100 to 175 pounds. Alpacas are small and gentle enough to travel short distances in the family minivan and are easily handled by most people.

Alpaca fiber comes in 22 naturally occurring colors that are recognized by the textile industry.

You can watch alpaca going about their business on this Alpaca Cam at Blue Moon ranch in Woodland, Utah.

Some crucial alpaca vocabulary:

·  Macho: male alpaca

·  Sire: father of an alpaca

·  Hembra: female alpaca

·  Dam: mother of an alpaca

·  Cria: baby alpaca

You can see Icelandic’s Fall 2011 Alpaca accessories hand knit in Peru here.

Maybe we can get an office alpaca ….but we’d probably have to get two as they are social and hate to be alone.

~K