It's a Yarn Face-Off!

Comparing different takes on lopi

Sep 05, 2024

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Wooldreamers' Mota, a yarn made by a family-owned mill in Spain. While researching that review, my attention was caught by another Wooldreamers' yarn, Manchelopis. It was described as a soft and airy unspun yarn, and it is sold as a "plate", not a ball or a skein.

Of course, I was familiar with Ístex Plötulopi, the unspun yarn from Iceland, which is also sold in plates. I wanted to see how these yarns compare, so I ordered some Manchelopis and some Plötulopi. Come along while we look at these yarns side-by-side.

FYI: I bought the Manchelopis from the Wooldreamers website. I bought the Plötulopi from WEBS. While I have done some designing for WEBS in the past, I do not have a current business relationship with either of these companies. Neither has paid me to review the yarn, and I'll receive no compensation if you make a purchase.

First, the Specifications

While both yarns are sold in 100 g plates, the yardage is very different. Manchelopis has just over 5 yards per gram; Plötulopi has 3.28 yards per gram. This tells you there is more wool in each yard of yarn in the Plötulopi.

Let's Take a Closer Look

According to an online Icelandic dictionary hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, lopi is the Iceland word for unspun wool. Plötu means plate, sheet, or disc.

Manchelopi on the left; Plötulopi on the right.

Both these yarns are technically roving. The wool has been cleaned, carded, and drawn out into thin-ish strips, but it has not been spun or twisted.

While the yarns are both lofty, and appear to be of comparable thickness, the Manchelopis is extremely lofty. There is a lot of air trapped among the fibers, making the strand of yarn almost transparent. As you might have guessed based on the difference in yardage, the Plötulopi is denser. It is also very hairy.

The Manchega sheep which grow the wool for Manchelopis are like the Columbia sheep which graze the mountains and prairies of the American West. Their fleece is classified as "medium" wool, with a fiber diameter averaging 26–28 microns and a staple length of 5–6". The fiber is consistent throughout the yarn.

Icelandic sheep grow double-coated fleeces. They consist of an undercoat (thel) with an average fiber diameter of 19–22 microns and staple length of 2–4" together with an outercoat (tog) with an average fiber diameter of 27-31 microns and a staple length of 4–18". Plötulopi blends both coats together. You can see the long, relatively coarse fibers of the outercoat springing free of the strand.

The Manchelopis contains a considerable amount of vegetable matter (bits of straw and other dried plants). I encountered no vegetable matter in the Plötulopi.

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Let's Look at Some Swatches

Remember: twist is what holds yarn together. I was worried that the lack of twist in these unspun yarns would cause them to drift apart while I was knitting. Let's see what happened.

Plötulopi knit on size 5 (3.75mm) needles

Since there was no needle size or gauge recommendation on the Plötulopi label, I used the same size 5 (3.75mm) needles as I chose for the Manchelopis. I got 22 sts and 29 rows = 4". Although this yarn can easily be broken with just a slight tug, I had no problem at all with the yarn drifting apart while I was knitting. I knit with a single strand of yarn. The traditional lopapeysa (the iconic Icelandic sweater) is often knit with 2 or 3 strands held together.

The swatch has a stubborn desire to curl (I used double-stick tape to hold it to the table for photography). The swatch is light and supple, but those coarser hairs of the outercoat make their presence known. The fabric is visibly hairy, and it feels prickly against my skin. I think this would make a terrific winter sweater to be worn over a shirt with a collar which would separate my neck from the prickle.

Manchelopis knit single-stranded on size 5 (3.75mm) needles.

I knit a single strand of Manchelopis on size 5 (3.75mm) needles and got 21 sts and 31 rows = 4". This yarn is very delicate. It readily breaks with the smallest pull. No matter how often I repeated the mantra of "gently, gently," the Manchelopi drifted apart several times while I was knitting this swatch. I didn't fuss with knots or splicing; I simply overlapped the broken ends and kept knitting.

The swatch is very light. When I hold it up to the light, I can see a few thin spots where the yarn almost broke but didn't. The swatch does not curl at all. I picked out most of the vegetable matter as I was knitting. (Rule of thumb: If it pokes me as it passes through my fingers, I pick it out. If not, I don’t worry about it.)

While the swatch is not merino-soft, I could comfortably wear it as a hat or a scarf. I just don't think I could put up with the frequent yarn breakage and resulting interruption of my knitting rhythm.

How About Double-Stranding?

Manchelopis is actually wound into its plate double-stranded. Plötulopi is wound as a single strand. While I was knitting my single-stranded Manchelopis swatch, I was winding the second strand into a ball. I decided to take the hint and knit another swatch holding two strands of Manchelopis together.

Manchelopis knit double-stranded on size 10 (6mm) needles

I knit a double strand of Manchelopis on size 10 (6mm) needles and got 14.5 sts and 24 rows = 4". There was much less trouble with yarn breakage, though I still needed to be conscious of giving the yarn an unobstructed path between the plate and my hands to minimize friction and tension.

This fabric is light and lofty. I can comfortably wear it against my skin. This would be a great choice for a sweater that looks chunky without feeling heavy. Chunky sweaters are not my happy place, but I will make thick, warm hats with a double strand of Manchelopis.

The Bottom Line

While both these yarns have "lopi" in the name, they are not interchangeable. Plötulopi is much easier to knit in a single strand, and would make a beautiful colorwork sweater, but I don't find it comfortable against my skein. Manchelopis provides a satisfying knitting experience when worked double stranded at a chunky gauge and can be worn next to the skin (as long as you pick out the vegetable matter).

This is a case where I'd recommend you choose the project before choosing the yarn. Are you knitting a lightweight colorwork cardigan? Go with Plötulopi. Do you want a quick-knit chunky sweater? I recommend Manchelopis. Both yarns come in a nice range of colors, are ethically produced, and reasonably priced.

Some Things That Caught My Eye

From The New Yorker, an article with a title I just had to click: "Are Bookstores Just a Waste of Space?" I particularly love the description of bookstore owners and librarians as "practitioners of bibliotherapy".
Farm & Fiber Knits is producing a 4-part streaming video series called The Yarn Chronicles. The first episode is available now. It features Tammy White of Wing & A Prayer Farm talking about her life as a fiber farmer. It is well worth 30 minutes of your time.
The Fall 2024 issue of Spin Off magazine is just out, and it includes my article "Socks Fit for a Spinner". If you want to know how to make socks that fit using whatever gauge yarn you have on hand, this is the article you need. The digital magazine is available to download here. The print version will be on newsstands in a couple of weeks.

As always, thank you for granting me a little space in your brain today. I might be a little slower than usual responding to comments this week (I’m recovering from knee replacement surgery), but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear from you!

I wonder how many of you can comfortably wear Icelandic wool against your skin. Do you consider yourself particularly sensitive to the prickle in coarser wools? Have you knit with either of these yarns before? Tell me about it in the comments.