Icelandic sheep is a unique breed.
For over a thousand years, total isolation and absence of contact with other breeds have protected the purity of the strain. Icelandic fleeces are among the rarest in the world, grown only in the high mountains. The rugged sheep brought over by the Vikings in the year 874 A .D. have maintained the same gene pool, making them truly one of the purest breeds in the western world. The number of sheep in Iceland decreases every year, making this exquisite fiber increasingly more rare.

The Icelandic wool is made up of two types of fibers, coarse and fine. While the former are long, glossy, tough and water resistant, the latter tend to be softer and more insulating, providing a high resistance to cold and possessing a unique texture and natural colors. Not only is Icelandic wool wonderfully light and flexible, but also tremendously warm.
No other wool is lighter, warmer, or more water-resistant.

Iceland 's unique yarns
Until the late nineteenth century, Icelanders processed all their wool by hand. The fleece was washed the wool in volcanic hot springs , separated the tog from the thel during the long summer evenings, and carded and spun and knitted during the winter. Everyone in the family was involved, from the littlest to the eldest. Children as young as four were taught to knit, and even the men were expected to card and spin.

Icelandic fleece colors
Icelandic wool has a wide range of natural colors that include white, brown, gray, black, and a mix. When spun these yarns become a beautiful tweed that accepts dye readily. However, the variety of natural colors in Icelandic wool is so rich that there is little need to use dyes. Nothing matches the richness of natural-colored wools, which the Icelanders themselves prefer.