A TALE OF TWO THREADS

The Icelandic word “einrúm” to us signifies privacy for creation – a space that opens up in the mind of a creative person, a space that opens up between the individual who creates and the thing that is created.

 AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE

Knitting has been a part of my life ever since I was very young. I have been fascinated by the Icelandic wool, the craftsmanship and the tradition ever since I, as a little girl, walked over to my grandmother Katrín‘s house on Saturdays to sit in a corner of her kitchen and watch her knit. My einrúm was in my grandmother‘s kitchen. My grandmother taught me to work with the Icelandic wool and to appreciate its unique characteristics. I learnt that time is well spent on working with the quality material and I learnt to take pleasure in the moments I spent creating.

I was born and raised in Iceland but I am now living in Denmark with my husband Steffan. Together we run an architect firm by the name of “einrúm architects“. The meaning of the name has been the theme of all our work. In our minds, the word means the space and the tranquillity that comes from creating something.

einrúm is a product of history and memories: a product of two different worlds, two different threads. The einrúm yarn is spun from Icelandic wool and Thai mulberry silk. I wanted to show the unique characteristics of the Icelandic wool give it a good boost and modernise it. The idea to join together these two very different threads, Icelandic wool and Thai silk, came up when a friend of mine told me about a silk thread she had been working with when she was in Thailand. She explained how Thai women in rural areas produce silk in their backyards for their own use and as extra income for the family. I went to Thailand to learn about the production of the silk. The very different two threads, wool and silk, are both natural products and both have insulating qualities. I found this fascinating and despite comments from people saying that these two materials were complete opposites and couldn‘t be joined, I did numerous experiments where I studied ways to join the threads, to find the ultimate proportion of each material and I twined them together.

The need to create and the desire to examine new possibilities for the Icelandic wool was my motivation to develop the new yarn. The interplay of the design and the yarn is the essence; the band supports the design in the same way that the wool and the silk reinforce each other.

Since I learned to knit I have been fascinated by the fact that you can „produce“ your garment yourself and at the same time enjoy every minute of the time that it takes to knit and subsequently wear and enjoy the garment for a long time.  It is fascinating to choose the project and the material, tackle the task of transferring an idea, which is on a printed knitting pattern, to a real thing made from the thread, find a peace of mind in the rhythm of hundreds of stitches forming the garment, take pleasure in having finished the project and having made a garment that you can proudly use or give to someone special.

This is the essence of einrúm design. These are patterns of simple, beautiful and modern garments where craftsmanship, pleasure and challenge are a part of the creating process which we hope you enjoy with us.