How much Lovikka do I need for a pair of mittens?

Järbo's own mitten patterns allow about 150 to 200 g for an adult pair and 100 to 150 g for children. A 100 g ball holds about 60 metres.

What needle size is used for Lovikka?

Usually 5 mm. Järbo's patterns give about 14 stitches and 20 rows of stockinette to 10 cm on 5 mm needles.

What is Svensk Ull 3-tr good for?

Sweaters, hats, scarves and mittens, and colourwork. The yarn is 100 % Swedish wool, about 180 metres per 100 g, usually knitted on 4 mm needles.

Why are Lovikka mittens brushed?

The mittens are brushed after knitting so the wool fibres stand up. The surface becomes fuzzy and dense, which makes the mittens warmer and more windproof.

How do I wash Svensk Ull?

By hand, and dry the garment flat. Air woollens between wears and they will rarely need washing.

Järbo Yarn: Svensk Ull, Lovikka and the Other Swedish Classics

The short answer: Järbo is a Swedish yarn brand with its roots in Gästrikland. Choose Svensk Ull 3-tr for sweaters, hats and colourwork in Swedish wool, Lovikka for thick, warm mittens, Mohair Tweed for tweed garments with soft mohair and Alpacka Bouclé when you want a soft, curly texture.

About Järbo

Järbo takes its name from the village of Järbo in Gästrikland, Sweden, where the business began as a wool spinning mill at the end of the 19th century. Today Järbo is a well-known yarn brand in Sweden, and several of its yarns have been knitted for generations.

The yarns at a glance

Yarn	Fibre	Ball	Needles	Good for
Svensk Ull 3-tr	100 % Swedish wool	100 g, about 180 m	4 mm	Sweaters, hats, mittens, colourwork
Lovikka	100 % wool, bulky	100 g, about 60 m	5 mm	Mittens, hats
Mohair Tweed	Merino and mohair	50 g, about 110 m	4 mm	Cardigans, sweaters, multicoloured pieces
Alpacka Bouclé	Alpaca, merino and polyamide	50 g		Soft garments, cuffs, collars

Which yarn should I choose?

A sweater in Swedish wool: Svensk Ull 3-tr. A rustic three-ply yarn that brings out the qualities of Swedish wool and is warm to wear. The colours are dyed on a mid-grey wool base, which gives them depth. It is lovely for colourwork, and on 4 mm needles you get about 21 stitches to 10 cm.
Warm mittens: Lovikka. The classic mitten yarn. The Lovikka mitten was created in 1892 by Erika Aittamaa in the village of Lovikka in the far north of Sweden, and mittens in the Lovikka style are knitted loosely in thick wool and then brushed so the surface turns fuzzy and dense. Lovikka also suits beginners: the yarn is thick, so mittens are quick to make.
Tweed with mohair: Mohair Tweed. A classic tweed yarn with the typical small flecks of colour, spun and dyed in Donegal, Ireland. The colours are chosen to combine, so it suits multicoloured cardigans, sweaters and accessories.
A soft, curly texture: Alpacka Bouclé. A fluffy bouclé yarn with loops that give the garment an almost fur-like look. Alpaca and merino make it warm and soft against the skin, and the polyamide adds a little durability. It builds volume fast and works for whole garments and for details such as cuffs and collars.

Want to knit your own pattern in several colours? Draw it in the knitting chart maker before you choose the colours.

Järbo in our shop

We run Knytfolket, the craft shop behind Knytstudio. These are the Järbo yarns we stock:

Svensk Ull 3-tr: 100 % Swedish wool, dyed on a grey base.
Lovikka: the thick, classic mitten yarn.
Mohair Tweed: tweed with mohair from Donegal.
Alpacka Bouclé: soft bouclé of alpaca and merino.

Everything we have from Järbo is together on the brand’s page in the shop, and all our Swedish wool under Swedish wool. We ship from Sweden, within Sweden and to the rest of the EU.

Before you cast on

Knit a swatch and compare it with the pattern’s gauge. Here is how to measure your gauge, and the gauge calculator turns it into stitch counts.
Work out how much yarn you need with the yarn calculator, and buy all the balls at once so they come from the same dye lot.
Substituting yarn in a pattern? Check the weight in the yarn weight chart.