Nordisk Garn: A love of the outdoors, Icelandic knits and warm wool

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Nordisk Garn

Driving up to Nordisk Garn is not quite like arriving at an ordinary yarn store. Horses stand in the fields on either side of Vengedalen farm, and inside the old barn shelves are filled with Icelandic and Norwegian wool, knitting books, patterns and sweaters. What meets visitors here is not only yarn but also an experience shaped by a love of the outdoors, slow living, and traditional Nordic designs.

Run by the couple Lillijan Pawelczyk and Jesper Purup along with Anders Pawelczyk, Pawelczyk’s son, Nordisk Garn is part of the family’s shared life on the farm. Their life centres around the 30 Icelandic horses living there, and it was from their passion for these horses that other parts of the business gradually grew. “The horses were really the driving force behind everything here. They were what we started with on the farm, and they still shape a lot of what we do,” says Pawelczyk. Spending much time outdoors with the horses, the family became passionate about the qualities of the Icelandic sweater, and this passion eventually led to the opening of Nordisk Garn on the farm. “Often when we ride, even in winter, we only wear our Icelandic sweaters, and that says a lot about the quality of the Icelandic wool that they are made from and which we sell,” says Pawelczyk.

Life at Vengedalen farm centres around the Icelandic horses.

A journey shaped by family and rural life

Nordisk Garn is located at Vengedalen farm, which Pawelczyk and Purup bought in 2007, but the path towards Nordisk Garn was shaped by events that began much earlier. After a serious traffic accident and a profound family loss, Pawelczyk could no longer continue working in her former role as a nursery teacher. When she met Purup, they began building a different kind of work life around the farm, first through Icelandic horses and guided riding tours, later through a riding shop and saddle business.

Nordisk Garn: A love of the outdoors, Icelandic knits and warm wool

Through their work with Icelandic horses, the couple spent much time in Iceland, where Pawelczyk developed a fondness for the traditional Icelandic sweater – a passion that eventually inspired the yarn business. During the pandemic, Jesper began building a new website for the farm and contacted a wholesaler about selling the Icelandic yarn that Pawelczyk loved to knit with. Not long after, the woman who owned Nordisk Garn – someone the family already knew – suggested that they buy her business instead of starting from scratch.

Nordisk Garn: A love of the outdoors, Icelandic knits and warm wool

At the time, Nordisk Garn had already both a web shop and a physical shop, though on a smaller scale. What appealed to the family was not only the business itself but also the fact that it already held some of the same values they were drawn to: wool, outdoor life, and a Nordic sense of place. “The common thread for us is the setting around it all,” says Purup. “It’s about wool, outdoor life, Nordic culture and Icelandic sweaters – but also about creating a business and a lifestyle with room for a cup of coffee and a bit of calm.”

Jesper Purup.

Yarn, quality and honest guidance

For the Purup family, the important thing is not simply to stock many products, but to offer yarn with origin and coherence. The yarn comes exclusively from Icelandic Istex and Norwegian Rauma and Hillesvåg. “For us, it matters that the yarn is produced where the sheep are,” says Pawelczyk. “We’re very loyal to the idea that things should be made in the country where the wool comes from.”

That philosophy also shapes the way customers are helped in the shop. The sweaters hanging on the walls have been knitted by Pawelczyk herself, and her fondness for knitting allows the family to understand a pattern before recommending it to others. “Knitting the designs allows us to help our customers understand how the yarn behaves, how the garment fits and whether the instructions truly work in practice,” explains Pawelczyk. “We don’t just want to sell yarn for the sake of selling yarn. We want people to be happy with what they make.”

Lillijan and Anders Pawelczyk.

The guidance that grows out of that experience has become an important part of what draws people to the farm shop. Customers frequently travel long distances, sometimes after first discovering Nordisk Garn online. When they arrive, they tend to stay for quite some time, browsing the shelves, discussing projects and often sharing a cup of coffee while considering colours and designs.

According to the family, it is not unusual for visitors to spend several hours there. The pace is deliberate and unhurried, reflecting the wider atmosphere of the farm itself. “A knitting project should not become a bad conscience,” says Pawelczyk. “There are already so many unfinished projects lying around in people’s homes. What matters is that people have a good experience knitting the sweater and that they actually end up using it.”