The Icelandic sheep breed probably stems mostly from Norway and has not undergone much cross-breeding since being brought to Iceland during the settlement. The Icelandic breed is a representative of the horned, short-tailed sheep of northern Europe, and most closely resembles the Norwegian short-tailed sheep.
While white wool is the most common colour in Icelandic sheep, a great many sheep have other colours or mixed colours. Both horned and polled animals are present, regardless of sex, and four-horned sheep also exist. Leader sheep make up a special line within the Icelandic breed and have always been held in great esteem.
Photo: Gunnar Gunnarsson
In Iceland, sheep ears were marked to identify the animals for their particular farm through its officially registered earmark. This method of identifying property was used in a much more conclusive manner in Iceland than in other European countries, with clear examples displayed here in the earmark register.
From the time of settlement (in the late ninth and early tenth centuries) until nearly 1900, raising sheep was Iceland's most important field of employment. This country's farming society adapted itself to the needs of sheep: lambing in spring, making hay in summer, slaughtering in autumn and working with the wool in winter. People and sheep lived in a close relationship, frequently in the face of extreme hardship.
Today, sheep farming remains a significant part of Icelandic agriculture, even though its economic importance has decreased as the country's society and economic activity have diversified.
Woollens, including homespun and knitted goods, were for centuries one of Iceland's most important exports. In addition, wool provided the basis for the nation's clothing. We can assume that each person required approximately 5 kg of washed wool every year for clothing.
The tasks involved were numerous. First the sheep had to be shorn and then the wool washed, dried, combed and spun. It was only then that it could be used for weaving or knitting. In connection with the innovative 18th-century efforts of Skúli Magnússon to launch Icelandic industry, a number of technological advances were introduced into woolwork: the spinning wheel replaced the spindle, horizontal looms took over from vertical looms with their stone loom weights, and wool cards were adopted instead of combs.
Combs Vertical loom with stone loom weights
The wool of the Icelandic sheep is special in that it consists of two components: the soft, inner wool, or þel, is made up of insulating, irregularly waved fibres, while the coarse, outer wool, or tog, is made up of longer, straighter fibres that repel water.
The Icelandic language bears witness to the significant role that wool played in people's lives, containing many expressions that refer to wool and woolwork.
HOMESPUN WOOLLENS AND WEAVING
From the time of Iceland's settlement, weaving was done at vertical looms with stone loom weights. The various types of homespun woollen cloth that were woven provided the main export commodity from Iceland until well into the 13th century. Whereas this production was in the hands of women, men also started to weave after horizontal looms replaced the old vertical ones. Around the middle of the 19th century, the importation of foreign-made clothing materials increased substantially; these gradually replaced the former homespun cloth, although weaving still continued in the home. Weaving was one of the leading subjects at home economics schools, which were founded throughout Iceland around or soon after 1900.
Knitting techniques were probably brought to Iceland in the first half of the 16th century by English, German or Dutch merchants. It did not take long for knitted goods to take the place of homespun, because the wool could be processed much more quickly. Woolwork was a winter job, and all capable persons were obligated to finish a certain quantity of woollens in a specified time. Everyone knitted who could manage, whether men, women or children; for instance, 8-year-olds were supposed to complete two pairs of seafarer mittens per week. It is estimated that in the 18th century, 11,000 people, or 22% of the nation, were occupied with woolwork for seven months of the year.
The main knitted goods were socks, mittens and gloves, though for export some sweaters were also produced. In addition, people knitted items for their own use, such as breastpieces, tassel caps, and insoles for their homemade leather shoes.