The Steadfast Vararfeldir
- ardbeagcrafts
- Feb 17
- 1 min read
These three kingly full-length vararfeldir were made for a commission which called for an identical set. At 1.3 x 1.5 metres, they are the largest vararfeldir I've ever woven, taking up nearly the entire width of my loom. This fact, along with the requirement for all three feldir to be as visually similar as possible, led to some interesting challenges.
They are crafted from a beautiful mix of black, grey, and moorit Icelandic fleece, providing a warm, weatherproof layer that is lightweight and movable, yet imposing. The fleece is sourced from a flock of beautiful Icelandic sheep from East Lothian.
To ensure consistency across all three cloaks, I meticulously organised the fleeces into three distinct colour groups, and ensured that I worked equally from each.
These cloaks are not just visually stunning. They are also incredibly functional: when we took them out to photograph, it was snowing, and we found that melting snowflakes would run off the outer tufts of the fleece, keeping the inner layers dry and toasty warm. This mimics the natural adaptations of Icelandic sheep, which have long outer locks to repel moisture and tight inner fleece for insulation.
