Istex Lopi Wool Factory百科及旅行攻略

Ístex spinning mill, Mosfellsbær

Ístex is Iceland's main wool spinning mill, at Völuteigur 6 in Mosfellsbær, about 17 km north-east of central Reykjavík. The name is short for Íslenskur textíliðnaður, "Icelandic textile industry".

It is the company that makes lopi, the lightly spun or unspun Icelandic wool yarn used for the lopapeysa sweater, and it buys and processes about 99 percent of all the wool clipped from Iceland's sheep.

The factory offers guided tours that take you onto the production floor to see raw fleece turned into Álafosslopi, Léttlopi and Plötulopi, and the factory shop sells the finished yarn and wool products, including the company's LopiDraumur wool bedding.

Key Takeaways About Ístex

• Iceland's main yarn mill, processing about 99 percent of the country's wool into lopi at Völuteigur 6, Mosfellsbær
• Guided one-hour factory tour (minimum age 8), bookable in advance; the GTI tour runs August to December
• Founded 15 October 1991 by former Álafoss employees and sheep farmers after Álafoss failed; owned by about 2,500 shareholders, most of them farmers
• 17 km / 15 to 20 minutes from central Reykjavík on paved roads, with a car park at the factory
• Factory shop sells lopi yarn, blankets and LopiDraumur bedding; shop visit is free (check istex.is for current hours)

Why visit the Ístex Lopi wool factory

Icelandic wool is unusual. The native sheep, brought by the settlers over 1,100 years ago, carry a double fleece: a long, glossy, water-repellent outer coat (tog) and a fine, soft, insulating inner coat (þel).

Ístex blends both into lopi, which is why Icelandic sweaters are so warm and light for their weight.

On the tour you handle the wool at every stage, from washed fleece to dyed, blended, carded and spun yarn, and see the machinery running: mixing machines that open the fibre, carding machines that comb it into fine webs, spinning frames, and the winders that turn cones into the skeins sold in shops.

Colours are made by blending several shades of fibre before carding, much like mixing paint.

Lopi yarn cones in the Ístex factory

The factory is also a direct link to the start of Icelandic industry. Wool has been processed in Mosfellsbær since 1896, when a farmer harnessed the Álafoss waterfall on the Varmá river to drive wool machinery; the Álafoss company grew into one of Iceland's best-known brands and the town of Mosfellsbær grew up around it.

When Álafoss went bankrupt, Ístex was founded on 15 October 1991 to continue the work, bought by former employees together with sheep farmers. The company is still owned by its roughly 2,500 shareholders, about 80 percent of whom are sheep farmers or from farming families.

Wool is washed at Ístex's scouring plant in Blönduós in North Iceland and spun here in Mosfellsbær; a few small minimills exist elsewhere in Iceland, but this is the country's main yarn mill. Around 60 percent of sales are exports, and the wool is certified STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX.

The tour is small-scale and practical rather than polished: this is a working factory, and you see it running. For knitters it is the source of every Icelandic yarn they have ever used; for everyone else it is an hour inside one of Iceland's oldest surviving manufacturing traditions.

How to get to the Ístex Lopi wool factory

Ístex is at Völuteigur 6, 270 Mosfellsbær.

From Reykjavík take Route 1 (Vesturlandsvegur) north; in Mosfellsbær turn right towards Álafoss / Reykjalundur and follow signs into the Völuteigur industrial street, which runs parallel to the Varmá river about 500 metres south-east of the old Álafoss factory.

The drive is about 17 km and 15 to 20 minutes from the city centre in normal traffic, on paved roads; no 4x4 is needed at any time of year. There is a car park in front of the factory building.

Strætó city buses run from Reykjavík to Mosfellsbær (see straeto.is for the current route), from where it is a walk of around 1 km.

Best time to visit

Tours are guided and booked in advance through the booking calendar on istex.is or through the Guide to Iceland tour, which operates from August to December. The tour lasts about an hour, most of it standing and walking on the factory floor. Check istex.is for the current shop hours and for closures around Icelandic public holidays when booking.

Safety and practical tips

• Booking. Tours are guided and booked in advance; the minimum age is 8 years. Groups are small.
• On the floor. Wear closed shoes; the floor can be dusty with wool fibre and the machines are loud in places. Follow the guide and keep hands away from running machinery.
• Allergies. Expect wool fibre and lanolin in the air.
• Shopping. The factory shop sells the Lopi yarn range, wool blankets and cushion covers, LopiDraumur duvets and pattern books.
• Facilities. Cafés and a supermarket are in Mosfellsbær town centre, 1 to 2 km away; the Álafoss quarter by the waterfall has the Álafoss wool store and craft studios.
• Fees. The tour is paid; visiting the shop is free.