Hélène Magnusson is largely responsible for the development. Half-French, half-Icelandic, Ms. Magnussen is a pattern designer known for work that blends traditional Icelandic and modern styles.

I spent my second day in Iceland in a hotel on the outskirts of Reykjavik, trying resolutely to knit. Gathered around a coffee table with me were Ragga Sjöfn Jóhannsdóttir, my instructor, and ...

All traditional Guernseys are made to the same pattern with a square neck, making them reversible, but it is the patterning at the shoulders which in the past was often specific to a parish or family.