Purl Lopi

A Knitting Sound Poem

by John Beaulieu

The text is actual instructions for knitting taken from the magazine. The purl stitch is an important

stitch in knitting. Some really struggle with purling and find it slower going. With practice, this stitch

will become second nature. For the purl stitch, always remember to keep the working yarn in front

of your needles.

Lopi is knitting wool made from the fleece of Icelandic sheep. The fleece is made up of two layers,

each with a different kind of wool. The wet-resistant outer coat contains long, coarse fibres, while

the insulating layer beneath consists of soft, short fibres. These are processed together to create

lopi roving and yarn.

Part I: Purl Lopi poem reading instructions:

• a dot (•) within the x or pk patterns is read as an audible breath intake through the mouth

• an apostrophe (‘) with x or pk patterns is read as an audible exhaling through the mouth

• and all the letters p, k, and x are pronounced individually p, k, and x

• the pattern passages should be fast, somewhat loud, and exciting except for ( ) which

should be holding back and extend as though trying to rest

Part II: Purl Lopi Score for two female singers and piano

The notes are for piano. The words can be spoken or sung. They should be seen with the

colored lines as stitches in the knitting of a sweater. With both piano and voice pitch and

volume is suggested by line direction and location of the words or notes on the score. In

general pitch descends from high to low on the page, however this can be changed based on

your feeling of the stitch suggested by the line.

 

They protrude, bounded off-flex balls.

They intersect at all rows 7.

They repeat.

“Hillside terrace 19 A,”

the wrong side

underneath icelandic lopi, she inflexed

(the curve receding at .7 j’s)

They interlope

at

xx •‘ xx •‘ xx •‘ (xx ••)

xx •‘ xx •‘ xx •‘ (xx ••)

x • x • x • x • x • x • (x‘ x‘)

pattern. (continuing)

They divide sets for back and front

pullover

gauge and wind strands around cardboard 10” wide; cut at one end.

Reversing patterns and shaping.

Round 36

On next round repeat decreasing round 6, then every 3rd

Round 4 times more — 116 sets.

Next Round

with A k1,

with Ck1

bending row: K 2 tog. Yo

She (renter of 19 A) armhole edging

37.173

a 26.915

38.001

as he works in moss set for 3 rows.

(end round 17 1 set from marker and beg

round 18 with k 2 tog)

Midriff Pat mark the 70th set for right seam!

Work top of chart.

stop (see General Information No. 2 on page 2)

answer: work in stockinette hereafter (k each round) for 8 rounds.

Cut off B, C, D, and E.

Beg at opening edge of right back and starting a p row,

work back and forth in stockinette.

p = on wrong side

k = on right side

Lopi discarded rework moss on wrong side

bind-off loosely in ribbing

Tree 5 finishing fringe, steam poncho — yoke

make test piece

finishing

ppp • kp ‘ kk •‘ pp • kkp ••‘

ppp • kp ‘ kk •‘ pp •• kkp ”

pk • ppk ‘ pk • ppk • pkk ”•

repeat, repeat!

adding ribbing for 10 rounds

joining with care to twist sets

slipping markers on every round

finishing

RAGLAN

Note: Directions are for just size 32–38“.

Changes for bust size 36–38” and 40–42” are in parentheses.

For Lopi,

7 (8-9) skeins Natural White (A)

skein each Natural Black (B)

Rust (C)

Grey (D)

and Yellow (E)

end body all sizes.