Iceland Adventure 2026 - Textiles, Sightseeing and Food- Part 1
It’s been just about a month since returning from the Land of Fire & Ice as Iceland is know. I’m still struck by its magic and majesty. The landscapes were otherworldly, the people kind and charming and the experience magical overall.
The idea blossomed last year after a tour company reached out to me about leading a tour. I picked Iceland out of several countries because I knew the population spoke english in addition to Icelandic, the scenery I saw online was magnificent, and they have a lot of sheep, which often means wool and a textile industry. I’ve been on a few retreats that have centered around craft in beautiful scenery and that’s really what I wanted for my trip to be. So I worked with the organization to come up with my own special craft and textile retreat in a beautiful locale.
Village town of Blondous in the North of Iceland taken around 10:30pm on July 30th 2026
Blondous and the Textile Center
After landing in Keflavik, a group of five of us drove north for about 3 hours to the town of Blondous. The town is very small but quite beautiful . We had about 18-19 hours of sunlight each day so after dinner walks were really pleasant even at 10pm. In the town of Blondous, there is a Textile Center, Textile Lab and Textile Museum. We were lucky enough to secure a wool spinning class with a local (generational) sheep grower and spinning instructor. Joanna spent the day with us, teaching us the technique of spinning wool into yarn. She explained that we were learning the technique and not learning how to make beautiful yarn, which kept expectations realistic. She also showed us her grandmother’s photo on the walls inside the center, which used to be a college for housekeeping. The walls were lined with class photos of women who when to school there in the early part of the 20th century.
Joanna showing us her grandmother’s photo and showing us how the spinning wheels worked.
We made yarn!
After a wonderful experience learning how to spin and also learning about sheep farming in Iceland, we headed over to the Textile museum (the next building over) to see the exhibits. The museum was fabulous. Very small, but well appointed with both historic exhibits about textiles in Iceland, early 18th & 20th century embroidered garments and home goods, historic and traditional Icelandic costumes as well a current textile artists work on display. I highly recommend a visit to museum if you ever find yourself in Blondous.
We were also very lucky to have found the Brimslod Atelier Guest House and restaurant. The accommodations were lovely and the food outstanding. Also, a considerably diverse selection for breakfast. We were all so pleased.
Grabrok Crater and Hraunsnef Hotel and Restaurant
The Road to Reykjavik
The next day traveling south to Rekjavik , we stopped at Grabrok crater for a short, but very steep hike up and around the crater. A very good meal was had in the Hraunsnef hotel just a few minutes away from the crater. We sited about 6 sheep just outside of the parking lot and our second black cat of the trip. Quite auspicious!
Once in Reykjavik and settled in at Fosshotel, we explored a bit and ate a meal before retiring for the night. The next day we had a Viking portrait scheduled at Mink Viking Portrait studio. If anyone knows me well they might remember I like playing dress up and this was no exception. Ryan, one of the pair that run the studio, helped us select our viking ensembles (characters) and staged us in a viking setting. Most if not all of the props were authentic - no helmets with horns sticking out the sides, and the clothing was typical of what might have been worn by vikings, including chainmail for Bernie! Ryan was full of Icelandic cultural knowledge and helped us understand that the Icelandic words were often two things put together - such as our hotel Fosshotel - Foss being waterfall and hotel being hotel and Gulfoss being Gul or Gold and Foss being waterfall. Very interesting.
Our Group Portrait from Mink Viking Portrait Studios
After lunch the Lebowski Bar, we then met up with our other 3 guests at the hotel for a little crafting and a drink to get to know each other before our “Welcome” dinner, which was excellent. I have to say, that every place where we had booked meals with did a wonderful job catering to all our food needs and sensitivities. It was delightful.
The next day after breakfast, we had a crafting session at the hotel I led a tutorial on making a travel journal cover from felted wool that we decorated with applique. This was an easy, portable project we could take with us while riding to our destinations. Each traveler was given a composition book that could serve as their journal as well as the wool to create the cover and an additional embroidery sampler that they could pick up and work on in their spare time.
Angie at The Sky Lagoon and inside the sauna at the edge of the sea.
After a fabulous lunch at Fjallkonan and free time in Reykjavik to shop and explore, we headed to to the Sky Lagoon for a dip/soak in the waters. The Sky lagoon was built to mimic a natural hot springs and is heated by hydro-electric energy. It’s quite beautifully appointed and is less “touristy” than the Blue Lagoon. There is a “ritual” you may participate in which includes a polar plunge (toe dip only for me), dry sauna, cold mist, salt scrub & hot sauna. There is also a bar, in case you need refreshment. Overall, just what we needed at that part of the journey. We had a late but very delicious dinner at Reykjavik Kitchen then back to the hotel to rest up for our next day’s South Coast Tour.
That’s it for Part 1 as it’s little over half the trip 5 days in. Part 2 comes next week and keep your eyes out on our vintage blog for post about the textile museum and thrift shopping in Reykjavik. There is so much I want to share!
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Until Next Time, happy crafting in beautiful places!
xo Jennifer