Designer Spotlight - Johanna Vaurio-Teräväinen
Johanna Vaurio-Teräväinen of @johannavauknits
Johanna has always been a knitter. She's also a veterinarian and a professional photographer, and forever a horse girl at heart. Her love of Iceland and Icelandic horses drew her into the world of Icelandic sweaters. For Johanna knitting is a way to relax and rest, recharge her batteries.
You can find (at this posting) 33 of Johanna's designs on Ravelry. She publishes several new patterns each year. In addition to Icelandic wool, she is also using Finnish yarns, such as the ones from Saimas Spinnery. She has also published a book in Finland. And if you like horses, she sells just the calendar for you on her website. Keep an eye out for the 2026 edition.
Gimsteinn
Gimsteinn was the first pattern Johanna published. It is a beautiful and practical dress with a jewel design on its yoke and hem. The design is inspired by the magical nature, glaciers, and hot springs of Iceland. Gimsteinn is Icelandic for jewel. Since it's knit with Icelandic wool it will keep you warm when the weather drops, and dry in a drizzle, too.
The dress is knit bottom up, which offers my favorite alternative to swatching: make the sleeves first and use those as your swatch. This is not the officially recommended method, but it's the one I often use.
Sleipnir
Sleipnir is a pattern that draws its inspiration from Odin’s steed. The hoodie features this majestic stallion and rune designs on it. Scroll down for more details.
Afródíta
Afródíta is a gorgeous knitted dress that will make you feel like Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. The design has a choice of two hem widths, and the shape of the body can be adapted by adding or leaving out some waist decreases and decorative cables.
Icelandic sheep live in windy and rainy conditions and as a result their wool has adapted to withstand this harshness. As a result Lettlopi yarn will keep you warm and dry. This dress is perfect to wear out in the cold or inside by the fire with a warm cuppa.
Viettelys
Viettelys is Johanna's newest design, a ribbed dress with a cable design reminiscent of braids. The braid designs bring life to the garment, and knitting it isn't boring. The ribbed texture stretches out for a curve hugging fit. The front and back are knit flat, then grafted together, so there are no seams.
As of this writing the pattern is only in Finnish. It is charted, which doesn't require any translation, and my Finnish to English Knitting Term Glossary will get you pretty far. And if you need any help beyond that, you can just reach out to me.
Sleipnir Yarn Colors
Sleipnir is the eight-legged stallion ridden by Odin. He galloped faster than the wind and lept over all obstacles. This stranded colorwork hoodie features the majestic stallion and rune designs. There are two sets of charts depending on how many colors you're comfortable knitting with on a single row.
The pattern is written for Istex Lettlopi yarn, so it will keep you warm in the cold, and even dry in a drizzle. With 45 colors to choose from, you’ll be sure to find a combination that suits your preferences. Lettlopi is an Aran-weight yarn made with 100% Icelandic wool.
