The Island and the Forest: A Knitted Correspondence

What happens when two designers — one on a windswept island, one deep in the forest — begin writing letters to each other? The Island and the Forest is the answer: a beautifully crafted exchange between Swedish knitwear designers Erika Åberg, who lives on the island of Gotland, and Lotta H. Löthgren, who lives among the trees of southeast Sweden.

Structured around the four elements — earth, water, fire and air — and the turning of the seasons, the book weaves together personal letters and knitwear patterns into something rare: a publication that is as moving to read as it is useful to knit from. In their correspondence, Erika and Lotta reflect on the small, everyday details of their very different landscapes, and how those details open onto larger questions of meaning, creativity and belonging.

“The book you’re holding is our attempt at interpreting our surroundings: the landscape, its atmosphere and the weather, in the shape of stitches.” — Erika & Lotta

The book contains 12 timeless, wearable knitwear patterns designed to be as practical as they are beautiful:

Erika Åberg is a knitwear designer and writer based on Gotland, an island off the east coast of Sweden, where she lives with her family and dog. Deeply rooted in Scandinavian craft, her work is inspired by nature, wool and island life. She leads wool and walking tours to destinations including Gotland, Shetland and Iceland. The Island and the Forest is her eleventh book.

Lotta H. Löthgren is a knitwear designer, writer and yarn-dyer living with her family, dogs and chickens in a village in southeast Sweden, where she also runs a yarn shop. Her work translates the natural world into wearable garments. Her debut book, Observations: Knits and Essays from the Forest, was published by Laine Publishing in 2023.