This is Rúf English Radio with Darin Adam, daily English language radio from Iceland's national broadcaster, Rúf.Rúf English Radio with Darin AdamRúf English Radio with Darin AdamIt's also a nice feel when you enter work in the morning and this smell always comes.And it's nice and warm as well.It's a warm smell.Now there's a lot in this building. There's the shop which is the first thing that you come into and we will talk about that in a couple of minutes.But what's important about this facility is that you make everything here with Icelandic wool and then you sell it.Now we're about to enter the factory itself. So what's behind this door?Behind this door are the actual knitting machines, the knitting looms, and we knit everything automatically.So...So when a few of them are running it's quite noisy but it's a nice clicking sound.Alright, let's hear how that sounds then as we go into the knitting factory and it does sound like it's going to be noisier certainly.So in here there are boxes and boxes and boxes of wool.There are long heavy looking machines being operated by people turning the wool into these beautiful garments.Here is, I want to say...Here is, I want to say...A rug?These are going to be sweaters.Oh right, ok, because it looks like a long rug at the moment, the roll on the machine.We knit everything in very long pieces and we're going to separate them later.So first everything goes in one piece and the knitting machines are very fast.So we always knit one size. These are going to be sweater parts, size large for example.And we make like 20 or 30 of them and later we're going to separate them.Ok, so the machines are used to create...The fabric, if you like, and then there's a hand made process after that.Yes, we have to first wash them and brush them in a certain way and later when the fabric is completely finished we take it apart.And then we cut it by hand, everything, and then we sew it together.This roll is maybe half a metre thick in diameter.How many sweaters then, or how many lokapeser would come from this roll here?20.20?Yes.Around 20.We cannot make the rolls too large, so we always...We are a smaller company, so we always make like 20 or 30 pieces at once and then the next size.We have a lot of requests, so we have to stay behind.But these knitting machines are very fast, so they can knit a blanket of two metre length in like half an hour.So it's a little bit faster than knitting at home.And where does the wool come from? It's Icelandic wool, but where do you get it?We're getting it from Eastex in Reykjavík.Ok.They are providing us with the colours and yarn.So it's already dyed by the time it comes here?It's already dyed, yes.We don't work the wool, we work the yarn.Now, we've talked about a lot of machinery being involved, but the machines look quite old-fashioned.This one over here, for example, looks very industrial, almost like a part from a steam engine.It's maybe not quite that old, but these are not brand new bits of equipment.There's a history here, I think.There's a huge history and we have a lot of different generations of machines.As you can see, these are the newer ones. They're just like computer operated.But we also have older types. This company has been in this town since 1972.So there's also still a lot of machinery that has been taken over.And here we have a very old machine that works with punch cards.Right. I was wondering what was going on there.Ok.Do the punch cards dictate the design?The pattern, yeah.Yeah.It is a very simple punch card and this one, it still makes like the seams of the ponchos here.So it doesn't knit very complicated patterns anymore.Right.But if it's not broken, you can use it.And the advantage with older machines is, of course, that you can easily fix them.Well, I was going to ask about that because these are specialised machines.The knowledge to maintain them and repair them.And they must be within Kidd Car as well.Yes.The knowledge is here and it is, of course, important to hold that knowledge also within Iceland.There are very few people who actually can operate these machines and it's very important to preserve this knowledge.Especially when it comes to the newer machines, we have, of course, sometimes a software problem.These are German machines.So we have to call the company there.But there are a few people here that can deal with them.But there are a few people here that can deal with them.And there are a few people who can deal with problems in these machines.Just as well.But it's really important to keep that knowledge.But it's really important to keep that knowledge.Well this one here, there is a row of what looked like rolling pins, basically.Well this one here, there is a row of what looked like rolling pins, basically.If you can imagine metal rolling pins.And they are spinning on other reels, rolls of black wool, very, very fast.It's a machine with the word VTEC written on it.I don't know how old it is, but I can see that it's from Spain, I think, this machine.I don't know how old it is, but I can see that it's from Spain, I think, this machine.How old is this?Because again, it looks almost like something else.It's not something you'd see in a museum.But here it is, working in 2026 at full speed.No, I think it's like from the 70s.It's just putting more yarn on a certain roll.It's just putting more yarn on a certain roll.It's just to switch it.But these machines, of course, have also been used a lot.But these machines, of course, have also been used a lot.So they look even older.But they're actually not that more old than 100 years old.But they're actually not that more old than 100 years old.50 years or something like that.But again, it speaks to the history of the place, doesn't it?If somebody comes here, can they see this?Can they see what we're seeing?Yes, we do tours for groups that ask for it.Yes, we do tours for groups that ask for it.Yes, we do tours for groups that ask for it.We sadly cannot let every person in here,We sadly cannot let every person in here,because we just don't have the staff to do it.because we just don't have the staff to do it.And actually, you wouldn't want to get too close to some of these machinesif you didn't know what you were doing, I suppose.They could be dangerous.No, they couldn't.There's one machine that can be dangerous.Let's go and look at the one that could be dangerous.I want to see why it's dangerous.I'm not going to put my finger or anything else in it, I promise.It's a washing machine with wire brushes.It's a washing machine with wire brushes.It was filled with thistles,like plants.They looked like little cactusesand it was entirely filled with that.So when the fabric is washedand it's still moist,we let it run through this machineand it brushes it.We got these thistles from a farm in Spain.They always grew them in the same sizeso they would fit in this machine.Because what these look like,these little brushes,these are the kind of thingsthat women used to wear in their hairto keep their hair curled up.There's lots of them hereand they're all set against each other at different angles.I'm guessing this machine is dangerousbecause it spins very quickly.It spins very quicklyand it's not by itself dangerousbut you should definitely not get your hand in.There is a security here, it stopsbut one has to watch it.Let's close it back up just in case it startswhen we're having the conversation.You mentioned quickly the two washing machines here.It's like a washing machinebut five times bigger.Yes, you would like one like that at homewhen you have a lot of kids.Until only a short agowe actually used this old washing machinewhich used to be the biggestwool washing machine in Europe.We didn't know thatotherwise we would have advertised it.We fixed it a few timesbut now we had to go over to some new ones.Here we just washed the fabricwith wool washing soapand we also have to watch it.So one always has to sort colorsand be careful about it.But Icelandic wool is not sensitiveso you can wash it at 30-40 degreeswith wool washing soap and it's fine.Tell me about thatbecause if someone has invested in a lopapesathey don't want to shrink it or damage itcan it go into a washing machine at home?Yes, if you know your washing machineand the wool program20 degrees is never an issue.The issue is just that you should neverput it in the dryer.So if you spin it slightlydon't spin it too fasta light spinand then lay it flat on a towel to dry.Because I do see sometimesthose care instructionsand it says lie flatand I think well where?Because when wool is wet and you hang itit stretchesso then the sweater doesn't look nice anymoreso it's always good to lay it flat.If you have shrunk a sweater by mistakeI'm not saying I've done thisbut let's imagine I have.It can but it probably won't do it by itselfif you shrunk itand it shrunk only a little bitso you think oh I could still fix thisthen it's good to lay it in a bathwith a hair conditionerlet this really soak inthen the hair becomes morethe fiber becomes more loosethen you can place it flat on a toweland pull it a bitso there you can get out a few centimetersif you shrunk it too muchand it fits like on a dollthen you have to buy a new one.You really don't need to washIcelandic wool very often anywaybecause it is quite oily isn't it?It still has lanolin fat in itthe best thing is to air it outand it's always good to air it outwhen it's a little bit moist and cold outsidenot a problem in Icelandbut maybe in other countriesthe best thing to clean it is to throw it in the snowReally?It's like you did in the olden dayswith carpets you threw them in the snowIs that because the snow doesn't wet them too muchit sort of dampens itand it takes up all the dustthat has maybe collected in itor the dirtso that is always a good thing to doon the other side you can wash your wool sweatersand one shouldn't be scared to do thatbut you don't need to do it oftenand since it doesn't have anysynthetic fibersit doesn't smell bad by itselfso it's always good to first try to air it outbut if it got dirty a lotyou can wash it in the woolAnd I suppose it's not always being worndirectly next to the skinYes, exactlyIt would be quite scratchy otherwiseSome people like itWell that's a whole other conversation maybeSomething else I want to mentionis that you've got an amazing view herein the factoryWhich body of water here are we looking at?This is the millfjörðurso it's really nice to work herebecause we often see in our coffee breaksand whatever we are doingwe see whalesand sometimes a sealso it's a really great viewWhen are you open for people to come and buywhat you are making?We are always open the whole year roundevery day between 8 and 6Let's wander back through into the shopactually to end our conversationbecause although we are having our conversationin the middle of Septemberon an unbelievably windy daythe weather is brutal todayit's been raining really heavilyand the wind is incredibly strongalmost as noisy as the machines that were passingactually, despite all of thatyou had quite a few customers in a few minutes agoYes, we get a lot of customersa lot of visitors in our shopevery dayand it's really funbecause we also get a lot of recurring customersa lot of peoplewho visited beforeand it's nicebecause people are seeking for thingsthat are actually produced in Icelandand then they find usand they really appreciatethat they can also look through a window in the factoryand see how clothing is madeDefinitely worth coming herebut you can also order onlinefrom the facility, can't you?Yes, we ship worldwideand we have orders from every corner of the worldAnd I noticed as we were having a conversationthere that you spotted someonecoming into the shop wearingwhat you said was an older designthat's no longer madeYes, we of course are very close to the sweatersand if somebody is already wearing somethinghe's like, hey, have you been?I'm going to speak to that gentleman nowHi, welcome, what's your name?MitjaTell me about what you're wearingI'm wearing a classicI've been tolda classic Kitka sweaterwhich is amazingand it's become part of my attire for many years nowalmost eight yearsAnd as you heard, as you knowit's no longer madeso it's a classic pieceand you are with, what's your name?My name is AdrianaAnd you also come hereyou both come here together every yearthey protect you from the coldthey protect you from the rainit's absolutely something you must haveSo has anything caught your eye today, either of you?Well, as we just walked inthere ismaybe one color that we need to add to ourpalettewhich is probably something redor something crimsonwho knowsWhat would you recommend?Well, I see that he refers tothis hoodie over thereThis is also a hoodie I have at homeso I can only recommend itIt's one of my favoritesthe pink and crimson oneHow long are you in Iceland for?Two weeks usually, every SeptemberWe get off workand we pop into IcelandEnjoy your new purchasewhich I'm sure you're going to makeDefinitely, thank you so muchSo there we gothe fame of Kitka spreads far and wideYes, it doesIt speaks for that we do a good jobWell, it's still very busystill lots of customers in hereso I'll let you get back to themThanks very much for your time todayWe'll put a link up to the pageon the page accompanying the show from RÚV English RadioThank youThis is RÚV English RadioMy name is Darren Adamand you can get in touch anytimeWe are English at RUV.isThere is more from RÚV Englishwith all the news from Icelandin English at RUV.isRÚV English Radiois a daily English language radiofrom Iceland's national broadcasterRÚV
