Long Woollen Rag Socks - Recycled Lambswool - Lycksele (Adults 38-41)

Long Woollen Rag Socks - Recycled Lambswool - Lycksele (Adults 38-41)*New! Snuggly kneehigh or long chunky recycled wool socks for winter, knitted in patterns inspired by traditional Swedish motifs. Truly gorgeous kneehigh socks made from recycled lambswool in Sweden by jbro Vantfabrik, dyed in subtle natural colours. Knit with reinforced heel & toe for extra strength. Wonderfully cosy to wear at home, they also make perfect winter socks with boots. So soft and warm! jbro Vantfabrik is dedicated to preserving and

*New! Snuggly kneehigh or long chunky recycled wool socks for winter, knitted in patterns inspired by traditional Swedish motifs.

Truly gorgeous kneehigh socks made from recycled lambswool in Sweden by Öjbro Vantfabrik, dyed in subtle natural colours. Knit with reinforced heel & toe for extra strength. Wonderfully cosy to wear at home, they also make perfect winter socks with boots. So soft and warm!

Öjbro Vantfabrik is dedicated to preserving and sharing Swedish knitting heritage. Each pair of beautiful jacquard knit socks features a design drawn from traditional patterns and personal stories.


The Lycksele pattern is inspired by the traditional weaving technique 'Västerbotten-drällen', the striped patterns used by the Sami people, and the Öjbro family's history in the town of Lycksele. This design is also available in Merino socks, handwarmers, mittens, beanie, small blanket 90x130cm, and a throw blanket 130x200cm. See below to read the Lycksele story.

*Buy a pair of adults' socks, get 20% off our Sock Darner's Kit. A wonderful gift for sock lovers, wool lovers and Zero Wasters everywhere!  Learn the age old art of darning your socks.

Colour: Lycksele

One size: EU 38/41

About other sizes: We decided to only get one size in the rag socks because in order to stock the smaller size we would have to double our order or halve the pattern selection. Because we sell relatively so few of the size 35-37 size socks, we decided to just get the most popular size but personally as a size 36.5-37 size foot, they actually fit me fine. In the fit advice below there are some patterns that are more firm fitting than others so they might be ones to focus on but generally it seems they all work for smaller feet too. 

About the fit: Öjbro socks are jacquard-knitted: this is stranded colourwork characterised by floats on the inside which carry the coloured yarns and create such intricate patterns. This means each pair gets its own little personality. It also changes the thickness of the sock, and affects the fit. Some socks fit a bit slimmer, others a bit more “hug-friendly.” Wondering about the fit? See below:

Fit advice:

• SLIM - fits like a gentle little foot hug. Patterns: Futhark, Lycksele
• MED - the sweet-spot fit for most feet. Patterns: Ekshärad, Fästfolk, Gotland, Kören, Yggdrasil
• GENEROUS - for those who like a bit of extra wiggle room for their toes. Patterns: Dalarna, Haga, Skaftö, Skogen.

How to put them on:
Because jacquard socks have floats on the inside, we recommend you put your socks on like your mum used to do for you when you were a child. Bunch them up to the toe, put your foot in place and then unravel the rest of the sock up your leg. Don’t try to just shove your whole foot in from the cuff as your toes might catch some of the floats!!

Brand: Öjbro Vantfabrik
Designed in: Sweden
Origin of Fibre: Recycled lambswool sourced in Sweden
Country of manufacture: Sweden
Fabric structure: Knitted from recycled lambswool with elastane, reinforced in toe and heel with polyamide (70% Wool, 5% Elastane, 25% Polyamide)
100% biodegradable: No
Machine Washable: Yes (see our guide to washing wool)

Care: Handwash using a gentle wool shampoo recommended for best results. To machine wash, choose a cold wool cycle, skipping the spin cycle. Dry flat on a towel, gently reshaping while wet. Do not tumble dry. Wool feels comfortable and dry, even when you sweat. It can absorb a lot of moisture (up to 33% of its dry weight). Air between uses, wash only when required. 

The story of the Lycksele pattern: Designer Åse Öjbro, founder of Öjbro Vantfabrik, has created this pattern with inspiration from Sami culture and the city of Lycksele's history.

Until the 1600s, there were no established townships in Southern Lapland. In 1607, King Charles IX designated the site of Öhn (present-day Gammplatsen) as a church and market place in Southern Lapland. Lycksele celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2007. Lycksele was granted town rights in 1946, becoming the first town in Lapland. The city is called "Lappstockholm" and markets itself as "the city of Lapland" to emphasize its historical role as Lapland's first city and an early, important meeting place.

The Sami are an ethnic minority originating from Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The Sami Parliament, a parliament in which Sami people have the right to vote, was recognized and established by the government in Norway in 1989, in Sweden in 1993, and in Finland in 1996.

In the words of Åse Öjbro: "When creating the pattern Lycksele, I was inspired by the traditional weaving technique 'Västerbotten-drällen'. I wanted to include a Sami connection, which resulted in Sami-inspired stripes in the pattern. It's been a joy to create this pattern, especially in combination with Öjbro's family history."

The story of Sven Öjbro's house by Elisabet Lindgren, Lycksele:

"From "Joppe's," it wasn't a long walk to Sven Öjbro's timbered house. The house with rough logs originally came from the village of Ekorrsjö and was an inn/shooting lodge, built at the beginning of the 1900s. Here travelers, traders, fishermen, and hunters met on their journey upstream or downstream between Umeälven and Vindelälven to rest, eat, do business, or change horses.

When the obligatory markets in autumn and winter in Lycksele occurred, all the rooms of the inn were overcrowded. At the end of the 1800s, the house was timbered at this new location in Villarydsbacken and taken over by John Gustaf Johansson with his wife Berta Karolina. His wife, Berta Karolina, died in childbirth in 1901 when their only son, Sven, was born. He grew up and took the name Öjbro.

Many in Lycksele took new names at that time; locally, Öjbro means "crossing the bridge." Sven eventually inherited the house together with his wife Elma. He was a machinist at Hällforsen power station during the 1930s, and many remember his peculiar laugh — he kind of snorted gently through his nose when he laughed.

Elma, on the other hand, could be heard more widely. Not for nothing was she called "The horror of Villaryd" because of her very powerful voice, and she could be heard calling her kids far and wide, saying, "Come in and eat!"

There were often renters in the house over the years. The hospitality function of the house remained in people's memories until well into the 1950s, and many spent the night at Sven Öjbro's on market weekends. After Elma's death in 1960 and his own retirement, Sven devoted himself to self-sustainability.

For a while, he kept a pig in the stable part of the farmhouse and grew potatoes on the slope down towards the road. Sven kept a close eye on when it was time to plant potatoes in early summer. I remember how he daily took the temperature of the Earth in the potato patch. He also did woodworking in the courtyard.

Early on Saturday mornings, the people of Villaryd could wake up to the sound of the woodcutter and Sven starting up: wiiiiiii, wiiiiiiii. It was a proper wake-up call, especially if you had been out the night before!"

Sven Öjbro died in 1981, and today the house stands along Affärsgatan at Gammplatsen, now converted into a general goods store.