The Fine Art of Knifemaking

In the town of Mosfellsbær, just a 15 minutes’ drive from Reykjavík, master craftsman Páll Kristjánsson (or Palli) and his co-creator Soffía Sigurðardóttir are hard at work in their rustic atelier, where they create an array of handsome knives for collectors, chefs, and all those who appreciate the workmanship that goes into a finely crafted tool.

38 Icelandic Artisans at Work Damascus steel, well known for its durability and razor sharp blades, as well as stainless steel from Denmark, Germany and Sweden are choice materials favoured by Palli and Soffía. Many of the blades are Viking Age replicas decorated with finely etched designs that are then expertly paired with a handle carved by Palli. Traditional Icelandic materials are all used to create beautifully carved handles—birch, rowan, horse’s hooves, reindeer antler, goat and sheep horn and even fossilised wood. Palli’s knives can be found distributed throughout the world in 85 countries and as collector’s items. They sometimes enjoy fierce bidding between collectors on the Internet. The Woman’s Touch For her part, Soffía, who has worked under Palli’s tutelage for several years, has created a line of beautiful professional kitchen knives and her own collection of steak knives and forks which are gaining in popularity. Blades for these knives come in various shapes and materials (Japanese, Damascus steel or high carbon steel) and the finely balanced handles make them a joy to use in the kitchen. Chefs, cooking schools and cooking enthusiasts tend to love to show off these one-of-a-kind handmade kitchen tools that have become something of a sought after souvenir from Iceland.

Custom-made Should you have your own design ideas or materials that you would like to use, Palli and Soffía are happy to work with you to produce a custom knife made to your specifications. More information can be found at their websites listed below where you can browse their collections and even special order online.

Walk-ins Welcome Palli and Soffía’s workshop can be found at Álafossvegur 29, 270 Mosfellsbær. Opening hours are 9am–6pm, Monday through Friday, from 9am–4pm on Saturdays or, if you are in the neighbourhood outside of those hours, you are always welcome to pop in for a chat . Though a visit to their workshop would be well worth your time, you can also find their products available in Brynja hardware store on Laugavegur 29 in the centre of Reykjavík. -EMV

Álafossvegur 29 • 270 Mosfellsbæ +354 899 6903 palli@knifemaker.is soffia@knifemaker.is www.knifemaker.is www.kitchenknives.is