I used part of my retirement gift from my coworkers to treat myself to one ball of Qiviuk at a gift shop in the Banff resort hotel in the Canadian Rockies this summer. Two years ago we had visited the musk ox farm where the Alaska native cooperative that controls the North American supply produces the luxurious fiber - softer than cashmere. In Alaska I couldn't find the yarn, only finished products. At Banff they had a broader range of colors and both a blend, and the 100% Qiviuk at $85 for 217 yeards. One ball was just enough for a smallish scarf. I picked a simple lace pattern and it was a joy to knit - but all too quickly done.
My main project lately has been neckties! I made one for David for his birthday in diagonal stripes (the skinny model below isn't David), and am just finishing a straight tie with a diamond pattern (one color) for John, both from my stache of a sport weight heather leftover from a sweater vest. I plan to knit another striped one for John (the diagonal shaping was fun.) I bought some new colorway merino silk blend yarn for a a pointed tie (not knitted on the diagonal)for a Christmas present for Emily's fiance. Then I will have exhausted my interest in ties, I think, and I doubt many men would want more than one hand knit wool tie.
4 comments:
Wow, that knitted tie is pretty snazzy!
I find it so interesting that musk oxen are the source for fiber that's softer than cashmere...goes against expectations doesn't it? But it sounds incredibly lovely.
We learned at the farm that the women comb out the undercoat of the oxen in the spring to spin into the yarn. it's the soft undercoat that keeps the animals warm in the artic climate. Do you have cats? They grow a similar soft undercoat in the winter that they shed in the spring.
Oh wow! Well, that also explains why it's so expensive--quite an undertaking to comb oxen and convert that to a knittable fiber.
Congratulations on your retirement! And I too love the knitted ties!
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