Qivuit hat

Pattern: Hat kit, came with 100% Qivuit, needles, and instructions

Yarn: Qivuit, teal

Needles: Size 3 dpn
Cast on: June 23

We sell the Qivuit hat kits in the giftshop of the property that I manage and we had one left in stock so I decided to purchase it. I ordered probably a dozen or so, with small bags of roving, way before I re-started knitting. I was walking through the mercantile earlier this spring, and it caught my eye. "Hey, what a great find! Right in my own backyard." And who can't pass by a knit-your-own $90 hat. DH (darling husband) chose to keep his opinions to himself when he noticed the pricetag. This yarn is so absolutely, amazingly soft. Softer than any cashmere I have ever touched! It is combed by Boy Scouts from the Musk Ox that we have up at the Large Animal Research Farm at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and then woven into yarn to sell to support Summer Camp advertising. I just need to purchase more!

info stolen without permission from another website...

Qiviut is the under-wool of the Arctic Musk Ox. It is one of the softest natural fibers in the world having a diameter on average of only 12 microns. Musk oxen are not shorn, as the time it would take for them to grow back their coat is considerable and would not leave them protected for the harsh Arctic winters. However, each Spring they do shed their under-wool and it is hand collected (or in the case of the domestication project - it is combed out) for processing into to fine yarns and garments. Each year a musk ox will shed between 5 and 7 pounds of qiviut.