Prize alert: Wanna touch some Qiviuk?
Since I love you guys on this blog, I bought a small (10 grams) bag of raw Qiviuk fiber to give away to some lucky spinner. I mention spinner because this isn't yarn (couldn't afford that without my DH's support), it's fiber so someone who spins would make the best use of it. (That's it below.)
Here's a little info about Qiviuk from the card the store gave me:
Qiviuk is the Inuvialuit word for Down: the fine, inner, insulating blanket of the Canadian Arctic Muskox. Qiviuk is the softest, warmest and most luxurious fibre in the world. This amazing coat allowed the muskox to survive the last ice age as it roamed the earth along with the woolly mammoth, and it currently protects them from the minus 60 degree Celsius temperatures of the Canadian high Arctic.
Inuvialuit Natives (people of the Canadian Arctic) harvest the beautiful inner fibre form the legendary northern "Umingmak" (Inuit word describing the muskox, meaning "the bearded one"). These people, with their strong belief in a harmonious existence with nature, carefully monitor and manage the wild muskox population, ensuring their unthreatened existence.
According to the flyer, Qiviuk is worn by the Queen of England, Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Jean Chretien, Anna Wintour, and the Dalai Lama (an interesting concatenation of celebrities).
If you'd like to add it to your fiber collection, post a comment here and I'll get Barbara to fire up the Random Number Generator to choose a winner.
Here's a little info about Qiviuk from the card the store gave me:
Qiviuk is the Inuvialuit word for Down: the fine, inner, insulating blanket of the Canadian Arctic Muskox. Qiviuk is the softest, warmest and most luxurious fibre in the world. This amazing coat allowed the muskox to survive the last ice age as it roamed the earth along with the woolly mammoth, and it currently protects them from the minus 60 degree Celsius temperatures of the Canadian high Arctic.
Inuvialuit Natives (people of the Canadian Arctic) harvest the beautiful inner fibre form the legendary northern "Umingmak" (Inuit word describing the muskox, meaning "the bearded one"). These people, with their strong belief in a harmonious existence with nature, carefully monitor and manage the wild muskox population, ensuring their unthreatened existence.
According to the flyer, Qiviuk is worn by the Queen of England, Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Jean Chretien, Anna Wintour, and the Dalai Lama (an interesting concatenation of celebrities).
If you'd like to add it to your fiber collection, post a comment here and I'll get Barbara to fire up the Random Number Generator to choose a winner.
posted by Nancy Herkness at 3:15 PM
16 Comments:
Wow, that is some luxurious sounding fiber! And it's got some great company, too. I don't blame you for buying it! (And I'm trying to think of a good way to use your 3 balls of yarn from your other post.)
Ooo! ooo! ooo! Qiviuk! I'm so envious that you got to go to an entire store full of it. Is there any specific type of scarf you are thinking of making?
Ooh, me, me, pick me! Fingers crossed
I'd love the qiviuk roving, but I don't spin (though I know of someone who does...regift?). Seriously, don't enter my name. I am also trying to think of a stole--did you check out Artic Lace? There are patterns in there and also, directions on how to design your own pattern! Great book and has so much information on that fiber (I don't dare type it again for fear of misspelling!).
Oh PLEASE - I'd love to get my little fingers on some quivuit roving. Please be a dear and add my name to the hat - thank you!
I will Learn to spin if I get this. Or arrange for a friend to do it for me- I know a lot of spinners.
Ooh! I would love to add quiviut to my unusual fibers for spinning collection. Sign me up!
Lisa RL
Oh, I would absolutely love to win this! I've been reading so much about it lately.
PLease enter me into the draw for the quivit, is the shop online, does it post to the UK?
Oooh! Pick me! Pick me! I can clear off a spindle (or go get another one and let the spinning shop ladypet it too!) and play with it for a long time! Definately spindle, the wheel would make spinning it go too fast. ;)
Wow, we've got a lot of spinners (and friends of spinners) here! You all amaze me; I'm strictly a "go-to-the-store-and-buy-yarn" kind of gal but I'm so glad so many of you could use the Qiviuk fiber.
When I took the fiber out of the bag to photograph it, I have to confess that I plunged my fingers deep into the heart of the Qiviuk and savored the feel. I think I'm a fiber pervert or something.
Rachel, the shop is Canadian so I'm sure they'd ship to the UK. We certainly met a lot of absolutely charming folks from G.B. and Australia there. The website is www.qiviuk.com.
Thanks to all for the lace pattern suggestions! I'm admiring them all and debating which gorgeous one to attempt. (It has to be relatively easy since I'm a Lace Newbie.)
hoping the number is 12!
Kim
Ooh! I just had a spinning class with Galina and I have a pair of Russian spindles that are perfect for qiviut. Time to start wearing my lucky 13 again.
Definitly try the book Arctic Lace by Donna Druchunas. There are some wonderful patterns in the book for simple lace scarves and things. And since Donna had never worked in lace before starting to write the book, they are not the most difficult of patterns.
Teresa C
Add me to the list! I love Banff - it's one of my favourite places. You never understand what young mountains look like until you've been through the Canadian rockies!
I would love to get some umingmak yarn for my dear friend Jenny who knits!
Nutaaq
Post a Comment
<< Home