Jacques Cartier Qiviuk Yarn

The Qiviuk arrived in 3 days. It IS costly, but well worth it. After getting over the shock of how small a ball of 28 grams really is, I set out to try to find a crochet hat and/or scarf pattern. Nothing for crochet came up for qiviuk. I ended up creating my own pattern based off of Brittney Waterhouse's 'In Bloom Beret & Cap' that you can get for free (yea) on Ravelry.com and using a J sized hook. Amazingly, after finishing a cap/beanie of nothing but full 4 & 5 yarn over bobble stitches, it only weighed 3/4 oz (18 grams) and I still had 10 grams left from the one ball used. If you have crocheted with size 3 or 10 crochet thread, then the quviuk will be easy to handle. I ordered both the bottle green color (rich & dark with a bit of a soft brushed texture) and the 'natural' color which is not as processed as the colored and has no brushed or fuzzy texture at all. My sister LOVES the beanie and hardly takes it off whether she is inside or outside. She says it keeps her feeling wonderfully warm outside (it has been in the 30s and 40s here), but when she comes inside she keeps it on and feels warm without being overly hot. Wish I could afford to crochet with this much more often.

This soft, downy undercoat of the musk ox is lighter, softer and warmer than cashmere. Also more scarce. Qiviut (qiviuk) is a true luxury lace knitting yarn as evidenced by the price. In my experience the yarn colors have been richer and deeper than the photos show. The yarn is well spun with minimal guard hairs and works up well. So far I have completed several lace knit scarves and "nachaq" or "smoke rings" (think elongated neck gaiter or wimple) and the projects have knitted and blocked beautifully. Mostly available in darker colors due to the natural hue of the qiviut fiber. Paradise Fibers has the most extensive selection of qiviut yarn colors that I have found. The price is on par with other sellers and their customer service is outstanding.