Diane Williams wrote:
Evidently it's very expensive,
US$60 per ounce. It sounds like an illegal substance!
Yes! It is "very, very" expensive! The reason being, even the Inuit people
don't shear the animals, they gather the bits the musk oxen shed on the
tundra. Although they are really cute animals, they aren't very nice and
don't take to domestication. Several years agp I had the opportunity to
obtain some quiviut blended with tussah silk. Words fail me! Spinning it
was like holding a handful of whipped cream! I think I got it in the late
80's/early 90's at $65.00 US per ounce then. Those who know me know that I
can't resist spinning fiber and the more lucious the better! (I have enough
to open a store) and those who know me know I have a big mouth and
occasionally tend to put my foot right into it. So one day I was with a
lace making friend who knits Shetland lace shawls. I quote "Gee, I should
give you some of my handspun and have you knit me a shawl!" Next time I was
at her house, she plopped a pile of books in my lap and said, "Pick your
pattern!" So I gave her several choices, she chose "Mediterranean Lace" on
page 63 of "A Gathering of Lace". Whit Beryl's skill, it turned out
incredible! If you were at the Northwest Lace Conference in Victoria, BC a
couple of years ago, you would have seen it. It's like wearing a cloud!
Urged to insure it, DH and were talking about one evening and came up with a
value of at least $5000. Counting the cost of the fiber, my spinning time
(maybe 200 hours) and Beryl's knitting time (maybe 300 hours), that's not
unreasonable. Of course, no insurance company would pay out that much!
They would cover the cost of the fiber, if I could find the receipt!
So, that's my quiviut story!
Linda, the string-a-holic in Oregon where we've had just short of 12" on
rain since October 1 so I'm knitting lace with handspun.
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