Merrily Parker.
MOCO Yarns Qiviut
Ultimately Luxurious Rare Fiber
(MOCO or Musk Ox Company, founded by Nancy Bender.)
All MOCO Qiviut Yarns are currently in stock and will remain so until further notice!
MOCO Yarns & Fibers Qiviut Sample Cards $10.00, including postage.
You've got to feel it to believe it!
Every skein is hand wound by me so every inch passes through my fingers! I guarantee them to be KNOT-FREE! If you'd like to save 10% ask me to look for skeins with one knot as some are unavoidable in the dyed yarns especially. Any yarns with 2 or more knots are cut up and used for sample cards or knit samples. Qiviut is a terrible thing to waste!
What is Qiviut (aka Qiviuk or Qiviuq)?
Nancy
Bender of MOCO Yarns and The Musk Ox Company in Montana, with 12 years
experience raising musk oxen for their fiber, explains the
exceptional qualities of MOCO Yarns Qiviut:
"Musk ox qiviut (kiv-ee-ute), is one of the finest and
warmest fibers on earth. The musk ox have adapted their extraordinary undercoat
to protect them since prehistoric times. Their down-like under-hair is eight
times warmer than wool by weight and finer than cashmere. Each spring the musk
ox sheds this two-part coat and it is harvested by separating the down from
the long guard hairs. The harshness and remoteness of the Arctic limits the
amount of qiviut available. Small amounts are supplied by domesticated herds but
limited worldwide supplies make it one of the most sought after and treasured of
all natural luxury fibers.
Qiviut fiber is so fine that if you laid 1,950 of them side
by side, they would barely cover an inch. The pattern of scales on the surface
of qiviut fibers is smooth and even. This characteristic gives it resistance to
felting, scratching, and shrinking. As a down fiber, it lacks high durability,
but it is remarkably strong, and even compares favorably to wool in tensile
strength. A little goes a long way and a scarf can be fashioned with only one
ounce of fine yarn.
With this in mind, the appearance of musk ox qiviut garments
improves with washing, giving it more loft, softness, and warmth. Hand washing is
recommended in warm water using mild shampoo. Allow the garment to soak for 10
minutes, then gently squeeze the water through a few times. Rinse with the same
method and roll in a towel, squeezing the water out. Lay flat on a dry towel or
on a non-metal screen and gently shape."
These exquisite qiviut yarns are painstakingly manufactured to the
highest of standards and will provide lasting heirlooms for you and your loved
ones.
Did you know that musk ox are
most closely related to goats? Cows stand approximately 48 inches tall and weigh
approximately 400-500 pounds, while bulls stand approximately 60 inches and
weigh 600-800 pounds. Musk oxen, native to Arctic regions in Canada, Greenland,
and Alaska, were hunted to extinction in Alaska in the 1850's. A herd of 34 from
Greenland was reintroduced in 1930. Thank you Greenland!
Musk oxen are born wild with deep defensive instincts making
them difficult to domesticate. They don't always do well in warmer climates and
seem to lack some natural bacterial defenses more common further south. Bless
the musk ox, they deserve our love, respect, and appreciation!
Qiviut is a remarkable fiber! It blooms beautifully, swelling and becoming softer and warmer the more it is handled. Both the Lace weights and the Fingering weights can be considered lace weights by most standards. The Sport weights can be considered fingering weights by most standards. Due to Qiviut's blooming characteristics these fine weights can be worked on needles much larger than standard lace weight fibers. I recommend using needles size US 3-6 for all 3 weights even in stockinet and needles size US 0-4 for the finer 45/45/10 Qiviut/Merino/Silk Cobweb Lace weight. Qiviut alone does not have the elasticity of wool so garments can lengthen about 10% with washing. These qualities make it perfectly suited for lace work and scarves or shawls though it also works wonderfully for anything you like to make or wear. I do recommend using needles 2 sizes smaller coupled with fewer stitches for ribbings in hats or garments. Fondle to your heart's content, Qiviut only improves! Ah, the rewards for the tactile artists...
You will notice a few changes to MOCO Yarns as of summer 2005. I will now be keeping track of dye lots on every skein. This should make matching colors far easier for me as well as you! Most of these are dyed in small 1 or 2Lb lots and I will make every effort to send matching colors when more than one skein is ordered in the same color. If you find you did not order quite enough yarn to finish your project, please do let me know as soon as possible so I can be sure to have the additional matching dye lot yarn you need set aside. If you need numerous skeins in a particular color that I can't match exactly I will have your yarns dyed-to-order!
Natural Qiviut and Qiviut Blend Yarns
Pictured Left to Right
100% Qiviut Fingering, 100% Qiviut Sport, 70/20/10 QMS Lace, 45/45/10 QMS
Fingering, 45/45/10 QMS Cobweb Lace
Prices for Natural Yarns only raised $6 each on March 1st, 2007. My supplier costs have risen considerably unfortunately.
|
100%
Qiviut
Sport Weight 3/14: |
70% Qiviut Natural color in Lace Weight, a custom spun blend. |
45% Qiviut/45% Merino/10% Silk |
Hand Painted Qiviut & Qiviut Blend Yarns
Four exquisite colorways Hand Painted by Mountain Colors, available in 3 of the 100% Qiviut & Qiviut Blend Yarns. Fingering weight 100% Qiviut Yarn pictured. Larger detail image for comparison if you're having trouble deciding which multi-color you want!
-
Bitterroot Rainbow, a warm, subtle rainbow. Bitterroot Rainbow detail shows the difference between 70/20/10 QMS and 100% Qiviut dye shades in the same dye lot!
-
Lupine** blend of blues and purples with a splash of moss green. Lupine detail shows the difference between 70/20/10 QMS and 100% Qiviut dye shades in the same dye lot!
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Mountain Tango** shades of emerald green, olive, forest with sapphire, curry, and burgundy highlights, beautifully earthy. Mountain Tango detail showing the two yarns in the same dye lot.
-
Ruby River** a subtle blend of wine reds, rich and luxuriant. Ruby River detail showing the difference between the two yarns in the same dye lot.
| 100% Qiviut, Mountain Colors Hand Painted Fingering Weight, 2/14, 14wpi: 220yds/oz....$76.00/oz. |
70% Qiviut 20% Merino/10% Silk Mountain Colors Hand Painted
Lace Weight 2/18, 18wpi: 300yds/oz....$66.00/oz. |
45% Qiviut 45% Merino/10% Silk Mountain Colors Hand Painted
Fingering Weight, 2/14,
14wpi: |
Dyed Solid Colors 100% Qiviut & 70/20/10 Qiviut Blend Yarns
Please note: 100% Qiviut and 70% Qiviut/20%
Merino/10% Silk colors
all vary a bit even within the same dye lot due to higher white fiber content in
the blend making it a shade lighter overall. 100% Qiviut is pictured.
These images compare 100% Qiviut Fingering weight on top and 70-20-10 Qiviut-Merino-
Silk Lace weight on the bottom. 100% Qiviut is always darker.
|
100%
Qiviut Dyed Solid Colors Fingering Weight 2/14: 220yds/oz....$76.00/oz. |
75% Qiviut/25% Merino-Silk Hand Dyed Solid Colors Lace Weight 2/18: 300yds/oz....$66.00/oz. |
70% Qiviut/20% Merino/10%
Silk, Dyed Solid Colors Lace Weight
2/18: |
45% Qiviut/45% Merino/10% Silk Solid Colors!
Some of these new colors would be impossible to produce in the darker 100% Qiviut.
| 45% Qiviut/45% Merino/10% Silk Fingering Weight
Solid Colors:
|
New! MOCO Muskox Dolls
These adorable dolls are hand made using the reconstituted guard hairs of the muskox for the body and alpaca for the manes. Leather is used for the horns, their feet are suede, and their eyes are glass. Each is unique. The guard hairs are far softer than I'd imagined so they're cuddly and collectible. Start your own easy maintenance herd, I have! Large muskox detail image here.
Small - 6"H x 8"L x 4"W...$105
Medium - 7"H x 10"L x 5"W...$133
Large - 9"H x 14"L x 6"W...$161
A comparison image of the Sapphire dyed 100% Qiviut, 70/20/10 Qiviut/Merino/Silk blend, and the 45/45/10 Qiviut/Merino/Silk blend, from different dye lots so keep this in mind. This is just to give you a visual idea of how the different yarns take dyes. The second comparison image contains the Natural colored 100% Qiviut, 70/20/10 Qiviut/Merino/Silk blend, and the 45/45/10 Qiviut/Merino/Silk blend. Here you can see that the pure Qiviut is naturally darker than the two containing blended fibers, the 45/45/10 blend being the lightest. This explains why they take dyes differently!
Last update: Monday August 18, 2008
