F.O. - Nachaq Hood / Smoke Ring

What?!?! A new post - it CAN'T be! But, it is!! I know I have not written a post in a very, very, very long time! Life has been busy at a level that I can not describe in words. It still is, but a break is in sight - yay! And, although I've been pretty quiet on the posting front, I still have been knitting. I have this to share:


Lola is modeling a Nachaq Hood. What, pray tell, is a Nachaq Hood? Well, it is also sometimes referred to as a Smoke Ring. It is a traditional Native Alaskan piece of knitting. As you can see, it can be worn as a neck gaiter or as a combination head and neck cover.
Nachaq Hoods are usually a lace knitting product. Traditionally they are made of Qiviut. For those who are unfamiliar, qiviut is the underhair of the Musk Ox. It is a fiber that is unbelievably light, warm, and soft! It is also not super easy to come by and is pretty pricey. This Nachaq Hood is not made of qiviut - I don't have that kind of salary!
This is made of 100% Pure New Zealand Merino Laceweight Wool. It is also very soft and very fine. Once I finished knitting it, it took a lot of blocking! Three days of blocking, to be exact. Here's some more of the design, the pattern is named Skeleton. The pattern comes from the book, Arctic Lace, which tells all about qiviut, and about the Native Co-op here in Anchorage, and about Musk Ox, and about the different patterns that are found in the different regions of Alaska. It is a great book that I LOVE!! This is the second pattern that I've knit from this book!


And here's even greater detail - not super easy to see since the yarn is green/teal/blue in color and I'm blocking it on my ironing board which has a denim blue cover! This was a very special gift for my very special friend, my BKFF Arctic Knitter! She gave me the book Arctic Lace a couple of years ago and I knew once I received the book that I wanted to show my thanks by making her something from the book. It took me a little while to figure it all out and then get it knitted. Here are the details:
Pattern: Skeleton Nachaq Hood - my BKFF teaches Anatomy so the pattern seemed fitting!
Book: Arctic Lace
Yarn: New Zealand 100% Pure Laceweight Merino Wool
Needles: US 2 16" circular - Knit Picks
Cast On: December 28th-ish
Cast Off: April 27th

Lace isn't fast, and I'm not a fast knitter, but I think that the results are so worth it! I am so glad my BKFF likes it, I'm very thankful to have her as my friend!