speaking of mittens..

I would love to get my hands on some qiviut.  I remember Stuart Mclean (vinyl cafe) mention receiving a pair of qiviut mittens and commenting how he only 'tried them on from time to time' so as not to loose the coveted pair.

Qiviut (pronounced "kiv-ee-ute"), the downy-soft underwool from the Arctic musk ox, is shed naturally each year during the spring months. Eight times warmer than wool and extraordinarily lightweight, Qiviut is one of the finest natural fibers known to man.  http://www.qiviut.com/

 and word has it the softness and warmth is incomparable,,... thus this magical spun is tres expensive. (60 euro for 50 grams.)

Well, .... Perhaps purchasing a muskox and harvesting my own bank would be the more economical way to go? I'm sure mom and dad could use a muskox to hold the farm down too...