A pair of gloves for Phil

This story begins tragically, a little over three years ago.  It was fall.  I had just come home from the grocery store to learn from my neighbors that Phil had an accident in our garage. He had been doing some woodworking. I will spare you dear reader of all the gory details & just leave it at this. Phil lost 3 of his 5 fingers on his left hand. This was to be a bit of a trying time for our family. However, Phil stayed focused & was determined. He was out of work for only one week, & after just 6 months, was able to do everything he could do before the accident. Although he still has trouble whenever he has a needs to use his planer-joiner again. 

As an outcome of this accident, Phil & I have gained a new tradition.  I knit a pair of custom fit gloves for the winter season, & Phil wears holes into the fingers on the right hand glove.  It's a love/hate tradition.  I love making gloves for my husband to wear each winter, & I hate having to repair the fingers that get worn out. Because of this, Phil & I have been on a constant hunt for the perfect knitting fiber. It has to be soft, not scratchy like wool. It has to be very strong, so that I won't have to replace the fingers, & most importantly it MUST BE WARM!   We have tried bamboo yarn, cotton yarn, & yarn made out of nettle. This year we are trying 100 % yak down, handspun in Tibet. (This is a product that is made by The Rocking Yak, the project I am apart of in Tibet). Yak down is warmer than wool, & is as soft as cashmere.  We have also found it to be somewhat water proof. Since Yak down has the same felting properties of wool, the fingers seem to be felting instead of wearing out. The truth will be told at the end of this winter as to wether or not this yarn will hold up, but for now we think that quite possibly this yarn is perfect fit for this yearly tradition.