Palmer, AK

First stop in Palmer is the Friday Farmer's Market. Look who Katie and Margaret ran into. It would be Carrot Potter. Hmmmmm, 12 more hours until the last Harry Potter book hits store shelves. The excitement is building.



Onward we go to this little yarn store that Margaret had heard about, but hadn't made it to yet. Other Anchorage knitters rave about this store and regularly make the trek to Palmer (which is a big deal I guess). It was wonderful, with a selection that would rival any yarn store in Seattle or Portland. As you can see, Margaret and I are doing our part to support the Palmer economy.



When you spend your vacation with a teacher, Margaret teaches High School History, be prepared for some educational side trips. Today we headed to Palmer, AK to visit the Musk Ox Farm. Musk Ox, we learned on our tour, have no musk glands and are not oxen. The Alaskan natives call them Oomingmak which means "animal with skin like a beard", which is probably more accurate. Not only was this educational, but this was also a round about knitting stop. The under fur that the musk ox produces is spun into qiviut ( a good word to remember if you are a scrabble player). Qiviut is called the cashmere of the north, is warmer and softer than wool and will not shrink even if you wash it in hot water.




They have names at the farm for their 55 musk ox. Each has their own unique personalities. The ones that were bottle fed as babies are much more comfortable with people and often come to the fence to greet visitors. But as you can tell by the fence, when they are having a bad day, you want to take a big step back.



They named this musk ox Goliath. So Katie thought it would be appropriate to get a picture with Dave and Goliath.