Long color runs, that is. Noro, to be specific.
I’m probably majorly dating myself by referencing this song, but I’m not ashamed to say that I totally dug it back in the day. Just as I am digging Noro right now.
I wasn’t born a Noro lover. At least not at first. I thought the colors were always a bit wacky. I mean, who really looks at a skein of yarn filled with lime green, turquoise and purple, and then says: Wow, this could really use some peach! You are either a color genius or higher than a kite if that combo immediately strikes you as gorgeous. But somehow, that one color that just doesn’t seem to belong, almost always finds a way to work. The other thing I didn’t love about Noro at first, was that it is positively infested with twigs and veg. For such expensive stuff, you’d expect that your fiber wouldn’t come with extra hitchhikers you didn’t count on. But after my first project with Noro Kureyon, I got over it. You just pick it out and move on (or leave it if you prefer). I expected that first hat to be scratchy and rough, but instead I was rewarded with a soft and totally non-scratchy fabric; completely unexpected considering the dead twig weight hitching a ride. And the color transitions were fantastic. I was hooked.
There are two things I still don’t love about Noro, but I forgive them because they are a small price to pay for the beauty of the finished objects and the thrill I get as each new color is unearthed from the skein. The first would be the ungodly number of knots I find in every ball I’ve ever purchased. Sometimes upwards of four knots in a 100g skein of sock yarn. Ridiculous. Not so bad if the colors are similar on either side of the knot. In that case you do a quick spit splice (Noro splices beautifully!) and you’re off again. But there have been times where the transition has been drastic and I’ve had to do some quick frogging and/or refiguring. That always stinks. The second thing I don’t love is the inconsistent thickness. You can go from practically laceweight up to DK all within one ball of sock yarn. It usually doesn’t affect the overall look of the project, but it still sort of bugs me.
But I’m addicted, well and truly. Whenever I start a project with Noro I cannot stop myself from knitting color to color, feverishly, not wanting to stop until I see what the next transition will be. It’s a blessing and a curse really. A blessing for the joy and beauty I experience while knitting, but a curse because I cannot stop myself until the fever has burned through and the yarn is gone. Take this for example:
It was supposed to be merely a pillow top. But as I crocheted I wanted to keep going; no HAD to keep going. I was completely and totally knitstoned. With twitchy fingers I scrabbled through all my leftover sock yarn partials and added them in. More! I needed more!! Then I decided this needed to be a 40th birthday gift for my closest college friend and it would no longer be a pillow, but a blanket. Then I decided I wanted one. And after that I decided there was at least one more person on my list who deserved one. When that one’s finished I’m sure I will try to find another worthy recipient. I pretty much want everyone to have one because I want to knit as many as humanly possible. Sick I tell you.
But what a ride it will be…..
Tag Archives: sock yarn
Friday Fill-In #159
My last shipment of Sock Club yarn from Hazel Knits
~Sigh~ Isn’t it lovely? Let me tell you, it’s breaking my heart to not be able to join the Hazel Knits Sock Club for the next round. I had a whole year or so of yummy yarny goodness and now I have to call it quits. That no workin’ thing kinda cramps the yarn buyin’ style if you know what I mean. Realistically though, I have enough sock yarn to knit at least 40 pairs of socks already. And that’s a way conservative estimate. So I need to just go ahead and use it up, otherwise it’s just hanging out taking up space. I’m really going to miss Wendee’s sock club though. I haven’t exactly been around the block when it comes to sock clubs, but Wendee’s was truly perfect. Each shipment came beautifully packaged, with a lovely little pamphlet through which Wendee would share a recipe, some thoughts on her inspiration for the month’s colors, and other little tidbits to give you a peek into her creative and exciting world. Usually there’s some cool indie swag too and then, well, that drool-worthy yarn. On top of that, Wendee is the sweetest person you could ever hope to meet (and we still haven’t met yet)! Maybe someday in the future I can join up again, but for now I’m going to have to say goodbye. Sniff, sniff…..
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Friday Fill-In #159
(get yours here)
1. The lesson I learned yesterday was waiting to put your honeymoon photos (from 5 years ago) into a photo album can really put a damper on deciphering where exactly your photos were taken & just what the heck you were doing at the time.
2. Big life events are the crossroads where friends and family meet.
3. All these years I’ve longed to be able to look at someone and see a resemblance. Pretty soon I’ll get to do that!
4. My dog was waiting for me, soaking wet, when I arrived.
5. The truth is I kinda like staying at home.
6. The doctor saying “I’m sorry” is what I remember most from that day.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to eating a good steak with my hubby, tomorrow my plans include meeting Troy to talk about baby shower stuff and Sunday, I want to knit for a while (that Baby Chalice blankie is kicking my butt)!
Have a beautiful weekend bloggy peeps!
Hazel Knits Shout Out
Mmmm…… squishity Tulip-y yarny goodness from Hazel Knits
Check it out – it’s a shop shout out to my Pacific Northwest pal Wendee! She’s opened her own etsy shop called Hazel Knits, specializing in hand-dyed yarn and “luxury-with-whimsy” handcrafted stitch markers. And, even better, the Yarn Harlot has been knitting socks with her yarn! You can read about it on the Yarn Harlot’s blog here and here. Now don’t you want to run out and get yourself some? You can sign up for the mailing list on the Hazel Knits blog, and I figure you’ll want to because who knows how long her yarn will last in the shop! She’s doing a major shop update tomorrow (Friday, October 26) with loads of new colors and more of her coveted Sailor’s Delight colorway, part of the proceeds of which goes to Doctors Without Borders. I’m guessing you’ll want to snap that one up as soon as you can because it seems to be her most popular colorway with a gorgeous blend of “garnet, pumpkin, rust, and pomegranate”, evocative of a fiery summer sunset. But don’t fret, if you don’t get there in time, she can special dye you a batch if you send her an e-mail or convo her on etsy.
How sweet are these?
She sent me a sweet little package for my birthday and I got the yarn pictured above in the “Tulip” colorway and these lovely stitch markers to go with it! The stitch markers are almost too pretty to use and the yarn is so super-squishy! I am hoarding it for the perfect pattern. Hurry up and get yours and share in the yarny love! There will be a new color each month in the shop, so have fun deciding which one’s your favorite!