No Dice

Apparently my mention of the Knitting Gnomes made them disappear and, sadly, the Baby Surprise Jacket did not get finished last night, nor did I get to watch my movie (I think the nearly hour-long phone call with my best friend and watching the election returns may have had something to do with it as well). A few more rows to knit and a wee bit of finishing await me tonight.

I did manage to finish my Noro socks today, yet another fraternal pair:

Pattern: a variation on my standard stockinette recipe
Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn (70% wool, 30% nylon), colorway S92, one skein (with a good 35 grams leftover)
Needles: two 12" US 1 (2.5 mm) Addi Turbo circs
Started/Completed: December 30, 2007/January 9, 2008
Mods: cast on an additional stitch to allow for a 3x2 rib in the longer cuff (later decreased away) and continued slip-stitch pattern of heel flap through the heel turn for added durability

I've got to be honest with you, folks. I am not impressed with this yarn. The only thing that I like about my experience knitting with it was the color and its subtle changes. The actual knitting experience was not what you'd call pleasurable. First of all, this yarn is rough. As in gave me calluses rough. It's also a singles yarn, so there were fuzzy thick bits near every color transition, and it constantly twisted up on itself. I was also not very pleased to encounter two knots in the skein while knitting the second sock alone; it's because of the second knot that the second sock I knit is actually two rows shorter than the first (I did not want to have to weave in two more ends right at the end of the toe). I know that three knots are the so-called industry standard, but I've only ever encountered one in a skein before. There's still a full third of this skein left, so who knows how many more knots might still be inside.

If I had to pick a word other than rough to decribe this yarn, I'd probably call it sticky -- as in it sticks to itself. This might be good if you're knitting a colorwork sweater with steeks, but for a sock, not so much. The stitches in the knit fabric are not even; there are even places that look like holes or ladders where the stitches decided to stretch out in the middle. The socks are soaking in a sink full of lukewarm water right now, so it remains to be seen whether the fabric will even out.

I'm afraid that I can't give a full review of this yarn until I've worn the socks a few times and can tell you how it holds up, but I promise to do so when I'm able to. In the meantime, I can convincingly say that I am not in any rush to run out and buy more of this sock yarn, or any other Noro yarn, for that matter. I'm going to thank my fingertips for putting up with me during these socks by finally knitting with my Jitterbug. Can you guess what pattern I'm returning to once again?