A Rainbow in Wool

After all that cutting last week, I was a little afraid to touch my vest for a while (you know, just in case it decided to unravel as soon as I tried to pick up stitches or something), so I need a fun interim project. Jen had let me borrow a shawl pattern from her a while ago, and once the thrill/terror from cutting the steeks had subsided, I decided it was time to purchase my own copy of the pattern and use up the free Noro I had in my stash. Just a few days later, I had myself a shawl!

Pattern: Forest Canopy Shawl by Susan Lawrence
Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock (70% wool, 30% nylon), color S229, a little less than one skein
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) Addi Turbo circs
Dimensions: approximately 27" by 54"
Started/Completed: January 6/January 10
Mods: added three pattern repeats

One skein of yarn was more than enough for this shawl, which made me happy. I might've had enough to squeeze out another repeat, but it would have been very close and wondering if I was going to run out would've made me cranky. Plus, I kinda like how the shawl starts and ends with the same color in the repeat (totally by luck, by the way).

If you're new to lace, this is an exceptionally easy pattern. It has both written and charted directions, and it's easily adaptable to different weights of yarn (just adjust your needle size accordingly). For me, having knit much more complicated lace before, it was a real pleasure to just sit down, memorize the pattern, and knock out an entire shawl in a few days.

I'm still not a huge fan of the Kureyon Sock, but it worked well in this instance for a rustic look. I really do like the stripes -- they worked really well with this not-too-complicated lace pattern.

Now -- on to finishing the vest!

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?

Keep On Keepin' On

Wednesday's meeting of the Hurricane Knitters was a lot of fun in spite of the headache that sent me home earlier than usual. I started my second Bird in Hand mitten and got to the first cuff chart before calling it a night. The real highlight of the evening, however, was the spinning lesson Yvonne gave me. She is a great teacher -- take a look at my first "yarn"!

I definitely need more practice, but I understand the process much better now than I did when I was playing on my own. After this success, I signed up for the spinning class at the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival that's coming up next month. The class covers spinning with both a spindle and a wheel. There will be Babe wheels to practice on, which are not among the wheels I'm considering, but they should at least give me an idea of the feel of wheel spinning. I waver between being really excited about spinning and not knowing why I'd want to spin at all (mostly because it would take time away from knitting!), so I'm not yet sure if I want to buy a wheel and I think experiencing what it's like will help me decide. I have, of course, been doing some research, and at the moment if I had to choose I'd lean towards a Lendrum original. It's not the cheapest option, but so many of the reviews I've read seem to say that a Lendrum is great for both beginners and experienced spinners, so it could last me a long, long time. However, I'd love to hear some ideas and opinions from those of you who spin!

In the meantime, when I'm not thinking about spinning, the baby knitting continues apace. Thursday evening I cast on for the first of the Baby Surprise Jackets for the triplets:

Hooray for using up stash yarn! The green is Cascade 220 Tweed that I picked up at the big Knit One sale last summer, and the brown is the last skein leftover from the Seamless Hybrid. This is great, relatively mindless knitting -- viva la garter stitch!

I've got to knit a little something for myself, too, you know, so here's the first Noro sock, completed last night:

This is my first Noro experience and I have to say that I can see what all the fuss is about as far as the color changes go, but the actual knitting with it is not so wonderful. It's very rough and, being a singles yarn, there's a little thick-and-thin action going on that makes the fabric not at all uniform. I've heard that the yarn does soften up with washing, so we shall see whether this one skein of sock yarn proves to be a gateway drug and turns me into a Noro addict. If it softens enough, I might have to be a complete copycat and knit myself a Lady E to keep.