Friday, August 29, 2008

Noro Face-Off

Ziggy socks (Summer Knitty 08) in Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn--95.
The jury is in, and things aren't looking so great right now for the Noro Kureyon (pronounced 'crayon'. My rule of thumb is that with Japanese words, just say it really fast and you'll probably get it right). I gave it a shot with my half-hearted attempt at the Ziggy socks, and I have to say that the experience, while it lasted, was not pleasurable. As I have stated before, I truly now know what it feels like to knit with lichen. The yarn is weirdly oily and scratchy at the same time. And splitty. And rough in a way that makes me not care that it will supposedly soften in the wash. Bottom line: the hand is a horror show. But the colors, the colors...sigh.

Toe-Up socks in Nor Silk Garden Sock Yarn
Enter the new upstart Noro that will definitely soon become the show stealer, Silk Garden Sock Yarn. I must say that for two yarns that should by all rights be so similar, these two siblings are night and day. The Silk Garden feels silky and soft and just somehow less irritating. And while the color choices are nowhere near as numerous, I'll gladly trade the glitzy colors of the Kureyon for the dependability of the Silk Garden.

Toe-Up socks in Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn
And if you can believe it, I can back up all my bluster with a FO!

The Specs:
Pattern: Toe-Up Socks by Cynthia Spencer
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn, color #252
Needles: HiyaHiya 1.5 circs

Toe-Up socks in Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn
These socks were the perfect back to school mindless knit stress reducers for me. I worked on them off and on during the last few weeks, sneaking in a row here and there and finished them last night watching Obama's speech--Yes, I did.

Nutkins in Jitterbug 'Wasabi Squeeze'
I realize that my M.O. for the next month or so is going to be finishing projects that were started with so much élan during the spring and summer but somehow ended up in the holding tank. Next up for me will be the Lil Nutkins. This is a fabulous pattern that I highly recommend to anyone looking for a Monkey, Spring Forward type of affair.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for introducing the Ziggy pattern to me. I can't say I'd noticed it before. I loved knitting with Silk Garden Sock too, much nicer than the Kureyon Sock, although I actually knit a pair out of the second and not the first! Nutkins is also on my to do list!

Jodi said...

Oily, scratchy, AND splitty?!? Sounds like the trifecta of yarn unpleasantness.

The striped socks are beautiful, though! Now I'll have to check out the Ziggy pattern.

YawnOver said...

Love the Nutkins pattern...and have you seen the designer's handmade wooden dp holders? (*swoons*) Good for you for getting stuff knit during the fall stress-fest.

Angela said...

I knit through everything else, but when he was introduced, the second sleeve of my sweater had to wait. I just kept thinking, "This is what a President looks, acts, and sounds like." Nov. 4 cannot come quickly enough...

Courtney said...

Regarding Crayon Sock: agreed! I'm also in full agreement when it comes to SG Sock. I bought that same colorway yesterday. Your socks make me want to cast on right now.

wazz said...

lovely nutkinz

mooncalf said...

Those Silk Garden socks look gorgeous. Definitely on my wish-list for iKnit day!

With any language that uses a different alphabet to English you can pretty much pronounce words as they're written because they should be an approximate phoenetic transcription.

indieknits said...

Oh no! What a bummer. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for Silk Garden sock...

a friend to knit with said...

my hands are already in terrible shape so i will be sure to steer clear of little miss crayon!
but your silk garden! ahh! they sound dreamy and i LOVE those colors.

Sarah said...

I have the same feelings for the Noro sock yarn. I love the colors and the rustic look, but I can't stand how it seems to scratch my fingertips off when I knit with it. Alas, I cannot do the Silk Garden Sock, as I'm allergic to mohair and it has just the tiniest bit.

Love how your Nutkins are knitting up. Is that Koigu? A word of advice, though: I've heard that because all the stitches shift the same way, the fabric tends to skew and can make the sock tight. You may want to try it on to make sure it's okay before you get too far. It would stink to finish a beautiful sock that you can get on your foot! (I'm sure you know this already, but I wanted to make sure!)

Sonya said...

My LYS carries lots of Noro yarns, all of which I've avoided. But I may have to try the SG sock because yours are so pretty! Love the Nutkins too. What yarn are you using?

Anonymous said...

Ah, it's so funny you should say this. I was touching the Silk Garden in the store, thinking how it might be nice for a shawl. But the colors weren't right. So I reached for its sister, and - YIKES! It was like touching my grandmother's hands! Your socks are mahvelous, Dahling...

nicole said...

Haha! One woman's lichen is another woman's delight. Call me a nutter, but I enjoy working with "crayon", and it does soften considerably when you wash it. But there's no denying that SG is nicer on the hands. And so pretty too! I adore that blue/green/black colourway!!!

Veronique said...

I had no idea that Noro now made SG in sock weight! How do you find out all these things way ahead of us?!
I'm also struggling through a Kureyon sock...

Yarnhog said...

About the only thing I can imagine using Kureyon for is a woolen loofah.

I wasn't too much happier with Silk Garden, but it's nowhere near as scratchy as Kureyon.

I adore Noro colors, so I deal with the texture issue by only buying Noro yarns with angora as one of the fibers. The angora fluffs up and creates a soft halo over the scratchy wool.

peaknits said...

Wow, the Noro SG colors in your socks are breathtaking, I love them! And pretty practical too! Nice Nuts too! ;)

knithound brooklyn said...

i had the same experience with the Kureyon sock. Hated it. And though it will soften with a washing, the yarn simply has NO memory. Even when you put ribs it, it will stretch out and feel loose. I wasn't thrilled.

Cassy said...

Those socks are amazing. I have never knitted with either of those yarns. I've fondled the Kureyon in my LYS, but was uninterested because of the rough feel. I will leave it alone.

Larissa said...

Beautiful blue green socks. I want to try Ziggy bad, but I have too many things with deadlines. :( We'll be in the same knitting boat, no time for all the fall fun. I commiserate with you.

schrodinger said...

Sounds as though silk garden is a clear winner. I think the trade off in color is a fair one too - I can no longer work on my Kureyon scarf because I'm hating the yarn.

Anonymous said...

I love, love, love the colorway of the Noro Kureyon and the Ziggy pattern looks like it's going to be a winner. Of course, the other socks are also very nice.

TLCknits said...

Well. that sux.. Kureyon colors are amazing too...Love that ziggy pattern!. Silk Garden socks are so SO pretty... can't wait to see the finished Nutkins.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful work! So are the photos!

Sourire11 said...

Beautiful socks!!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad they've made a Silk Garden sock yarn! And I love, love, love that color!!

Jess said...

You have morphed into a practically sock crazy knitter! I think its great. I really love the ziggy sock especially. It sucks that the yarn doesn't feel as good as the colors LOOK.

KnitPastis said...

Love how your Lil Nitkins sock is knitting up. So beautiful!