Notes on a Sock Yarn

Thoughts and observations as I've been working with the Noro Kureyon sock yarn.

1. The colours are truly wonderful - no surprise there.

2. Each section of colour goes on longer than I'd expected. I've worked two socks with two different stitch counts and two different st patterns, and in neither case did I work a full repeat of the colour change.

3. There's less in the way of organic matter (i.e. bits of twig, hay) in the yarn than there is in the original Kureyon. There is a little, but not much.

4. Like the original Kureyon, the thickness of the yarn varies as you work with it.

5. It's heavier in gauge than many sock yarns I've worked with.

6. But because of the varied thickness of the yarn, it needs a smaller needle than I would normally use. I'm trying 2mm (US 0) or 2.25mm (US 1) instead of my usual 2.5mm.

7. The yardage is great. I'm betting there's three socks in a ball.

8. The hand is rougher than many sock yarns -- but again, I'm not particularly worried about this one. I think it's a bit of a red herring, to be honest.

9. This is absolutely a "pull from the outside" ball. The yarn is very sticky and tangly, and god help those who insist on pulling from the inside of the ball.

10. The manufacturer instruction to handwash worries me a little bit, but not too much. I often handwash my delicates, so it's not a huge hardship to throw some socks in. That having been said, it means that it's not the best all-purpose sock yarn out there.

11. On the question of wear: hmmm.... I will monitor my own socks, and the results of others, very carefully. The nylon is a help, no question, but it is a single ply. The big burning question is how well will it actually wear?