TheTell-TaleKnitter: Frankinsocks

I love knitting socks. There's nothing for me that is so satisfying as working on a project that is portable, represents a relatively short-term commitment, and will most likely fit somebody in the end. So I knit socks to take the edge off my longer-term projects and to have something to do when I'm in a waiting room. They bless my hands with useful activity and then they bless my feet with soft, warm goodness.

Enter the Noro sock yarn. I confess that I have had an abiding curiosity about this yarn ever since it was first introduced by a member of my knitting group at our annual retreat two years ago. It was passed around, examined, and fondled, and then pretty much universally condemned. Its single-ply nature suggests a lack of durability, it has a scratchy feel, a thick and thin inconsistent twist, there is the occasional vegetable matter poking out. But it is just so stinkin' beautiful. The colors are so vivid and the way they gradually blend into one another just screams out that it would be a satisfying knit despite all the drawbacks.

Speaking of drawbacks, did I mention the price?

So when I was given a gift certificate to my LYS, I knew just what to do with it. I had "found" money. I could use it to buy what I wanted with no regrets if it turned out badly. I went straight to the Kureyon display and bought a skein.

I have to say, it does make for a satisfying knit. The gradual color-shifting makes it downright addictive. You have to knit just one more row, just to see what's going to happen next. I decided to try my hand at entrelac for the first time and chose this pattern by Eunny Jang: http://www.interweaveknits.com/preview/2007_spring.asp

Since it was my first attempt at entrelac, I decided to not to use a contrast yarn, and figured that the Noro had enough color-shifting going on to make these interesting.

My first disappointment was the way the yarn feels as you work with it. It slides through your hands like butcher's twine. I actually had a red, raw mark on my finger after knitting for a few hours. I'm told that this yarn will soften a bit after being washed, but it would have to soften a bit more than "a bit" to make these comfortable. I'm reserving judgment until after blocking.

My second disappointment came after knitting the toe, when I found a knot in the skein. Having no experience with Noro, I failed to recognize the significance of that knot. That knot not only broke up my knitting rhythm, but it smashed the rhythm of the colors, forcing a shocking jump between burnt orange to royal blue. Now, not only is the gradual color shift disrupted, but the only way for me to end up with a matching pair of socks would be to make the same break on my second sock to duplicate the effect which I find really jolting and unattractive.

My third disappointment was that I find these socks really ugly. Absolutely hideous. I imagined this to be an interesting and fanciful use for this yarn, but in the end it just did not lend itself to the pattern. Perhaps if that darned knot hadn't been there. I guess I should have thrown out that toe and started over, and I'll know better for next time. Not that there'll be a next time. I've had my Noro experience, and for me, once was enough. I'll complete this pair of socks and call them "art socks". But I'll probably never wear them, and I'll probably never knit with Noro sock yarn again.