What a difference a day makes

Night and day.  Day and day?  Whatever.  Today was a vast improvement over yesterday.  I got a late start due to a long phone chat with my sister who had been away for several weeks over the holidays but finally got out of my pajamas by late morning and headed out to do some necessary errands, including replenishing our pathetic first aid supplies and mailing the postcards.  Phew, that felt good.  I talk with my sister pretty frequently and wanted to have some no-think knitting to pick up during our chats so decided early in the week to cast on some socks to leave by the phone.  And I was dying to try the new Kureyon sock yarn that I got just before Christmas. 

Have you seen it?  Like regular Kureyon, it comes in an array of mouthwatering color combos but is specifically sock weight, a combination of 70% wool and 30% nylon. Perfect antidote to the periodic thinning of yarn that is a hallmark of Kureyon.  The recommended needle size on its label is 2.7 - 3.3mm...bingo!  I like to knit my cuffs on size 2 dpns (2.75mm) and then switch to size 1 for the foot, so I didn't anticipate any problems.

See that?  No?

How about now?  I'm not a loose knitter, but look at how *airy* this ribbing is on the suggested needles! Honestly, sometimes this yarn thins down to spiderweb weight.  I'm so disappointed.  The coloration is beautiful...there's a deep maroon tucked into the recesses of that skein...but I can't see making socks out of this.  Anyone have different experience with this Kureyon sock yarn?  I want to like it, I really do.  But I think from now on I'll stick with comfy Sophie's Toes.  Thank goodness I have an emergency skein in the stash.

It was M's birthday yesterday...bet he was happy not to have been home with Calamity Jane!...but he'll be back from Chicago tonight so I made his annual *Betty Crocker's from-scratch Best Chocolate Cake with butter frosting*.  Right as I popped it into the oven, the mailtruck pulled up.  Quite the haul today (which always makes me happy) including Molly's New Year card, a portion of which I included at the top of this post.  (Tanya just wrote a great post about this Japanese tradition.) 

And then there was the package from Glorious Color.  *sigh* 

You knew there was a new line of Kaffe Fassett fabric out, didn't you?  Heh.  I didn't either, actually.  I stumbled on them in a post-Christmas-trip stupor one morning as I clicked around after checking my Bloglines.  Dangerous habit.  There are lots of smaller prints in this line which look to work well with his previous designs.  And lots of new color combos of the dots.  I love the one I ordered...school bus orange on gray...might need more of that eventually.  I haven't ventured upstairs today to check the status of my sewing machine (why ruin a great day?) but even if it's bad news, these prints will look great in this project, which I plan to resurrect this weekend.

I'd better get moving.  M will be home in an hour and I need to frost his cake and set the table.  That's one good thing about the kids being grown...birthday cake can be supper!  Mmmm...from-scratch chocolate cake and a jug of cold milk.  I hope he's sharing.

Comments

[lori]

happy birthday m! wish i was there to share the delicious cake!

[Chris]

Wish M a happy birthday from me!! I'm glad you got first aid supplies AND good mail today.

[Carla]

What size needles are you using for the noro yarn? I have seen them knit on 0's with good results! I fear that is what I will do. I do prefer the feeling of Em's much better!

[Anita]

I have heard that the Noro sock yarn is SO much better after it is washed. Maybe you should try washing a swatch first?

The Kaffe fabric... I know!!! Too much temptation... hiding my face.

[Ann]

Happy new year too you, and thanks for the old.

What beautiful colors, both in the yarn and the fabric :)
And, the yarn leaves Norway tomorrow.

[Melanie]

If this was flickr, I'd make a little note on the fabric, showing you which ones I also picked out. :)

I had to try the noro sock yarn too. I'm knitting it up on 0s.

[amandajean]

happy birthday to your husband. I hope that you enjoy your cake supper. sounds good!

[Tonya R]

ooh, pretty fabric. So happy to see that you're bringing back the hexagons to work - such a gorgeous project, which I still love with that black background.

[Cynthia]

Happy birthday M!

Lovely fabrics!

Hm, that's good to know about the Noro, I had been contemplating getting some (like I need more sock yarn, hah!) but now I'll hold off for a bit.

[mathea]

Glorious indeed - I love your fabric choices. I did a teensy bit of shopping there myself, just before Christmas, and I think there is a new project waiting in the wings from Kaffe Fassets latest book. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress on the hexagons - it looks like you have found great selection to go with the ones you have made so far!
I didn't know about the new Kureyon sock yarn - thanks for mentioning it. It does looks like you might need some thinner needles, though, but I hope it will be worth the effort. I just love the colour changes in those Noro yarns.
Hope your finger is healing well!

[Carole]

I've heard that same thing from others about the Noro sock yarn. I'm with you - I'll be sticking with my favorite independent dyers.

[Melody]

Jan I looked at the Kureyon sock yarn online and also noticed it did not state it was superwash ANYWHERE. So I passed. I did use the new Boku by Plymouth and that worked out great, is less moolah and has the same kind of Kureyon colorings. And washable by machine. Not thin and thick. I used #2.

[Cindra]

Chocolate cake and milk? That has long been Bill Cosby's answer to a balanced meal! You better get your two bites done first.

The fabrics look wonderful! I do covet that beautiful quilt cover.... like jewels!

[Lisa]

I am envious...chocolate cake with a glass of cold milk and beautiful fabric...all in one day? I am happy to hear the hexagon flowers are coming back!

[Emily]

I was so excited about the Noro, but am finding it to be pretty thin and also scratchy. I'm knitting mine on 0s. But I'm holding out hope that even though they might not be fun to knit they might be great to wear. The jury is out.

[gray la gran]

yay! you're going to work on the hexagons again =)

i love that project!!! fresh fabric is always inspiring ....

[Wanda]

Now how did I miss Kaffe's new line? Must be because I'm busy picking up some of his old lines at real bargain prices 45-60% off. Now I must have a little of the new too.

[KathieB]

What a shame about the Noro sock yarn. Are you going to try smaller needles and see if it looks any better? The fabric all looks fabulous--so inspiring.

[katie]

I love the colours in your hexagons. Did you know that if you sew just 5 hexagons in the background colour onto each 7 hexagons that you have already put together and then put the 12 hexagons together in the same direction (i.e. always 2 of the background hexagons to the right) then they will all fit together?

[JudyC]

YUM!! on both counts!

[Elizabeth]

Mmmm birthday cake. I'm due for my January birthday cake any day now (Christmas birthday, need I say more)
Disappointing about the sock yarn. I was hoping to see how they turned out. Is the Kureyon sock version softer than the regular weight, it's a bit on the rough side?

[monica]

oh please do! I love that quilt sooo sooo much.

[Ruth]

I'm worrying now about the Noro sock yarn I bought a month or so. You're not the first person I've heard of having this problem.

[Kate]

New Kaffe Fasset - I'm going shopping!