A New Project

I've finally started a new knitting project. It is the shawl I posted about trying out in the Noro Kureyon sock yarn. So far it is going well, just a little slow. The pattern is called Swirl Shawl and is from JoJoLand brand yarns for their Melody Superwash yarn. It is a variegated yarn that stripes I think.

I was immediately attracted to the hexagon motif of the pattern but assumed it was crocheted. It just looked like one of those crocheted motifs, but I found out that it is in deed a knitted pattern. and there for possible for me to complete But I didn't like the colors of the yarn the pattern specified. I don't know anything about the yarn other than they picked an awful color to work the sample that is pictured on the pattern.

So the easiest thing to do was substitute another fingering weight variegated yarn that stripes. Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn was the first thing that came to mind. I have wanted to try the yarn out ever since I saw it, because I'm a Noro junkie. But I just wasn't convinced that socks were the way to go. Plus everywhere I went the yarn was back ordred.

Well one Saturday I was out shopping with ZKnitter and the shop had a small selection of Kureyon Sock color available. So, I bought three skeins and came home and ordered the shawl pattern. Now that I've used the yarn a little, I have no qualms saying that this really isn't the best yarn for socks. With so many wonderful sock yarns available, this would not be on my list. but I do think it will work well for this shawl. the yarn is a little rough, but the biggest problem I see is the lack of strength. It is very similar to Kureyon in that way. I have had this break in my hands with very little pressure. I don't think it would hold up to well with the normal wear and tear that socks should be able to handle.

The pattern is pretty easy to knit. Each little hexagon is knit individually in the round from the outside in to the center. There is now seaming. Additional hexagons are started by picking up stitches on the previous one and casting on the remaining stitches needed.

That process is what is going to make this project take awhile. There is tons of starting and stopping and the inevitable weaving in the ends. Then of course this thing will have to be blocked to get the nice detail of the hexagon shapes. The image to my left is my swatch that I blocked. There is a big difference between that and the unblocked shapes in the pictures above. I can tell I'm going to need more blocking pins already.