Slip to the dark side

Pattern: rpm by Aija Goto
Size: 9.5 (L)
Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock (70% wool, 30% nylon), colorway S40
Needles: U.S. 1.5 nickel Options 40″ fixed circulars (two-at-once Magic Loop style)

I tend to start knitting a pair of socks because of one very specific circumstance: I’m about to leave on a trip. These socks were hurriedly cast on right before I left for the AAR annual meeting in Montreal. And they turned out to be perfect travel and meeting knitting. They feature a stitch pattern that, once established, is exceedingly easy to read off the knitting, meaning you don’t have to consult your printout. And the luminous color changes in the inimitable Kureyon style make the knitting endlessly fascinating and pleasurable, even while it remains very simple.

Having learned my lesson from a succession of wearable but snug socks, I caved to reality and knit the larger size. For awhile after turning the heel I thought they might be too big. But once finished, they are well-nigh perfect — slipping on and off easily, the slightest slouch on the leg accentuating the spiral stitch pattern. If I knit socks with this yarn again — and I hope to do so, I’m a Kureyon junkie — I’ll go down to 1’s or 0’s. The fabric in these socks is just slightly on the loose side. But again, because of the casual effect and subtle slouchiness, it doesn’t detract at all. And the thick unspun portions that are Kureyon trademarks might bulge out unpleasantly at too tight a gauge. As knit here, they fit right in with the bloomed stitches once it’s washed.

These pictures were taken on a darkly overcast Christmas Eve morning, in the middle of an epic rain. I love the way the colors take on an ultraviolet glow in this light. There’s nothing like Noro, and I feel like an undercover alchemist wearing it on my feet.

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Tags: fo's, noro, socks

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