A week ago, I added Alchemy's new Juniper sock yarn to the store in both the semisolids and colorways- I've been waiting for 4 years for Alchemy to add a sock yarn to their line, and it's almost worth the wait. I say almost because while this is a wonderful yarn, I'd rather not wait at all for something I want. I'm not a patient person. But Alchemy really got it right with this one- they've created a lovely new string for us string addicts to play with.
I had a hard time choosing a color. I'd seen someone's lovely Forest Waltzsock on Ravelry, and when I was considering what color to sample for the store, I was sure that was the color I was going to start with. But there was something about the Vintage Jade semi-solid Element that caught my eye. (this color is already sold out, but I hope to get more for you soon) Alchemy puts their semi-solid colors into Element categories, as Earth/Fire/Wind/Water/Metal are the inspirations for these colors. What caught my eye about the Vintage Jade was that the skein looked like it was in dappled sunlight; some of the skein seems to be shrouded in shadow, and that gives the color a depth that you don't always see in semi-solid colors.
The skein wound with no problems. No knots, no thin spots, and no undyed parts. Once I started knitting, I noticed that the cake started collapsing (from the outside and inside) when a few yards had been taken from the center pull ball. The cake didn't hold it's shape well, likely because the way the yarn is plied doesn't make it very elastic. It seems to be a sturdy yarn, but not very elastic. When I pull on it, it doesn't have the "sproing" that some yarns do- it doesn't get longer when I pull on it. Which is why the cake kind of pulls apart when you pull yarn from the center. Not a big deal really, but you may want to keep the cake in a knitting pouch or zip top bag to keep the yarn from tangling once the cake really implodes.
The yarn is on the thin side of fingering weight, much like Lorna's Laces, so I knit withUS 0 Addi double point needles, and cast on an extra pattern repeat using the Nutkin pattern. This creats a very nice, firm fabric, and the stitch definition is very sharp. It makes a very perfect looking fabric, which I luuurve.
Instead of knitting the picot edge like the Nutkin pattern calls for, I knit a k1tbl, p1 rib, b/c I'm not a huge fan of the picot edge on most socks, and because I like how the look is repeated in the slip stitch heel.
While I haven't yet worn or washed my sock, the fabric seems soft and sturdy and I think it will hold up really, really well. I won't be machine drying the socks, even though the label says I can.
What really stands out to me in this yarn is the color. The color combinations are interesting, the dyeing seems perfect in every skein I've seen, and even the names of the colors are cool. Scarlett's Dark Secret, Secret Agent Blues, Persephone's Pomegranatete.... cool, eh?
*I haven't heard from all the winners of the Anniversary contest yet, so check the previous blog entry to see if you are a winner, then e-mail me at allison@simplysockyarn.com .
Beautiful yarn and beautiful color - well-knit!
Posted by: larissa | June 19, 2009 at 08:36 AM