You know, every time you go to a yarn show or a nice yarn store you run a high risk of exposure to Koigu yarns. And they are SO GORGEOUS. I resisted them for ages because - why? I think probably I was able to be realistic about how much yarn I had already, and exactly how many squares I'd have to knit to produce any of the cute scarves or blankies that catch my eye the most in Koigu displays.
Then I got the great idea to buy two skeins that came close to being a match (the way they are dyed, this is a bit of a gamble) and knit socks.
I know, such a stretch.
Now, as you may recall, I found a huge hole in the side of one of these socks when I went to finish them off, and I decided not to think about moths but just to fix it. Here is the fix.
If you can't see it, I'm not pointing it out to you. If you can - I know, I know, it looks like my darning needle was recovering from a very recent bender. Hey, at least the loose loops are secure now! And we can be thankful too that I knit the legs long enough for this part to be hidden under pants.
In other news, when I went to take that outdoor shot of the socks, a black shadow descended onto them and concealed the cuffs by sitting down.
It was Blue. This is Blue's 'I'm going to stare down your front door until somebody opens it because I want in' stare, taken after I extracted the socks again. I did not oblige with regard to the door because my heart is a giant cube of ice and my house is full of yarn. My own late cat had the run of it all, but since she's been gone my one consolation is never having to clean cat hair off fabric, and I'm not about to take that on again for somebody else's cat... however irresistably pretty she might be.
(seriously, can you see from this picture how soft her fur is? it's really soft.)
And now back to the socks. The question I am posing today is, Are Koigu socks worth knitting?
Here are some observations.
1. You have to buy two skeins to do it, and the resulting socks may not match. (I got lucky: these ones are perfect.) Minus.
2. Koigu is slightly heavier than sock yarn you usually find, so you may not have to put in as many rounds to get the lengths you want. Plus.
3. There are many, many colours to choose from, which is either good or bad depending on your decision-making skills and need for multiple pairs of socks. Wash.
4. These socks are super, super comfy. Plus.
If I counted all that up correctly I think we're left with one plus, right? So yes, Koigu socks are worth knitting. Just not till after the gift knits are done!
3 comments:
I used a size 3 (3.25mm) needle to knit my koigu socks...I'm not terribly happy with the result and they are already starting to fuzz. Let us know how yours hold up!
Yikes Leslie! I must say, that's something that keeps me close to Vesper yarn - it's spun snug enough to resist pilling. I knit my Koigus with a 2.25mm round needle and maybe that will keep it tight enough not to have the result yours did (fingers: crossed)
I'm wearing my Koigu socks today. They are beautiful, and I love them, and I'm going to be very careful with washing them from now on to keep any more fuzz from happening...but I do believe knitting them at a tighter gauge will help.
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