I've been fortunate to have many pairs of socks hand-knit for me.....but of all of those pairs, my absolute favourites have been knit with Noro Kureyon Sock yarn. Not only are they beautifully colourful, they also felt just a wee bit upon washing, so that they become the most comfortable handknit socks ever (IMHO). I don't feel any ridges under my feet with these socks, and I can comfortably walk for miles in them.
They are so much my favourites, that I really don't like to wear any other kind. The only problem with this preference has been a lack of supply. I only had 4 pairs – and one pair had sprouted a hole.
With winter on its way, I asked my mum if she would knit me a few more pairs – if I bought the yarn. I delivered 3 balls of yarn sometime in August...and my mum quickly got to work knitting the socks. There is enough yarn in one ball to knit 3 socks, so she had quite a selection of yarn leftover when she was done. She mixed it with some other leftover bits and also frogged the shawl I had been knitting on....and ended up making me six more pairs, for a total of NINE new pairs. Plus, she was able to repair the holey ones, so I have lots of socks to keep my feet warm this winter -- and I won't need to wear anything else but Noros.
Since Noro yarns are self-striping, she separated the leftovers into colours and divided each of them in half, forming two balls (one for each sock). To join the strands, she knit several stitches with both -- and since it's a fine yarn, it is barely noticeable. Some of the pairs have the same subtle changes as the original balls....and others have more dramatic switches.
As the leftovers were getting used up, it became more of a challenge to choose the colours. There are a few pairs that are more lively than the others....which will be great for the dark days of winter than lie ahead. When things are looking gloomy, I can always look down at my feet for a smile ;-)
