I've loved Noro yarn for over a decade. I think I knit my first hat with some Kureyon when I first moved back up north in 1999...and it's been a true love affair ever since. I've knit lots of things that I consider to be timeless staples, but I don't think I've ever happened upon a pattern that is sooooo perfectly suited to Noro. The subtle (and often not-so-subtle) colour changes blend wonderfully and are really showcased in Motley. It's a free pattern from Knitty.com that you can find here.
I happened upon the pattern by accident, just before Christmas.....and instantly knew that my stash of Silk Garden would soon be transformed. The pattern calls for 3 balls each of 3 different colour ways....but I just used the random assortment of real Silk Garden (not the sock mentioned in the pattern) I had on hand (4 balls of 279, 2 balls of 323, 2 balls of 272 and 1 ball of 241). There is some excellent colour advice at the beginning of the pattern, encouraging you to just go with it, even it it might look a little strange at the beginning. And really, wanting to watch it change and transform and harmonize with the addition of each new square of colour is all the motivation you need to knit, and knit and knit....and before you know it, you are done! I knit the whole thing, from start to finish, during my holidays. Of course it still needs to be blocked and have 2 tails sewn in (yes, only two!), but that's a job for another day.
When I was finishing off the last few tiers last night, I noticed that I actually made mine one row smaller than the pattern -- starting off with only 15 triangles, due to a comprehension problem -- but it is still plenty large enough, even before blocking. It probably also explains all of the little balls of wool I have leftover....but no worries, they can be combined into the next Noro project. I know there will be another one before long....
P.S. Thanks for leaving so many comments and sharing the Jumbo love.....it's very motivating ;-)
