Let the waiting begin...

Posted by Emily |1 comments

Just submitted an application for a job that would be an awesome entry-level job for a museum I love. Due to some crazy connections and my previous background, I think I have a fairly good shot at the job.

I don't want to elaborate too much yet because all I've done is submit an application. If all goes well though, I will regale you with the tale of the Museum, the Yarn Store, and the Parking Ticket. Hopefully the ending will be happy.

How to Noro

Posted by Emily |3 comments

This post is inspired by all the negative (read: uneducated) comments on Noro yarns on Ravelry. I will freely admit that I'm biased; Noro is one of my favorite brands of yarn. I've used Silk Garden, Silk Garden Sock, Kureyon, Transitions, Silk Garden Chunky, Aurora, Daria, Blossom, Cash Iroha, and Bonbori so far, with plans to knit with every kind of Noro yarn I can get my hands on. I have Kochoran, Kureyon Sock, Furisode, Chirimen, and Silk Garden Lite in my stash.

Noro is attractive because of the colors, the gorgeous, gorgeous colors. There are very few yarns on the market like it and while some companies try to imitate it - Plymouth, Skacel - their choices in colors cannot touch the inventiveness of Noro itself.

If you are attracted by the colors of Noro, do yourself a favor and read up on the yarn first before purchasing it. It is definitely not for everyone and here's why:

• Stripes - Noro yarns stripe. There is no way around it. They are also long (or wide) stripes. If you don't like stripes, don't get any Noro yarns (except for the rare solids like Cash Iroha). 
• Hand-spun look- It's thick and thin and over-spun in places. These imperfections knit up to make a beautiful, rustic garment. If this look isn't for you, don't buy Noro.
• Coarse - Hey, they use real wool for their yarns. It's coarse and textured. Yes, it might even be scratchy. It will soften up with washing, but it will never be super soft. If you're a yarn princess, stick with Malabrigo and other over-processed merinos.
• Veg - You will find vegetable matter as you knit. It's easy to pick out. That's because it isn't over-processed. Vegetables never hurt anyone.
• Unique pairs - If you want your knitted garments to have matching stripes, be prepared to work a little extra to achieve that with Noro. Also be prepared to accept that it may not match no matter what you do. Knots happen.

If you have made it to this point and still want to try Noro, hooray! Let me give you some advice on choosing skeins to make your Noro knitting experience as nice as possible.

• Dig into the skein to look at all the colors and be aware that balls of the same colorway may not look alike. Make sure you're happy with all the colors inside and outside before making your selection.
• Emily's Noro Law: The prettiest ball almost certainly has a knot. That's because your eye was attracted to the ball with the most of your favorite colors, which means that some colors are missing. Check to make sure all the colors are present in a ball and that they gradually fade into one another. This won't guarantee that you'll avoid a knot, but it will reduce your chances.
• If you can, do a little research before hitting the lys. Check out KFI's color chart to see what Noro colorways look like knit-up. Please note that Noro does not name their colorways, they are numbered. Come armed with a colorway number and description to help your friendly neighborhood lys employee find your yarn.

 Choosing projects for Noro yarns:

• If you're choosing colors for a project like the Noro Striped Scarf, don't pick colorways that repeat the same colors. Your project will be dull and boring. Think outside the box and pair complementary colorways that don't share any colors!
• Find designs that are knit on the bias or constructed in strange or unique ways to take full advantage of the self-striping.
• Don't limit yourself to stockinette. Noro produces wide stripes, so you can do cables or lace without losing too much in the yarn.

Lastly, here's some advice on knitting with Noro yarns:

• KNIT FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE BALL. In general, you should always knit from the outside, but you're asking for trouble if you knit from the inside of a Noro ball without rewinding it into a cake. I can't emphasize this one enough and it really annoys me when I hear complaints about Noro yarns because someone pulled from the inside. Yarn 101: pull from the outside!
• Don't tug. If Noro is breaking on you, it's because you're tugging on it. I'm a tight knitter and I don't have a problem with Noro breaking. 
• Be patient. Noro is a Type B yarn, as in personality types. If you're relaxed and just enjoy watching the colors change, your Noro garment will practically knit itself. Don't get worked up about knots or veg or unmatched stripes - just enjoy the process!

Here are some of my Noro fo's for your visual stimulation: