This, my friends, is my latest sock project. It was knit from a new sock yarn which is soon to be released by Catalina Yarns. This is the same company who deals the chunky Baby Alpaca I'm so head over heels in love with. Seriously, their stuff is fabulous crack to the yarn world. Before I go on and on about the other yarns let's get back on track with the sock yarn...AMAZING. That's it. Period. I'd like to compare it to STR because of its sproing. Yes, I said sproing. It has a nice tight twist that doesn't split at all while you're knitting and the fabric has an awesome soft, spongey feel. I don't have a wrap do-hickey but I can tell you it's definitely heavier than fingering weight. It's superwash and after it's maiden voyage through my washer it came out just like new. And, the colors didn't bleed. This really impressed me. I thought for sure they would. The picture above doesn't even come close to showing the true colors. 
This one is definitely a little better. The colors are much more rich in person. Imagine deep green pine trees, dark blue lake water, and fat ripe purple blueberries. Moving on...I don't even want to tell you how many times I knit and ripped this yarn (I do want to tell you how amazingly well it held up though...incredible) before I settled on the Blueberry Waffle pattern. I cast on the 52 stitches but I used a size 4 Addi Turbo for the entire cuff. When I got to the heels I switched to size 2 Bryspun dpns. Since the yarn doesn't have any nylon I wanted a tighter knit fabric for the heel and toe. I knit the foot on a size 3 Addi Turbo and then again switched back to the size 2 Bryspun for the toe. The fabric was incredibly comfortable on my foot. I wasn't sure what to expect since I used needles much larger than I normally would. I've already cast on for the second sock and am half way through the cuff. Since the yarn hasn't hit the store shelves yet I don't have a lot of details other than what I've already shared. I will be sure to post more news as it becomes available. My wonderful LYS will be carrying this as soon as it's available. I can't wait to be able to get more. I'm hooked already. Be sure to keep your eyes and ears open because you're definitely going to want to get this stuff in your hands and on your feet!
5 comments:
Great sock! I love the colors!
your SP
The color is gorgeous!
This is wonderful news - I love Catalina yarns :-)
My name is Shaun Koch, owner of Catalina Yarns. This yarn will be available in limited quantities in about 3 weeks. We are rolling it out to selected retailers at that time. So, stay tuned to Kerry's blog and we will update her and she can share availability information with fellow bloggers.
The yarn is a superwash merino from South America and hand-dyed in the US. The yarn is woollen spun, not worsted. The woollen spin is what produces the 'sproing' as Kerry says. Better yet, woollen spun means the fibers are directionally mixed rather than combed parallel. This creates minature airpockets, resulting in a warmer garment/sock than the exact same fiber spun worsted and knit up. Thus these will truly be woollen socks. The yardage is 325 yards in 100 grams, and the weight (thickness) of the yarn is closer to sport than fingering. Best of all is the handpainting. Our dyer is one of the best in the country bar none and her colorways are to die for.
Wow, I may have to get me some of that! I just started wearing the scarf I made from the chunky baby alpaca you gifted me and it is a dream...buttery soft and really warm. And the claret color is awesome. I think I need me some teal socks!
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