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Saturday, May 17, 2008

New Sock Yarn! Huntington by Valley Yarns

OH BOY!! My order arrived yesterday!

I had a moment of weakness and Webs was having their sale and I'm so into pretty soft scarf yarn and new sock yarn and I am 'saving money' so I had to do it and now I have more yarn than I know what to do with and it's taking over the house.

(I worked with someone who used to write exactly like that...all the time!)

Actually, I was a little annoyed at the packing job my order received. It was in a nice priority mail box but the box arrived saturated due to the heavy rain storm we had. The guy could've put it between my storm door and my nice new front door but didn't. He left it out to get wet. And..the yarn wasn't in a plastic bag. Some of it was, some of it wasn't. It was packed hastily, some were hanging out of their ripped plastic bags. Sloppy. Luckily, everything inside the box was dry, saved by the packing list.

It was late but I couldn't resist pulling out the new Valley Yarns Huntington Sock Yarn! I believe this to be Cascade Heritage. It's like...the Kenmore version of Cascade. The colors I got (red, dark green and white) appear to be the same as those on the Cascade website. They're wound up the same. They're both new. The plastic bag they came in from Webs said "Cascade Yarns Inc. Quality: Huntington". Interesting. I wound them up on my nice ball winder. They're very thin, like Lorna's Laces. They feel very soft but not as floppy as Lorna's Laces. I used a size 0 to knit the cuffs last night.

Valley Yarns Huntington - photographed in fluorescent lighting at night.
sample cuff for your viewing pleasure, k1, p1 ribbing on size 0 needles. 72sts casted on.
photographed in morning sunlight.

How do I like it, you ask? Well, I think that I like it better than Lovely Lorna's Laces. Don't get me wrong, Lorna fans, I do like Lorna's Laces its just that it works best for me on size 0 needles. I used a size 1 on my Monkeys and LIKE them but the stitches are too large. Lorna's Laces is ultra soft and makes a sock that seems very floppy but is very comfy to wear. I feel like the ribbing isn't snug and elastic enough which makes me not like the socks as much as I should. My Socks that Rock socks really retain their shape well. This yarn feels soft in the hank but not as soft when working with it. The fabric it produces is stiffer and seemingly coarser. I'm sure it won't be like that after I wash it. Do I like it as much as Valley Yarns Franklin? No. I loved that yarn and will definitely use it again. Probably when I'm 85 and have finished up my stash. I highly recommend Franklin. It's not nearly as soft as Socks that Rock but it works up very, very nicely and you get a ton of yardage. I made one pair of socks out of it and love them. I thought that they were going to be too small but when blocked, they were gorgeous. More importantly, they fit great and when washed, they go back to their lovely original shape. I wore them all winter and they are wearing like iron. They look and feel: NEW. Only problem: limited selection of colors. Huntington is nice and will probably make a thin sock, which is good. I love tiny little stitches and love working on size 0 needles. The solids cry for intricate patterns. Stay tuned for what this will be! Let's see how I feel about it after getting through an entire pair of socks and have them blocked and ready for your comments. Then, it'd be only fair to use Lorna's Laces next to compare them side by side.
Stay tuned for an update on my Sleeping Dragon Scarf, the Palindrome (nearly done) and the pattern I have chosen for this sock.

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