The Giddy Glow of New Love

Ahhhh...

Mmmmm...

Yeahhhh...

This is how it feels to knit with the Ultramerino4.

I don't know what it is about this particular blend of merino, but whatever it is, ArtYarns has gotten it oh-so-right.

There is just something silky about it. It's soft, smooth and a bit cool to the touch-- like a silk blend. It manages to be the perfect amount of "stretchy and bouncy," without being overly tight. It seems slightly finer than Koigu (probably because of the difference in ply) and works up well on size 0 needles.**

As far as color goes, these hanks are rich and vibrant and consistent throughout. I make that distinction because I had an issue with dime-sized areas of unpainted yarn every few feet with the Cherry Tree Hill. It looked like the dye missed a spot. At first I thought it was an isloated incident until I knit two more things with Cherry Tree Hill and found it to be the norm.

Not with this treasure, though. The fabulous Ultramerino4 has rich colorways and fine dye work.

It's hard to say whether I like it better than Koigu or not. Koigu has that great beaded ply which feels a bit different on both your feet and hands. So, I'm not sure if it's fair to compare the two. A fairer comparison would be Cherry Tree Hill and Koigu.

And we all know where I sit on that one.

Also, I haven't gotten too far into my sock yet because of a scary lack of time. But, so far, I find myself thinking about it at work and counting the minutes until I can knit up a few more rows during a break or during lunch.

Here is what I have so far:

See what I mean about lack of time?

I'm experimenting with a sock pattern, so I did rip out a few times (and, the Ultramerino4 holds up nicely)...but still!

I'll hopefully be picking up more this weekend for a tank. I'd like to see how this yarn knits up in different scenarios.

In the meantime, I plan to enjoy the giddy glow of new love. Hehehe.

**The reason I'm using 0's is because I lost (LOST!) my #1 turbos. I think I left them at the coffee shop after ripping out a sock attempt and putting them aside. I must've forgotten to pack them when it was time to go. And now, OF COURSE, no one seems to have any 1's in stock. Of COURSE. I only had one pair, so this means I can't start my Socka-pal-2za sock -- or any other sock for that matter. I'm trying not to think about it, but it's really starting to make me tense. Hopefully I can find some this weekend.

And, really, why do yarn stores close so damn early?