Summary
Noro does it again! This may just be a love hate thing. Either you will hate-to-love it or love-to-hate it. Noro's color combinations are intriguing and do not disappoint. The yardage will produce a pair of socks, but if you desire the socks to match, you will definitely need to purchase a second skein.

My Impressions
Initially this yarn is very rough to the touch and feels as if its been coated with something. This would be where the first "hate to love it relationship" comes into play. Luckily, the coating seems to diappear with handling and with knitting the fibers soften somewhat. The color combinations are beautiful, yet sometimes surprising, but blend nicely into one another.

The Knitting Experience
I chose to use US # 1 (or 2.25mm) dpn's even though the label recommends to use a US #2 - 3.5 (2.7 - 3.3mm) needle. Like the original Kureyon, the yarn has thick and thin spots. Due to its rustic nature, I chose to knit in a k3p1 rib on my first pair and found the pattern and the colorway to be quite pleasing. I used color 188.

At times the thick and thin nature of the yarn took on a harrowing experience, but I believe the blend of 30% nylon adds to the strength of the yarn and once knitted looked just fine.

Pulling the yarn from the center of the skein may be surprising and may not look anything like the outside of the skein. Even though surprising, the colors just seem to work, if you are a Noro fan.

Like the original, I did encounter a knot which led to an abrupt color change and did not follow the color repeat (see the sock in the foreground as an example of the abrupt color change near the middle of the foot). This again, may cause you to purchase a second skein if you would like twin socks. For me, it doesn't bother me if my socks don't match exactly. I like my socks to say, "I'm handknit". But I know this may make others crazy. The good news is, if you choose to buy two skeins, you will still end up with two entirely different looking pairs of socks due to the long color repeat.

Unlike the original Kureyon worsted weight, I did not find much in the way of straw pieces or natural debris. I ran across 3 small bits throughout the entire skein.

I do like the look of the ribbing, yet it didn't appear as rustic as I initially thought, so I tried Grumperina's Jaywalker pattern in color #164. I think it turned out quite nice and I think it is suitable for a lacy sock as well.

UPDATE.....These need to be cared for more delicately than previously mentioned. the thin parts of the yarn have a tendency to break during normal wash & wear.

Wearability
Surprisingly, I did not find them to be rough or scratchy on my feet. Of course, they are also not soft and cuddly like merino wool either, but very warm.

The wool/nylon blend means there that they will be durable for sock wear and will not need to be reinforced in the heel and toe area.

UPDATE....after many wearings and washings some holes have formed where the thinner strands of yarn have not held up to normal wear. I was indeed disappointed and most likely will not use this yarn in the future due to its lack of performance. Of course, the beautiful color combinations have a way of weakening me.