| Noro Furin |
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| Written by Barbara Rottman | |||
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You can’t mistake a Noro yarn for anything else and no one can duplicate the distinctive Noro colors. Furin, recently released by Noro, is a delight to knit and wear. Designers like Debbie Bliss, Corneila Hamilton Tuttle and Jane Ellison have released Noro collections and Noro supports their yarns with dozens of books. Use any of the many Noro patterns or convert any run of the mill plain knit sweater into a work of art simply by using this stunning yarn. For example, the fit-for-a-prince slippers (left) are a simple vintage beginner’s knitting pattern knit with Furin. These colorful slippers can turn even tired old dogs into happy feet.
The Look Furin is bold and proud. The deep, rich tones are mixed with dark and light neutrals spiced up with slubs of color. Noro Yarn selects only the finest raw materials from nature. The yarn is carefully manufactured without the use of chemicals or machines in order to preserve the natural properties of these fine fibers. The minimal use of machines results in a hand wrought finish. Blended of cotton, wool, silk, rayon and nylon, you can expect Furin to exhibit the best characteristics of each of these fibers. As expected, Furin combines softness, lightness, luster, color, and texture.
The Feel Furin has the matte surface and softness you’d expect from cotton, silk and wool. It is lightweight, airy and feels more like a cotton ball than cotton cord. Furin rates a 6 on the softness scale.
The Patterns
Color Range How does one calculate the range of color in a Noro yarn? Furin is available in six colorways. Each colorway is a range of three shaded tones blended with neutral whites and greys. The yarn is plied with a multicolor filament. Sprinkle brightly colored tweed flecks across this palette, and you’ve got an unlimited range of color. Knit your project in one colorway or combine several. Noro is an undisputed master of color, and Noro has achieved a stunning success with Furin. Strong bold colors are highlighted by bright slubs of multicolored rayon plied around the silk/cotton/wool fiber.
Working It Noro’s website describes their spinning process; this sheds light on why Noro yarns are such a pleasure to knit. The basic principle for Noro is “spin yarn by hand,” keeping use of machinery to a minimum. Fibers are aligned according to color and weight, carefully and slowly spun by Noro crafts persons. Since the human hand is used in the spinning process, the natural luster and texture are preserved without considerably impairing the wool fiber. Lining up the yarn by hand results in irregular arrangement of wool, thereby giving the yarn more bulk. Noro yarns are noted for their lightness, softness and loftiness. The thickness of Noro yarn should be seen as an average value. Because it is a handmade yarn with raw materials being weighed and lined by human hands, there are areas that are thick and areas that are thin. There are areas where the strand is tight and where the strand is loose. It is these variations that add to the surface texture of Noro yarns. Savor the knitting as you discover the joy of knitting Noro yarns. Furin is another soft, lofty and luscious yarn from Noro. It’s soft and light, with a supple drape, and it retains shape and stitch definition.
What I’d Like to Make with It Use Furin for jackets, pullovers, and wraps that feature relaxed, loose shapes. It’s light and lofty, so go ahead and add big cables without fear of creating a stiff and inflexible garment. The inherent color variation means you don’t have to think twice about color matching or color changes as Noro does all the color work for you. Revel in the vibrant randomness of bold and dramatic color. Furin can also be used in hats, scarves or even light mittens. Reinterpret one of your favorite stand-by patterns in magnificent color by using Noro’s Furin yarn.
Knitting Outside the Box Baby and toddler clothing can be predictable and pedestrian if always knit in pastels, primaries, or variegates of the same. Try this soft and lofty yarn for a baby’s hoodie or pullover. At a gauge of 16 stitches over 4 inches, you can stay with simple shapes. The colors of Furin will be more than enough for a stunning project. If you must fiddle, add a border trim or edging in a bright color.
Blocking It Lay flat.
Washing It Hand wash or dry clean.
Wearability Furin is a quality yarn, spun of carefully selected fibers. It’s destined for the long wear you expect in a project you labor over. Although it is loosely spun, Furin is quite sturdy. I attempted to tug on a few slubs and tried to stretch the knitted fabric out of shape, but it withstood these attacks and returned to its original soft shape. With proper care, Furin will give you long wear. Overall Recommendation This yarn is a delight to knit with and to look at. I highly recommend it at #8.
This yarn will be available at Yarnmarket.com as soon as it is released.
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Yarn Name: Noro Furin
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