Noro Ohajiki: Swatch & First Impressions

Last week I talked about things I want to knit as the weather warms up, and I mentioned that I would be starting the Lucky Stars Beanie with Urth 16 once my Esther Sweater got too big to bring to work. I lied. My package from Michigan Fine Yarns came in much sooner than expected, and once I got my hands on a skein of Noro Ohajiki, I just couldn’t resist.

With all the counting involved with my Esther Sweater, I just wasn’t ready to learn two-color double knitting. Here, the yarn is doing the work for me. I got it in the colorway Fuji (5). It’s mostly periwinkle mixed with shades of fuchsia, hot pink, teal, navy blue, a little bit of black, and a little bit of white. Essentially, my side of the color wheel.

Photo Credit

I expected this yarn to feel a little bit softer in the skein because of its silk and viscose content, but it actually has more of a dry, sort of rustic feel to it. Not rustic in the way wool is rustic, but almost papery. Not silky or buttery like some other 100% cotton yarns I’ve felt before.

Once it’s knit and blocked, it feels like a completely different yarn. When I rub the swatch on the back of my hand, it feels soft in a specific, store-bought sort of way, which makes me feel pretty good about how it’s going to feel as an actual top.

I’m using the Take Turns Tank pattern by Lily Kate France. The gauge for this pattern is 24 sts by 36 rows with a recommended needle size of 3.5mm, so that’s where I started.

My 3.5mm swatch

I don’t normally knit with cotton yarn, mostly stretchy superwash merino. So the first couple rows felt particularly stiff and like I was learning to knit for the first time, but beyond that it’s been fun to work with. It’s definitely harder on the hands than what I’m used to, but that hasn’t been a deterrent. I’ve been forcing myself to take breaks because it’s just oddly satisfying to work with.

My swatch on 3.5mm needles came out to about 22.5 sts by 35 rows. I decided that was close enough to just go down to 3.25mm needles and straight to casting on. I said last week I’d be making the smallest size, but I’m actually going with a size 2 because it aligns better with how much negative ease I want this to have. I’d rather it end up a little cropped than not be able to breathe. I’ve never not played yarn chicken with a skein of Noro, so I’m prepared for that.

Here’s where it’s at now: