I have recently learned that the Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn has been discontinued in the United States. What’s going on with this yarn in other parts of the world is anyone’s guess. Seeing that the U.S. is Noro’s largest market, I imagine that if the U.S. distributor decided not to continue ordering it, that this yarn may soon be discontinued worldwide also.
We have eight colors of the Kureyon Sock yarn in Stock, and there are no more than 10 skeins of each color available. Our supply is very limited and selling quickly. To purchase the yarn, visit our Kureyon Sock Page. The yarn retails for $19.00, and we have it on sale for $18.05 per skein.
Mini Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn Review:
Kureyon Sock yarn is a yarn that I have not knit with before. Actually, I haven’t knit a pair of socks on about five years. When I heard that this yarn was being discontinued, I thought I might want to make a pair of socks before it was gone. I then 
remembered that about a year ago, one of my puppies got hold of a skein of this yarn, and of course it could not be sold. The puppy didn’t damage the yarn, but it chewed the label and unraveled it a bit. So, I’m using that skein for my first pair of Kureyon Socks. The color I’m using is #149, which is a nice mixture of browns. Although I love this color, I probably would have chosen another color. Possibly, something less neutral, and one with brighter colors. Oh well, the dogs picked this color for me, and it’s still a rather nice color to work with.
Noro Kureyon Sock yarn is 70% wool, and 30% nylon. This yarn is made up of two very thin stands of nearly unspun piles that are twisted together. Touching the skein, I noticed that this is not what you would call a per-se “soft” yarn. Just as the worsted weight version of this yarn is not particularly soft, neither is the sock version. But, it is not a rough yarn either. For those use to something really soft like Shepherd Sock or Louet Gems, this yarn might be a bit of a surprise in the “touch and feel” department. Also, it is very thin, much thinner than Shepherd Sock or Louet Gems.
I decided on the Waterfall Socks Pattern. 
This beautiful pattern is free, and was designed by Wendy D. Johnson of wendyknits.net. The stitch pattern used for this sock is very simple and has only four stitches. The “waterfall effect” comes from knitting two stitches together, followed by a yarn over. This combination moves one stitch over on each odd numbered row for five rows. This pattern calls for knitting the socks from the toe up, and using the wrap and turn technique, neither of which I’m very fond of. So, I’m knitting the socks from the top down, and using the heel and toe shaping techniques from Evelyn Clark’s Waving Lace Socks. 
I made a pair of Waving Lace socks years ago and liked that technique for the heel shaping. The Waving Lace Socks pattern was first published in Interweave Knits’ Spring 2004 Magazine. It was later the cover sock in the book, “Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave.” As I work my Waterfall Socks, I’m rewriting the pattern for future use as a top down version, with my preferred heel technique from the Waving Lace Socks pattern
I used six inch Crystal Palace double point needles for my socks. I am a very tight knitter, and have always been so. I started the cast on, and about half way through the yarn snapped. I think the third cast attempt was to my satisfaction. I originally used four double point needles, placing all of the instep stitches on one needle. I later rearranged my stitches and divided them for five needles, as it just worked better. I also realized that six inch needles were too long for such a small amount of stitches. The only shorter double points that I had were Brittany birch four inch double point needles. I found that in size one needles, the Brittany birch needles had much more flexibility than the Crystal Palace bamboo needles. I was a bit worried that I might actually snap the birch needles, so I went back to the bamboo.
The yarn was not easy to work with for the first two rows. It is spun very thin, but then it unexpectedly has a few sections that are spun thicker. I wish this yarn was evenly spun. But, we use Noro yarns for the wonderful colors more than anything else. After all of my complaining about the yarn, I actually love how it looks knitted. The stitches look very nice and even, except where the yarn is spun thicker, and the color changes flow together nicely. I only have about one inch knitted so far, but will post the socks as they progress. Here is a picture of the ribbing,
and here is a picture of the mangled skein. If you click this photo, the larger picture really shows the thicker spots, and how unevenly the yarn is spun.
As you will see, I did not rewind it, it’s being used as it.
