diff --git a/lib/net.js b/lib/net.js
index a3cb423ef0..db41bd695a 100644
--- a/lib/net.js
+++ b/lib/net.js
@@ -398,73 +398,6 @@ Object.defineProperty(Stream.prototype, 'readyState', {
 });
 
 
-// Here's the deal. Character encodings are hard. We need to take javascript
-// strings and turn them into raw binary to send them to socket. Javascript
-// strings are pure unicode (I think V8 uses 16-bit arrays to hold them).
-// So an encoding needs to be given to write it out to socket - this is
-// usually 'utf8'. 
-//
-// This function, encodeString, takes a buffer and writes the string to it
-// starting at buffer.used. If it could fit the entire string into the
-// buffer then it increases the buffer's .used member and returns buffer.
-// Otherwise it creates a new buffer large enough to fit the entire string,
-// writes that string into the new buffer, and then returns it.
-function encodeString (buffer, string, encoding) {
-  encoding = (encoding || 'utf8').toLowerCase();
-  var bytesWritten;
-
-  if (string.length < buffer.length - buffer.used) {
-    // Try to write
-    if (encoding == 'utf8' || encoding == 'utf-8') {
-      bytesWritten = buffer.utf8Write(string, buffer.used);
-      debug('wrote ' + bytesWritten + ' utf8 bytes to buffer');
-      if (buffer[bytesWritten-1] == 0) {
-        // wrote the whole string.
-        buffer.used += bytesWritten-1;
-        return buffer;
-      }
-    } else {
-      if (encoding == 'ascii') {
-        bytesWritten = buffer.asciiWrite(string, buffer.used);
-        buffer.used += bytesWritten; // bytesWritten-1 ?
-      } else {
-        bytesWritten = buffer.binaryWrite(string, buffer.used);
-        buffer.used += bytesWritten;
-      }
-      return buffer;
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Couldn't fit the string in the given buffer. Instead of partially
-  // writing it and then slicing the string, we'll do something stupid and
-  // just create a new temporary buffer just for that string.
-  // (The reasoning is: slicing is expensive.)
-
-  var byteLength = Buffer.byteLength(string, encoding);
-  var newBuffer = new Buffer(byteLength);
-
-  debug('alloced new buffer for string : ' + newBuffer.length);
-
-  if (encoding == 'utf8' || encoding == 'utf-8') {
-    bytesWritten = newBuffer.utf8Write(string, 0);
-  } else if (encoding == 'ascii') {
-    bytesWritten = newBuffer.asciiWrite(string, 0);
-  } else {
-    bytesWritten = newBuffer.binaryWrite(string, 0);
-  }
-
-  debug('filled up new buffer');
-
-
-  assert(bytesWritten == byteLength);
-
-  newBuffer.used = byteLength;
-  newBuffer.sent = 0;
-
-  return newBuffer;
-}
-
-
 // Returns true if all the data was flushed to socket. Returns false if
 // something was queued. If data was queued, then the "drain" event will
 // signal when it has been finally flushed to socket.
@@ -479,38 +412,79 @@ Stream.prototype.write = function (data, encoding) {
     return false;
   } else {
     // Fast.
-    return this._writeOut(data, encoding); 
+    // The most common case. There is no write queue. Just push the data
+    // directly to the socket.
+    return this._writeOut(data, encoding);
   }
 };
 
 
 // Directly writes the data to socket.
-// unshifts remainder onto _writeQueue.
+//
+// Steps:
+//   1. If it's a string, write it to the `pool`. (If not space remains
+//      on the pool make a new one.)
+//   2. Write data to socket. Return true if flushed.
+//   3. Slice out remaining
+//   4. Unshift remaining onto _writeQueue. Return false.
 Stream.prototype._writeOut = function (data, encoding) {
   if (!this.writable) throw new Error('Stream is not writable');
 
-  // The most common case. There is no write queue. Just push the data
-  // directly to the socket.
 
-  var buffer, off, len; 
+  var buffer, off, len;
+  var bytesWritten, charsWritten;
 
-  if (typeof data == 'string') {
-    if (!pool) allocNewPool();
-    var startOffset = pool.used;
-    buffer = encodeString(pool, data, encoding);
-    off = (buffer == pool ? startOffset : 0);
-    len = buffer.used - off;
-  } else {
+  var queuedData = false;
+
+  if (typeof data != 'string') {
+    // 'data' is a buffer, ignore 'encoding'
     buffer = data;
-    off = data.sent || 0;
+    off = 0;
     len = data.length;
+
+  } else {
+    assert(typeof data == 'string')
+
+    if (!pool || pool.length - pool.used < 128) {
+      pool = null;
+      allocNewPool();
+    }
+
+    if (encoding == 'utf8' || encoding == 'utf-8') {
+      bytesWritten = pool.utf8Write(data, pool.used);
+      charsWritten = bytesWritten; // XXX FIXME
+    } else if (encoding == 'ascii') {
+      bytesWritten = pool.asciiWrite(data, pool.used);
+      charsWritten = bytesWritten;
+      assert(charsWritten <= data.length);
+    } else {
+      bytesWritten = pool.binaryWrite(data, pool.used);
+      charsWritten = bytesWritten;
+      assert(charsWritten <= data.length);
+    }
+
+    assert(bytesWritten > 0);
+
+    buffer = pool;
+    len = bytesWritten;
+    off = pool.used;
+
+    pool.used += bytesWritten;
+
+    debug('wrote ' + bytesWritten + ' bytes to pool');
+
+    if (charsWritten != data.length) {
+      //debug("couldn't fit " + (data.length - charsWritten) + " bytes into the pool\n");
+      // Unshift whatever didn't fit onto the buffer
+      this._writeQueue.unshift(data.slice(charsWritten));
+      this._writeQueueEncoding.unshift(encoding);
+      this._writeWatcher.start();
+      queuedData = true;
+    }
   }
 
-  debug('write [fd, off, len] =' + JSON.stringify([this.fd, off, len]));
 
   // Send the buffer.
-  
-  var bytesWritten;
 
   try {
     bytesWritten = write(this.fd, buffer, off, len);
@@ -519,49 +493,33 @@ Stream.prototype._writeOut = function (data, encoding) {
     return false;
   }
 
-  debug('wrote ' + bytesWritten);
+  debug('wrote ' + bytesWritten + ' to socket. [fd, off, len] = ' + JSON.stringify([this.fd, off, len]) + "\n");
 
   timeout.active(this);
 
   if (bytesWritten == len) {
-    // awesome. sent to buffer - save that space
-    buffer.used -= len;
-    return true;
+    // awesome. sent to buffer.
+    buffer.used -= len; // Optimization - save the space
+    if (queuedData) {
+      return false;
+    } else {
+      return true;
+    }
   }
 
-  //sys.error('write incomplete ' + bytesWritten + ' < ' + len);
-
+  // Didn't write the entire thing to buffer.
+  // Need to wait for the socket to become available before trying again.
   this._writeWatcher.start();
-  
-
-  if (buffer == data) {
-    //sys.error('string');
-    bytesWritten = bytesWritten || 0;
-    data = buffer.slice(bytesWritten, len);
-    data.sent = 0;
-    data.used = data.length;
 
-  } else if (buffer == pool) {
-    //sys.error('pool');
-    data = pool.slice(off + bytesWritten, off + len);
-    data.sent = 0;
-    data.used = data.length;
+  // Slice out the data left.
+  var leftOver = data.slice(off + bytesWritten, off + len);
+  leftOver.used = leftOver.length; // used the whole thing...
 
-  } else {
-    data = buffer;
-    data.sent = bytesWritten;
-  }
-
-  assert(typeof data.used == 'number');
-  assert(typeof data.sent == 'number');
-
-//  sys.error('data.used = ' + data.used);
-//  sys.error('data.sent = ' + data.sent);
-//  sys.error('bytes left, data.used - data.send = ' + (data.used - data.sent));
+  //  sys.error('data.used = ' + data.used);
   //if (!this._writeQueue) initWriteStream(this);
-  
+
   // data should be the next thing to write.
-  this._writeQueue.unshift(data);
+  this._writeQueue.unshift(leftOver);
   this._writeQueueEncoding.unshift(null);
 
   return false;
diff --git a/src/node_net2.cc b/src/node_net2.cc
index 5e868f68e6..2ddeb51ada 100644
--- a/src/node_net2.cc
+++ b/src/node_net2.cc
@@ -969,7 +969,9 @@ static Handle<Value> Write(const Arguments& args) {
   ssize_t written = write(fd, (char*)buffer->data() + off, len);
 
   if (written < 0) {
-    if (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EINTR) return Null();
+    if (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EINTR) {
+      return scope.Close(Integer::New(0));
+    }
     return ThrowException(ErrnoException(errno, "write"));
   }