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Sock yarns: Fiber advice?



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 16th 05, 07:20 PM
Randall Nortman
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Default Sock yarns: Fiber advice?

I'm a new knitter, and having just finished the obligatory scarf as my
first project, I think my next project will be a pair of socks. I'm
looking for advice on the types of fibers that work well in socks, and
also for particular yarn recommendations.

I was recently given a pair of SmartWool (http://www.smartwool.com/)
socks as a gift and they are the most wonderful thing I've ever put on
my feet -- soft, warm, and cozy. They're also pretty expensive at
nearly $20/pair. They're a wool/nylon/elastic blend. If I can knit
myself a pair of socks like this for less than $20 I'll be a happy
boy, but I'm wondering if I can do even better. Here are my
requirements:

- Soft, soft, soft! Ever since putting on these SmartWool socks, my
standard cotton socks feel rough and stiff in comparison. Can
cotton socks be soft? Do I need to buy expensive pima cotton?

- Tough, tough, tough! Can durability be combined with softness? If
the socks wear holes in them with frequent wear, I'll never wear
them. (The durability of the SmartWool socks is still unknown --
I've only worn them half a dozen times, but there's no sign of wear
yet.) I've noticed that most yarns designed specifically for socks
have some (25%) nylon or other synthetic fiber blended with the wool
-- is this necessary for durability? I notice that KnitPicks has
some (cheap!) sock yarns that are 100% merino wool -- how durable
would these be?

- Machine washable. Anything that touches my feet all day needs to be
cleaned regularly and thoroughly, and to me that means machine
washing. (Unless you can convince me that I can hand-wash the socks
with the same effort it takes to machine-wash, and with equally
thorough cleansing.)

- Absorbant and breathable. I have a distrinct prejudice for natural
fibers, but I'm not going to exclude synthetics entirely.

- Weight/warmth: Since we're heading into summer and I live in North
Carolina, I'm thinking that wool might not be the best choice -- can
I find a cotton or cotton/linen yarn that's as soft and cushiony as
wool? Or, if I knit a relatively thin wool yarn, will it be cool
enough for all-day summer wear? What about a silk blend?

Of course, it won't always be summer, and during the winter months I
often travel to colder climates, including ski trips, so it doesn't
hurt to have a few pairs of very warm socks. (I am particularly
intrigued by a recent thread on this group about wool ski socks
felted to fit by drying them on the feet -- I will probably try this
as fall approaches!) I understand that alpaca is about the warmest
fiber there is -- is it very durable? Would it stand up to the
major abuse that ski socks are subjected to?

- Available in "manly" colors. A lot of the sock yarns I've seen are
self-striping or multi-colored, and usually in bright, girly or
childish colors. I need a sock that works with men's business
casual attire, which means boring, neutral colors. (They need not
be solid colors, but if they're multi-colored, the variation should
be subtle, not starkly constrasting.) Browns, dark blues, khakis,
greens, and greys/blacks are the most useful.


Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

--
Randall
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  #2  
Old February 16th 05, 09:01 PM
Wooly
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Most quality sock yarns are an 80/20 blend of wool and nylon. Wool
provides warmth and comfort, nylon provides durability. Some brands
to look for are Opal, Regia, Meilenweit. If you must shop big-box
hobby stores the Lion sock yarn is acceptable WRT fiber quality but
the dyeing leaves a lot to be desired; it does have the advantage of
being cheap.

Elann.com has some "manly" solids in their house line...

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 18:20:36 GMT, Randall Nortman
spewed forth :

I'm a new knitter, and having just finished the obligatory scarf as my
first project, I think my next project will be a pair of socks. I'm
looking for advice on the types of fibers that work well in socks, and
also for particular yarn recommendations.

  #3  
Old February 16th 05, 10:33 PM
Nora Balcer
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Default

Hi Randall,

Welcome to the group and you sure came to the right place to ask the
questions. Since I don't knit socks, you got some great advice from Wooly.
Let us know which yarn you decided on and how you are making out with them.

Nora

"Wooly" wrote in message
...
Most quality sock yarns are an 80/20 blend of wool and nylon. Wool
provides warmth and comfort, nylon provides durability. Some brands
to look for are Opal, Regia, Meilenweit. If you must shop big-box
hobby stores the Lion sock yarn is acceptable WRT fiber quality but
the dyeing leaves a lot to be desired; it does have the advantage of
being cheap.

Elann.com has some "manly" solids in their house line...

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 18:20:36 GMT, Randall Nortman
spewed forth :

I'm a new knitter, and having just finished the obligatory scarf as my
first project, I think my next project will be a pair of socks. I'm
looking for advice on the types of fibers that work well in socks, and
also for particular yarn recommendations.



  #4  
Old February 16th 05, 11:04 PM
Randall Nortman
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Default

On 2005-02-16, Wooly wrote:
Most quality sock yarns are an 80/20 blend of wool and nylon. Wool
provides warmth and comfort, nylon provides durability.

[...]

Are my feet going to steam-cook in wool socks during the summer? I
don't have much experience wearing wool socks, hand-knit or otherwise.
And what do you think of the 100% merino wool for socks? Not durable
enough? Too hard to wash? (Knitpicks.com has some very cheap merino
sock yarns in beautiful colors.)


Elann.com has some "manly" solids in their house line...


Not currently in stock, alas. Seems the low price on the solids has
been rather sucessful in wiping out the stock. I might try some of
their multi-colored sock yarns.

Thanks for your advice! I will definitely report back to the group on
my results, whatever they may be.

--
Randall
  #5  
Old February 17th 05, 01:21 AM
Wooly
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Default

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 22:04:00 GMT, Randall Nortman
spewed forth :

On 2005-02-16, Wooly wrote:
Most quality sock yarns are an 80/20 blend of wool and nylon. Wool
provides warmth and comfort, nylon provides durability.

[...]

Are my feet going to steam-cook in wool socks during the summer? I
don't have much experience wearing wool socks, hand-knit or otherwise.
And what do you think of the 100% merino wool for socks? Not durable
enough? Too hard to wash? (Knitpicks.com has some very cheap merino
sock yarns in beautiful colors.)


No, you won't cook in wool during the hot season. I live in central
Texas and wear my wool socks year round.

You need some reinforcer of some sort, at least in the heels and toes,
probably other areas you'll find out about once you start wearing
holes in your socks. You can use wooly nylon serger thread to
reinforce heels and toes, or look for Froelich Blauband reinforcement
yarn, which is...wooly nylon put up in sock-size quantities. Also,
100% merino will shrink like nobody's business if it isn't superwash.

You'll be happiest with one of the wool/nylon blends - why spend all
that time knitting just to shrink or wear out your socks?
  #6  
Old February 17th 05, 03:24 AM
JCT
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Default

I am not a sock knitting expert but I will tell you that I wear my wool
boot socks any time I wear my field boots. That means summer or
winter. They are great as they wick away moisture and really help
prevent blisters. We are talking boots here - steel toe work boots as
I was a forest practices board member for eight years with lots of
field time involved over rough ground. These socks are lopi wool and
long enough to cuff over the top of the boots.
My fancier Noro socks are pretty. Next time I will knit in a nylon
reinforcing thread in the toes when I make them as they are wearing
there and I have repaired them once already. They are soft and comfy
though. ( I suspect pretty is less of an objective for you. )
I don't mind washing out my socks but if you do, look for something
machine washable. Otherwise they will sit around dirty - yuck.
Judy
Randall Nortman wrote:
I'm a new knitter, and having just finished the obligatory scarf as

my
first project, I think my next project will be a pair of socks. I'm
looking for advice on the types of fibers that work well in socks,

and
also for particular yarn recommendations.

I was recently given a pair of SmartWool (http://www.smartwool.com/)
socks as a gift and they are the most wonderful thing I've ever put

on
my feet -- soft, warm, and cozy. They're also pretty expensive at
nearly $20/pair. They're a wool/nylon/elastic blend. If I can knit
myself a pair of socks like this for less than $20 I'll be a happy
boy, but I'm wondering if I can do even better. Here are my
requirements:

- Soft, soft, soft! Ever since putting on these SmartWool socks, my
standard cotton socks feel rough and stiff in comparison. Can
cotton socks be soft? Do I need to buy expensive pima cotton?

- Tough, tough, tough! Can durability be combined with softness? If
the socks wear holes in them with frequent wear, I'll never wear
them. (The durability of the SmartWool socks is still unknown --
I've only worn them half a dozen times, but there's no sign of wear
yet.) I've noticed that most yarns designed specifically for socks
have some (25%) nylon or other synthetic fiber blended with the

wool
-- is this necessary for durability? I notice that KnitPicks has
some (cheap!) sock yarns that are 100% merino wool -- how durable
would these be?

- Machine washable. Anything that touches my feet all day needs to

be
cleaned regularly and thoroughly, and to me that means machine
washing. (Unless you can convince me that I can hand-wash the

socks
with the same effort it takes to machine-wash, and with equally
thorough cleansing.)

- Absorbant and breathable. I have a distrinct prejudice for natural
fibers, but I'm not going to exclude synthetics entirely.

- Weight/warmth: Since we're heading into summer and I live in North
Carolina, I'm thinking that wool might not be the best choice --

can
I find a cotton or cotton/linen yarn that's as soft and cushiony as
wool? Or, if I knit a relatively thin wool yarn, will it be cool
enough for all-day summer wear? What about a silk blend?

Of course, it won't always be summer, and during the winter months

I
often travel to colder climates, including ski trips, so it doesn't
hurt to have a few pairs of very warm socks. (I am particularly
intrigued by a recent thread on this group about wool ski socks
felted to fit by drying them on the feet -- I will probably try

this
as fall approaches!) I understand that alpaca is about the warmest
fiber there is -- is it very durable? Would it stand up to the
major abuse that ski socks are subjected to?

- Available in "manly" colors. A lot of the sock yarns I've seen are
self-striping or multi-colored, and usually in bright, girly or
childish colors. I need a sock that works with men's business
casual attire, which means boring, neutral colors. (They need not
be solid colors, but if they're multi-colored, the variation should
be subtle, not starkly constrasting.) Browns, dark blues, khakis,
greens, and greys/blacks are the most useful.


Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

--
Randall


  #7  
Old February 17th 05, 03:35 AM
JCT
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Default

smileysyarns.com has Cervinia Calzetteria which is 70%wool and 30%
nylon on sale for $2.50.They have some dark, plain colors if that is
what you want. The disadvantage of Smiley is that they have a minimum
purchase for online buying - but they also have some low prices.

Kroy is a decent sock yarn and is also machine washable. You can get
it online at
http://www.yarnfwd.com/kroysocks.html
(other places too, I'm sure.) I think it is 75% wool and 25% nylon.

  #8  
Old February 17th 05, 03:54 AM
Jenn Bernat
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On Wed, 16 Feb 2005, Randall Nortman wrote:

- Machine washable. Anything that touches my feet all day needs to be
cleaned regularly and thoroughly, and to me that means machine
washing. (Unless you can convince me that I can hand-wash the socks
with the same effort it takes to machine-wash, and with equally
thorough cleansing.)


I've knit several pairs of socks both for myself and for my husband &
brother-in-law. Wool with another fiber in it for strength works best.
I've found that my hand-knit socks can go through the washer just fine as
long as we keep them out of the dryer. While this applies especially to
the superwash self-patterning yarns, my hand-dyed Lamb's Pride has done
fairly well too.

Next sock project for me is in olive drab yarn. You might want to check
with Lion yarns or the Red Cross -- they've been selling a WWII replica
GI sock kit. It comes in a great tin with some awful-looking plastic dps
and olive wool.

Jenn

--
Jenn Bernat

  #9  
Old February 17th 05, 07:31 AM
Shillelagh
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Default


"Jenn Bernat" wrote in message
cal...

I've knit several pairs of socks both for myself and for my husband &
brother-in-law. Wool with another fiber in it for strength works best.
I've found that my hand-knit socks can go through the washer just fine as
long as we keep them out of the dryer. While this applies especially to
the superwash self-patterning yarns, my hand-dyed Lamb's Pride has done
fairly well too.


I only use 75% superwash wool 25% nylon sock yarn and always throw it in the
washer AND the dryer without a problem.

Shelagh


Next sock project for me is in olive drab yarn. You might want to check
with Lion yarns or the Red Cross -- they've been selling a WWII replica
GI sock kit. It comes in a great tin with some awful-looking plastic dps
and olive wool.

Jenn

--
Jenn Bernat



  #10  
Old February 17th 05, 07:40 AM
Shillelagh
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Randall Nortman" wrote in message
nk.net...
I'm a new knitter, and having just finished the obligatory scarf as my
first project, I think my next project will be a pair of socks. I'm
looking for advice on the types of fibers that work well in socks, and
also for particular yarn recommendations.


I have bought sock yarn at elann.com (enough for 14 pair) in superwash wool
75%/nylon 25%. It is their own brand called "Sock It To Me" and priced at
around $2.70 US/ball for plain colours, and $3.50 US/ball for patterns (plus
shipping). I wear the wool socks winter and summer. Right now, I think
their supply of plain colours is quite limited. You could e-mail them and
ask when they would be getting more in.

I wouldn't recommend 100% merino even if a super wash since it wouldn't wear
well and would probably pill. If you bought merino that wasn't superwash,
you'd have to hand wash the socks and lay them flat to dry.

HTH, and good luck. Let us know how you make out.

Shelagh


 




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