Ginevra Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 How do you launder/care for them? And do you knit with particular fibers? Only natural fibers or blends? I'm not quite ready to try this yet (and it will be on a sock loom when I do), but really nice socks make me happy and there's the whole garmet industry issue that is part of my motivation. I bought two pairs of socks at the food co-op tonight; they are made in the USA from 75% wool. I'm quite excited about these beautiful, nice, fairly-created socks, but I would also like to be able to make my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I typically buy yarn marketed as "sock yarn". Usually wool or wool blend. I wash cold delicate and hang dry. They last FOREVER if they're made with good yarn! :) <3 I like knit picks yarn when I'm ordering. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 (edited) I get super-wash wool and put them through the washer (on cold) and dryer like any other socks. Mine are in Fortissima Colori Socka Color which is a wool/nylon blend. Your yarn ball should have washing instructions to guide you. Edited May 3, 2016 by justasque 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 My favorite sock yarn is Opal. It's a wool/synthetic blend, and comes with thread (nylon, I think) to use to reinforce the heel and toe. I put them in a lingerie bag in the washer on delicate, then hang them up to dry. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emba Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Yarn sold as sock yarn usually has a small percentage of nylon to make it wear longer. Which after you've knit socks with teeny tiny yarn on teeny tiny needles, you definitely want. A lot of sock yarn is also superwash, which means it can go into the washer (on cold?) and the dryer. I've knit two pairs of socks, but for my mom, not myself. I knit one pair of house socks for myself, out of big yarn, and they wore out pretty quickly, so I think having the nylon content is probably a very good idea. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I knit socks with "sock yarn", wash it in the machine on cold & delicate, and then hang them to dry. Unless they somehow escape into the dryer and get dried on low.... :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Personally, I dislike sock yarns that have nylon in the blend. I find that it "cuts" through the wool and feels rather sharp. I prefer to just use regular wool fingering weight and let the bottom felt together a bit. It provides a warmer bottom, IMO. Now, in all honesty, my socks do get a little woolier and fuzzy and don't show patterns as well as yarn with a bit of nylon, but I think they feel nicer, which is more important, IMO. I just handwash mine when I shower and then hang them up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I rarely make anything out of yarn I can't machine wash & dry. I just don't want to worry about forgetting it needs hand washed. There's lots of really nice yarns that wear great and can be machine wash & dry. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I made a pair out of a wool/bamboo/silk mix that have worn well for over a year. I've made cotton socks too, which are nice in the summer. There's so many blends and types of fibers to choose from these days. I think you should just grab a skein that appeals to you and go for making a pair of socks. It doesn't even have to be "sock" weight yarn. I know my kids really love their worsted weight socks in winter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I use superwash wool when I give socks to other people--otherwise they could felt when laundered. I have knitted socks from the cotton blends, the silk bamboo blends, etc but I think I am just a wool gal. I usually use the sock yarn with some nylon although I have used 100% wool too. Oh heck, just knit socks. Pick a yarn your eyes and fingers like. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I wash them with the rest of my laundry and then try to pull them out to hang dry. If I don't use yarn with some spring (usually nylon) I get socks that aren't snug enough for my taste. I finally got the foot circumference right, now I need the ankle to be tighter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 After trying numerous sock yarns and having the balls of the feet wear out or the heels rip out or having to treat them special least they felt. I now swear by German sock yarns. My favorites are Opal, Trekking, Regia and online. I can throw them in the wash on cold, throw them in the dryer on low heat just like I do the rest of the clothes. They don't felt. They also last a long time without wearing down. I got tired of spending $15-20 and having my socks wear out in 6 months. Links to favorites: Opal Trekking Regia Online Sometimes you can find them on sale in yarn shops or people's stashes on Ravelry but they mostly go between $15-25 a skein. So worth it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Years ago when I was just getting back into knitting and crochet, I saw a ball of sock yarn at Michaels and picked it up, determined to learn how to knit socks. Another few years later when I finally finished those first socks, I put them on and was terribly disappointed. They hurt my feet! But I was determined to knit myself socks! It wasn't until awhile after using Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd to knit a few more pairs of socks--that fit and were comfy--that I realized those first socks were knit at a too loose gauge. If you've not knit socks before then I can't emphasize this enough--gauge is important to getting a proper fit! My current favorite sock yarns are Opal, OnLine, Patons Kroy, Red Heart Heart and Sole and Lion Brand Sock-ease. All are 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon. (Kroy is a little thicker than the others and I knit them at a different gauge--7 stitches/inch vs 8 per Ann Budd's book.) All these yarns are machine wash and dry, though I usually line dry. (Long tale of woe involving several bad experiences with a popular line of supposedly machine-care sock yarn got me into the habit of line drying even though the times that my socks made from the yarns I listed above went through the dryer they came out just fine. Whew--long sentence. Deep breath.) I've recently started using Premier Wool-free for dd's socks; she itches too much with wool socks. These took a small learning curve as it's a stretchy yarn and the rows compact as you knit which means more knitting than you might expect to get the size you want. Have fun learning to knit socks! It's challenging at first but the more you do it, the more fun it becomes. And the more colorful, scrumptious socks you get to wear! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I like Cascade Fixation, which is cotton plus elastic. After much time spent knitting and wearing socks, I've had to admit that wool makes my feet itch, so if the yarn has any wool content I have to wear it over some sort of liner sock. I never noticed this before I started knitting socks, but now that I'm aware I realize that some of the warmth I'm feeling from wool scarves and sweaters is actually my skin becoming inflamed. :mellow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 On the rare occasions when I make socks, I use sock yarn. I prefer superwash because I have better things to do with my life than hand wash my socks. But I also hate knitting socks. And I wouldn't want to wear wool socks all year long. Elizabeth Zimmerman would knit very, very thin fishing line into the heel and sole of her socks to help them last longer. I think she also created a sock pattern with a removable sole? I think? Like when it began to get holes you could remove it, pick up stitches and make another one? I wish nice sock yarn wasn't so darn expensive! I liked this one yarn and you needed more than one skein for a pair...it would have meant 50$ socks, lol. I guess I have good taste. Too bad I can't afford it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I wish nice sock yarn wasn't so darn expensive! I liked this one yarn and you needed more than one skein for a pair...it would have meant 50$ socks, lol. I guess I have good taste. Too bad I can't afford it. $50? Oy! What sock yarn is this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I hand wash them with eucalan and scrunch the water out with a towel before hanging them to dry. Even my superwash socks do better this way. Basically the same thing I do with all my knit goods - soak, squeeze through the water, dry with towel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 After trying numerous sock yarns and having the balls of the feet wear out or the heels rip out or having to treat them special least they felt. I now swear by German sock yarns. My favorites are Opal, Trekking, Regia and online. I can throw them in the wash on cold, throw them in the dryer on low heat just like I do the rest of the clothes. They don't felt. They also last a long time without wearing down. I got tired of spending $15-20 and having my socks wear out in 6 months. Links to favorites: Opal Trekking Regia Online Sometimes you can find them on sale in yarn shops or people's stashes on Ravelry but they mostly go between $15-25 a skein. So worth it. These are my main brands as well. Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock is also nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emba Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I like Cascade Fixation, which is cotton plus elastic. After much time spent knitting and wearing socks, I've had to admit that wool makes my feet itch, so if the yarn has any wool content I have to wear it over some sort of liner sock. I never noticed this before I started knitting socks, but now that I'm aware I realize that some of the warmth I'm feeling from wool scarves and sweaters is actually my skin becoming inflamed. :mellow: That's funny because I am kind of the opposite: I really, really notice the itching at my neck from wool scarves and sweaters, and hardly ever notice from wool on my feet. I can't wear a wool scarf, but I love wool socks in the winter ( the ones I buy, since I just dread the monotony of knitting socks and get severe second sock syndrome). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 $50? Oy! What sock yarn is this? I have no idea. I didn't look at them long enough to find out, lol. I went to the yarn store to get yarn and was shown this wall of beautiful skeins, all stacked up the wall to the ceiling. It was just a riot of colour. She pointed out a couple that were very popular and I picked up one that looked likely enough. I looked at the price and though that 25$ was a bit much for one skein, but for really nice socks it would be ok-ish. Then I looked at my pattern, these were supposed to be longer socks, not ankle socks. I realized I would need two skeins to have enough, and the prospect of 50$ socks was just too much. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 The worst that would happen if you made a lovely pair of socks with 100% wool or alpaca or whatever is you'd luxerate in them once and then they'd be a Christmas decor. If they shrink/felt well enough, they can be stocking shaped gift card holders. Just go make some socks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammish Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 I knit lots of socks (they're my favorite mindless, on-the-go project), and I agree with pp who said superwash wool with some nylon content - they last longer. Also, wearing them with shoes actually makes them last longer- there's less rubbing on them than wearing them with slippers or on their own. DH has several pairs that are years and years old, and they're still going strong because he wears them with shoes all day. I rarely wear shoes, and this year I had to learn how to darn the multiple holes I developed on my (much newer) socks. :/ I throw all of our handknit socks through the laundry (with the rest of our clothes) in a mesh bag- not because they need the bag, but because it makes it easier to pull them out before I throw the rest of the laundry in the dryer. I hang them up to dry- just flung over a drying rack (although pretty much all of them have been through the dryer a time or two). I agree that Knit Picks makes remarkable good, cheap, sock yarn. But my new favorite sock yarn is Fish Knits Yarn- so soft, and gorgeous colors, and I love the big stripes of her self-striping yarn. Just a joy to knit with :) And one ball is enough to make a pair of socks for my husband. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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