4 crucial things to look for when choosing sock yarn
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- čas přidán 29. 05. 2022
- It's important to choose yarn with the right properties for knitting socks...You can't knit with just anything - trust me, I've learnt the hard way! This tutorial outlines the key technical characteristics which are important in choosing sock yarn, with loads of extra advice about yarn, fibre and choosing a sock pattern which will make your yarn SING! Go forth and knit socks!
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4:17 Ply
7:47 Fibre content
13:23 Yarn weight
15:38 Dye & colour effects
18:33 Where to research yarn & knitting resources
What's your favourite sock yarn? Share it in the comments - I always love learning about new yarns to try out!
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I’ve been knitting socks for nearly 20 years - I don’t wear commercially made socks and I wear socks every day. Because durability is my priority, I make sure there’s no more than 75% wool - the other 25% needs to be synthetic or a very strong natural fibre (alpaca, silk, hemp or nettle) - and very tightly plied. I’ve found chain plyed wears out very quickly. I’ve also found that price has zero relationship to durability - my second longest wearing socks (5yrs) are made from a budget yarn. Socks I made from a quite expensive skein barely lasted a year. My longest wearing socks are those made from my handspun 75% Corriedale and 25% Alpaca.
I needed this video 5years ago.Resisted sock knitting for years but decided to bite the bullet
I had no idea that you couldn't use just any fingering weight yarn for socks .So lots of holy socks later the penny dropped.
Such a helpful video. I have personally fallen prey to “this is sock yarn, but it’s really not” experience. I was at a yarn shop with my husband and kids (and feeling a bit rushed) and bought at skein of yarn from a well know company that was labeled as sock yarn, only to get home and realize it was 100% marino. I am tough on my sox so I had to find a different project for the yarn.
I can't imagine how many people have this issue. It is so annoying!
As a more sustainable choice, Schoppel Wolle has some yarns with biodegradable polyamide. For example, Admiral Hanf, which also contains 10% hemp fiber. I also have some balls of Schoppel Wolle Wunderkleckse, which also contain biodegradable polyamide. I haven't knitted with them yet, but I find the Schoppel Wolle yarns are in general of a good quality.
Brilliant, thanks for these tips! I'll check it out :)
I freely admit that I am more sensitive than most to texture and the feel of a yarn -- but in a different way than most people, I think. The softness of a yarn hardly bothers me until you're making socks with coarse carpet wools. There's something about the superwash that bothers my feet. I find it... squeaky, almost like an acrylic, which I suspect has to do with the polymer resin that the wool is coated with. So, I'm resigned to untreated wool in my socks. Because I can tolerate coarser wools in the 30 micron range, I like looking for the unusual "meat breed" yarns -- things like Cheviot, Suffolk, and Dorset. Even though they tend to have shorter staples, they resist felting due to their unusual crimp pattern, and are more durable for not being superfine wools like a Merino. If anyone else struggles with the texture of superwash, I'd love to know your favorite sock yarns!
I love knitting socks + experimenting with different yarn combinations. My latest obsession is knitting drops 4ply cotton along with drops kid silk. It makes a beautiful luxurious feel fabric + is very hard wearing. It is also a very affordable combination. I add the mohair to a lot of my wool socks + love it. I am on my 27th pair of the year up to now!
That combination of yarns is really intriguing! Thanks for sharing!
27th pair of the year? Wow! Wish I could knit that many, I'm stuck on my third 😵💫😂
Loved the video, thanks for all the recommendations!
I'm venturing into plastic-free socks because I feel that it makes my feet sweat 😅 I've tried enforcing regular wool with mohair which works well but it's very warm and fuzzy so doesn't fit every kind of pattern. Last year I knitted some lace socks with Garnudsalget Blackhill SilkWool and they are very lovely to wear and no holes so far!
I am almost finished knitting my second pair of socks - the first pair were 100% wool and have hole problems, this time I used Lion Brand Merino Silk Cotton which is 50% wool (not superwash, but I'm not scared off by hand-washing) 25% silk and 25% cotton. It seems to be a pretty strong yarn but I'll have to see once they're finished and on my feet how well they hold up. I try to stick to all natural fibers as much as possible
Thanks Anushka for another great video! Socks are my absolute favorite thing to knit and I wish I had such a tutorial when beginning my sock journey. Something I’ve discovered to my chagrin is that there isn’t always a connection between how much I’ve enjoyed knitting a sock and how much I enjoy wearing a sock. I prefer knitting with slightly thicker fingering weight yarns but definitely prefer wearing socks made with lighter weight fingering yarns. I also prefer wearing stretchier socks (2x2 rib) but don’t really enjoy knitting so much ribbing! To aspiring sock knitters, I would say that experimentation is key-try out different fibers, different needles, toe-up/top-down patterns-and see what works best for you! Can’t wait to see what your favorite yarns are 😻
I totally agree!
Ah!!!! No wonder my factory made 100% merino socks get holes super fast. They told me I was using the wrong washing powder. I want to learn to knit socks but the heel terrified me lol I also don't understand circular needles. Watching 100s of videos is slowly educating my brain on how to use them. Many thanks ❤
I use the shadow wrap heel. I find it so much easier to do. It has helped me so much getting into the pleasure of sock knitting.
I would recommend Rosa Pomars Mondim yarn, it's 100% wool and feels bulletproof in socks. It is not superwash but I don't find it care-intensive. I'd say for me it holds up even better than 75/25
This video was so helpful, thank you! I've knit probably a dozen pair of socks and I love wearing them, but they all... don't look great anymore. They've pilled a LOT and the heel and ball of the foot areas have felted a lot too. I always wondered why this happened, when I saw other people's socks staying in good condition for much longer. I figured they must just not wear them! But after seeing this video I think it must be because they were all 75% superwash merino and 25% nylon. I'm going to try getting some more suitable yarn and seeing if that ends up being more durable! I live in Boston and we have quite intense winters. Hand-knitted socks are just SO much warmer! This winter I wore them almost exclusively and my feet never got cold! But I also don't want my socks to end up being so felted, especially the ones with really beautiful stitches and lace work. Thank you for this video!!
So glad you enjoyed the video! 🙂
I'm vegan and allergic to most wool so expanding my knitting into socks has been a difficult one. I'm on my second pair of cotton socks. And hopefully these hold up.
I think I'm going to have to add elastic to the tops as the ribbing doesn't bounce back as well as animal based fibres
Thanks for sharing your tips and experience. I had no idea DK stands for double knitting! I admit, I wondered about it but never looked it up. I appreciate that I always learn from your videos.
You're most welcome!
Thank You, Thank You, ThAnK YoU, THANK YOU for doing this video! I can’t wear manmade fibers but my son & husband can. They’re on their feet most of the day, son walks miles a day with his job, so i REALLY appreciate the info you gave re: durability. i’m knitting my them socks with a bfl/nylon blend- i can knit w/manmade fiber blends if i wash my hands every hour, it can be a hassle but it’s worth it making them socks that’ll last them years.
Glad I could help!
Thank you so much - this was exactly the info I’ve been looking for when wondering my socks get holes so quickly!
Thanks Anushka - love sock knitting. I hardly ever wear commercial socks.
in complete agreement about 100% merino sock weight yarn not holding up for me at all - I just am rough on socks and shoes. I have had a bit of luck with socks where I striped a 100% merino with an 80/20 yarn. The stripe with a more durable yarn means that the holes stay small, but it still is more darning than my other socks. I am glad that bfl is more available now than it used to be in Canada, looking forward to experimenting with that more.
I'm totally with you! Bfl used to be much rarer in the UK too, I'm glad it's become more popular as it's such a great wool
Thank you, most helpful 🧶
really helpful, thank you 🍀
I bought 100 percent wool sock yarn from Finkhof, Germany. It's 8 ply and very durable. They recommend hand washing, however, I throw it into a washing machine, and haven't had any problem with it.
hello ! i was just wondering where you got that bag with the filter to stop microplastics in your washing machine? i want to get one but i cant seem to find one that actually works as some kind of filter! also tysm for talking about plys & weights in this... it made things rly clear to me like never before haha 💖
Your videos are so enjoyable and informative. Some of my longest lasting socks are made from Regia 6 -fadig (sport wt.) Here in the US, Patons Kroy sock yarn is very durable and affordable. It's a plump sock wt. It feels rustic and wears well. I've been making socks for 20 years. I'd like to try Knit Picks Hawthorne next. It's supposed to be high twist and comes in gorgeous colors.
I love knitting socks and like you I have enough socks that I don’t buy any commercial socks. I am curious as to what is the best summer sock yarn. I don’t wear tennis shoes often in the summer but when I do my knit socks are often too hot.
Very interesting video. I only started knitting socks last year, so none of my socks have gotten a lot of wear yet but recently i finished a pair of socks with Lana Grossa Meilenweit Soja Soft, which is 60% SW wool, 20 % Soy viscose and 20% Polyamide, and so far they are holding up amazing and feel incredibly breathable, more than the 75%/25% SW wool nylon blend and waaaay more than any commercial cotton or viscose socks i own.
I also just started knitting a pair of socks with schachenmayr Regia Cotton Color, which is 72% Cotton,18% Polyamide and 10% polyester. Not sure how they're gonna hold up, but the feel of the yarn is soooo lovely when knitted up🥰 if they don't hold up as socks, i would definitely consider using this yarn for a shawl or something to wear close to my skin because the feel is Incredible, even though I am not a fan of polyester/polyamide at all.
Ooh thanks for these suggestions!
Great!
LoL i’m weird- least skin is- it reacts very badly to manmade products, especially anything based on oil/petroleum products & would go the 75-wool/25-nylon blend but i have to (and love) pure merino blend- have noticed that the shinier the yarn- the longer it wears. Probably because shine is the light reflecting on a smooth surface. I have found a VERY DURABLE sock yarn by Knomad (Ivory) that’s extrafine merino, royal alpaca & silk that wears very well & lasts a nice long time.
Ooh that yarn sounds great!
Alpaca, silk, hemp and nettle are good substitutes for nylon - just as durable, if not more so.
@@krankywitch Knomad also has a merino/hemp blend in sock weight. I can knit with manmade as long as i wash my hands every hour lol but i try to avoid manmade fibers as much as possible.
I am re-learning how to knit and my first attempt at knitting a sock was a failure. I wish the yarn store and instructor had talked about pros and cons of various fiber and knitting needles. Specifically which brand of needles have the best cables for magic loop. I am not sure if I like magic loop. How do other people feel about this method vs using DPN? Thank you for the video!
Can't wait for the follow-up video!
I just started my first pair of socks a month ago and your series are very helpful. I'm constructing both socks differently to compare what works best for my feet.
A question I have is about gauge/tension. From what I understand, socks are knit at a tighter gauge than regular garments. However, I do not know how to gauge (ha ha) what tension is right for my yarn - the label has directions, but is that already with the tighter tensions in mind? How can I know if my fabric is too loose or too tight?
I'm glad that my videos are useful! I can't really comment on the exact requirements but I would follow the recommended tension in the pattern. For instance, 4ply weight yarns are usually knit at 24-32 sts per 10cm for garments, but a sock pattern will want it to be knit more tightly, at 34-38 sts/10cm
I am knitting socks with mohair too Check out warmth and durability
Sounds lovely and warm!
I have yet to knit a pair of socks. The small needle size and circumference is scary! I do want to try. I am just getting up my courage.
I was scared at first too but you get used to it! It isn't that bad 🙂
You've got this! It can definitely be scary but I bet you can do it! I've seen some people recommend making baby/kids socks first, because it's not as time consuming. I didn't do that because I thought they'd just be way too small and finicky but some people find it helpful. I believe Earthtones Girl has a 'no fear sock knitting' video series that takes you through all the steps. I know I found it helpful to have videos to watch when I came to the complicated part!
I just finished my first pair! I think what really helped me is that I had experience with making fingerless mitts - I recommend giving those a go first, since it's a way smaller project but requires the same skills! (Except for turning a heel)
very interesting, thanks
You're welcome!
Merino sock yarn, or even cashmere socks is a joke haha sorry but why 🙈 I recommend Rauma Gammelserie and Rauma Vandre.
So no go with Acrylic yarn😊
And is it the same for crochet