More About Socks
So I've been thinking about socks. In particular, I've been thinking about what kinds of socks I want to make for my family. So I've been looking through my stash and browsing about the Internet a bit looking to see what I have that I think will fit with the special people in my life.
John, is the first recipient I'm going to tackle. Really, I'm not completely playing fair here, as my goal for him is simply to finish the pair of Trekking XXL 90 socks that I started for him a long time ago. But he's also getting a special scarf this winter, too, so I decided that I could probably get my own personal family sock festival started with something that was already on its way. For anyone looking for interesting but manly sock yarn, I can highly recommend this Trekking colorway. John actually picked it himself out of my yarn stash! Maybe we're beginning to make progress on the whol colored sock issue! (As an aside...John's been asking for a pair of heavier weight socks for winter. Does anyone know of a good yarn in DK to Worsted weight that is suitable for socks? By suitable for socks I mean that it must be machine washable, dryer tolerant, and relatively durable. This means that it needs to have some superwash qualities and probably a little nylon. And, of course, since it's for the husband, it can't be very out there...)
For my mom and dad, I decided to think about the things they liked and liked to do to see if I could come up with sock yarn inspiration. Lucky for me, I'm one of those people who has no problem justifying a sock yarn purchase on the basis of "I think
My mom was a little more challenging. I have a lot of nice Koigu, some lovely Mountain Colors Bearfoot, a bunch of brightly colored Regia and a fair amount of other self-patterning sock yarn that I really like. But for no reason that I could put my finger on, I just couldn't find something in my stash that I really felt called out for my mom. So I started browsing sites looking at sock yarn, hoping for inspiration. Of course, I had to make a stop at the PT Yarns site to take a look at the current Opal offerings (PT Yarns is the US distributor for Opal. I've always regretted not being able to find any of their tiger striped yarn before they discontinued it, since I thought it would be perfect for my cat-loving mother. So you can only imagine my happiness when I discovered the Opal Rainforest collection and found the "Tiger" colorway.
Even better, I found the yarn for sale online at Carodan Farms and they got it to me lickety-split! Definitely a store I'll be ordering from again in the future. And is it just me, or has Opal gotten to be softer and a little thicker in the last year or so?
At any rate, I'm totally excited about getting started with these yarns -- it's going to be really difficult to decide which pair to work on first -- after I finish my Jaywalkers and John's Trekkings. And it definitely gives me motivation to get my current sock projects finished!
I like Artyarns Supermerino for worsted weight socks. My two pair do fine in the washer and dryer and have held up well. I think they make some more conservative colors as well.
Have you seen Simply Socks Yarn Co.? They might be a good place to look as well.
Hey there, I've been reading you for a while, but that amazing Opal collection finally got me to delurk and comment. I think the Tiger colorway in the Rainforest collection is even better looking than the old tiger yarn; your mom will surely love the socks you make her! I'm also loving some of those other colorways, so thanks for pointing out this yarn!
With the thicker socks, you could try Opal or Regia 6ply yarns. You might find something a bit more sedate in the Opal 6ply, the regia 6ply tends to be pretty bright.
I'm knitting up a pair of socks right now with that UMich colorway! I need to get a picture posed but I'm really liking it. It helps that the Lorna's Laces is just utterly luscious to begin with, of course!
Try Stahl Limbo or Stahl Limbo Color. When i lived in AA it was available at Knit a Round. It is also avavilable at Halcyon Yarns and Carodan Farm. Carodan farm is a favorite of mine.
I love Caroden farms. I am glad you found them. They are really great to do business with. I bought some of their farm yarns for a great price at the Montpelier Sheep Dog Trials and wool Festival (in Orange, VA) and my mother keeps asking when she will get her sweater. Maybe I'll wind a ball or two and start swatching.
I went to the Carodan Farm site through your link and started looking at their sock yarns and they had this http://www.carodanfarm.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/product573.html
a worsted weight sock yarn.
I was going to suggest Cascade 220 superwash for worsted weight socks - but it doesn't have any nylon in it. Still, I find it works well. I have some Opal Rainforest in my stash but I haven't knit with it yet.
I haven't noticed Opal sock yarn changing, but I'm not the most observant thing walking around either.
;-)
I'm with Cyndy. I have made 3 pairs of socks with the Limbo yarns, all with contrasting heel sand toes, One was a denim blue, one was taupes and greys, and the other multicolored autumnal colors. I've worn them all regularly for over 4 years, washed and dried them countless times in my machines, and they have held up great! I used size 3 needles for them and it's a seriously thick and comfy material that molds to your foot.
Depending on how thick you want the socks to be, have you thought about double-stranding? Knitpicks sock yarn is relatively inexpensive and comes in plain colours. I haven't used it yet but I've got some coming in the mail.
Nice yarn. . .of course it's sock yarn! I agree with you, I've noticed the Opal Rodeo socks I just completed are thicker than previous older Opal socks. I thought it was maybe the lot of yarn they used; or, that I had just completed socks with OnLine yarn. It seems really thinner than Opal.
I don't like orange personally, but that U Mich yarn is really awesome. I'm sure your football-happy dad is going to love them. Hmm, wonder if anyone makes Dallas Cowboy sock yarn...
I wanted to make Xmas socks for my brother & sister-in-law this year, but they live 3 time zones away. So I found a well-reputed yarn store near their apartment & arranged a gift certificate in an amount that covered a pair of socks in Koigu & a pair in Laces Shepard Sock. They went to the store & each picked their own colorway. They brought the yarn to our family gathering (vacation knitting, delivered to your door); I brought a book of stitch patterns. I let them each pick 2 or 3 patterns, which I swatched while we were all together so they could see how the colors combined with the textures. Finally, I measured their feet for future reference. It was a great way to get them excited about the socks, and now I have a sense of what they might like in the future.
I was curious if you were just calling the Lorna's Laces UMich because it's UM colors or if it was really a color name so I Googled it, and lo and behold, it's real. I'm jealous. I want to make University of Kentucky socks for my Dad (that raised me right, to be a rabid fan that can talk football and basketball with any guy) and everyone else I know!
Yes, socks are addictive. Somehow, we knitters want to warm and cuddle the feet of people we love in our fabulous creations. There is something very basic, I think, in wanting to have warm, cozy feet!
Carodan Farms is a great place to work with. Caroline is always helpful. I order most of my yarn from Carodan and Threadbear. I noticed that Carodan now has Stahl Limbo solids in DK weight, but that yarn is lacking nylon. I might have to place an order soon. Good luck!
UMich? On my monitor, the colors look more Illini-like! ;-)
How about speed demon?
http://www.etsy.com/view_item_sold_anon.php?listing_id=57718&transaction_id=13950
I am all about the Artyarns Supermerino, but it is 100% merino. But they have new colors with stripes that mix with the variegation. I need to get some UMich socks to remember my grad school days in A2...
For work socks, I use Briggs and Little Tuffy. It's not superwash, but I throw it in with the regular cold water wash and let them air dry no problem. They felt up a bit, but they get softer each time. Lovely!
I've made some nice, thick, winter socks out of Dale Falk and they've held up very well. I make them very dense, (6 to 6.5 stitch per inch) and throw them in the washer and dryer. You can get some good deals on Dale yarn on ebay. Why can't we stop knitting socks?!