Today is not so much of a retrospective as an accounting. The pictures were taken on a sunnier day, before the snow started to fall. All my socks were clean (except for one notable pair) and it seemed like a good time to get the class together for a group shot. My orange striped socks missed the photoshoot, but the other 20 pairs that I have knit for myself made it in. I have knit 21 pairs of socks for myself since I started blogging. 21 pairs of socks in something like 5 years* -- just around 4 pairs for myself every year.
But that's not really the whole story. I've knit 2 pairs of socks for my dad, 2 pairs of socks for my mom, another 3 pairs for an aunt, my brother and his wife and 1 pair for a good friend from grad school. So that brings the total up to 29.
And even that isn't all. I've made 7 pairs for Ms. Z and at least 9 pairs for John. So my sum total sock production in the past 5 years is at least 45 pairs of socks.
That's a lotta socks.
I've knit toe up and top down, short row and Dutch and afterthought heels, star toes and square. Patterned and straight stockinette. Single color and two color. Designed my own, worked from patterns. Ribbed and garter and picot cuffs. On two circs, one circ and double points.
I've knit socks from wool, I've knit socks from cotton/wool blends, I've knit socks from wool/silk blends and wool/mohair blends. I've knit socks from Opal, Regia, Meilenweit, Socks that Rock, Tess Designer Yarns, Shelridge Farms Ultratouch, Lorna's Laces, my hand spun, SKnitches, Oxford Kitchen Yarns, Trekking, Sock Hop, Cascade Fixation, Koigu, Greenwood Fiberworks, Moutain Colors Bearfoot, Curious Yarns, Dream in Color and probably some more that I'm not remembering.
In short, I feel like I'm pretty experienced when it comes to socks. I've learned alot about yarn and what works and what doesn't. And I thought, today, that I would share some of my favorite yarns and their applications:
Best Wearing
Without a doubt, the best wearing yarns I've encountered, tested by many steps of man feet and my own, have been Regia and Opal yarns. They aren't the softest yarns, but they are The yarns that require the least care and can take the most abuse and still look good. One of my earliest pairs of socks was pair of Opal socks for John. They've been "loved" a great deal in 5 years and still have a good many years of wear in them. If you want a pair of socks that's going to wear like iron Regia and Opal are almost guaranteed to come through. And there's no lack of great colorways for either of them either.
Softest Merino
This one is certainly open to interpretation, but the softest, most foot inviting socks that I have are made from Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock. In both color and texture these socks are really sock therapy. Koigu and Dream In Color would come in a close second. But the softness comes with a price: the only socks I've had to repair for wear are my STR and Koigu socks. Soft as it is, merino doesn't hold up as well to repeated washings and wearings, so it's good to keep some of the yarn in reserve for repair work if you are at all hard on your socks.
Elasticized Yarns
Elasticized yarns abound these days. I don't think they will ever qualify as my favorites, but they sure make great yarns for socks for small people with growing feet. Knit One, Crochet Too's Soxx Appeal is my favorite of the ones I've tried. It's a wool blend instead of a cotton blend, so warmer in the winter for little feet.
Luxury Blends
I haven't tried quite as many of these as I would like to have! One thing to keep in mind with most luxury blend yarns: silk/wool, mohair/wool, cashmere/wool, alpaca/wool is that the luxury fiber doesn't have the same give and elasticity as the wool it's been blended with. This means that these yarns may not have the same level of memory or of stretchiness as a 100% wool yarn. This means that the socks from these yarns are going to tend to be a bit more slouchy, so you may need to adjust your patterns accordingly to accomodate the loosening that will occur with wearing. So far I've been pleasantly surprised by the wear characteristics of Regia Silk (enough so that I am considering making John a pair out of the stuff) and my husband loves the extra warmth he gets from his Bearfoot socks.
If you asked me, I would be hard pressed to pick an absolute favorite. Each application I knit socks for have some yarns that work better and make the sock knitting and wearing experience more enjoyable. If I had to pick a "desert island" yarn (which would be strange because socks would not seem applicable to that milieu) it would probably be STR -- the three different weights provide stylistic variety and there are both solid and wonderful wild colorways. But I know I'd be trying to figure out how to sneak some other of my favorites into my suitcase.
* I have included some sock swap socks because even though those pairs are with someone else, I received an equally nice pair in trade.
But that's not really the whole story. I've knit 2 pairs of socks for my dad, 2 pairs of socks for my mom, another 3 pairs for an aunt, my brother and his wife and 1 pair for a good friend from grad school. So that brings the total up to 29. And even that isn't all. I've made 7 pairs for Ms. Z and at least 9 pairs for John. So my sum total sock production in the past 5 years is at least 45 pairs of socks.
That's a lotta socks.
I've knit toe up and top down, short row and Dutch and afterthought heels, star toes and square. Patterned and straight stockinette. Single color and two color. Designed my own, worked from patterns. Ribbed and garter and picot cuffs. On two circs, one circ and double points. I've knit socks from wool, I've knit socks from cotton/wool blends, I've knit socks from wool/silk blends and wool/mohair blends. I've knit socks from Opal, Regia, Meilenweit, Socks that Rock, Tess Designer Yarns, Shelridge Farms Ultratouch, Lorna's Laces, my hand spun, SKnitches, Oxford Kitchen Yarns, Trekking, Sock Hop, Cascade Fixation, Koigu, Greenwood Fiberworks, Moutain Colors Bearfoot, Curious Yarns, Dream in Color and probably some more that I'm not remembering.
In short, I feel like I'm pretty experienced when it comes to socks. I've learned alot about yarn and what works and what doesn't. And I thought, today, that I would share some of my favorite yarns and their applications:
Best Wearing
Without a doubt, the best wearing yarns I've encountered, tested by many steps of man feet and my own, have been Regia and Opal yarns. They aren't the softest yarns, but they are The yarns that require the least care and can take the most abuse and still look good. One of my earliest pairs of socks was pair of Opal socks for John. They've been "loved" a great deal in 5 years and still have a good many years of wear in them. If you want a pair of socks that's going to wear like iron Regia and Opal are almost guaranteed to come through. And there's no lack of great colorways for either of them either.
Softest Merino
This one is certainly open to interpretation, but the softest, most foot inviting socks that I have are made from Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock. In both color and texture these socks are really sock therapy. Koigu and Dream In Color would come in a close second. But the softness comes with a price: the only socks I've had to repair for wear are my STR and Koigu socks. Soft as it is, merino doesn't hold up as well to repeated washings and wearings, so it's good to keep some of the yarn in reserve for repair work if you are at all hard on your socks.
Elasticized Yarns
Elasticized yarns abound these days. I don't think they will ever qualify as my favorites, but they sure make great yarns for socks for small people with growing feet. Knit One, Crochet Too's Soxx Appeal is my favorite of the ones I've tried. It's a wool blend instead of a cotton blend, so warmer in the winter for little feet.
Luxury Blends
I haven't tried quite as many of these as I would like to have! One thing to keep in mind with most luxury blend yarns: silk/wool, mohair/wool, cashmere/wool, alpaca/wool is that the luxury fiber doesn't have the same give and elasticity as the wool it's been blended with. This means that these yarns may not have the same level of memory or of stretchiness as a 100% wool yarn. This means that the socks from these yarns are going to tend to be a bit more slouchy, so you may need to adjust your patterns accordingly to accomodate the loosening that will occur with wearing. So far I've been pleasantly surprised by the wear characteristics of Regia Silk (enough so that I am considering making John a pair out of the stuff) and my husband loves the extra warmth he gets from his Bearfoot socks.
If you asked me, I would be hard pressed to pick an absolute favorite. Each application I knit socks for have some yarns that work better and make the sock knitting and wearing experience more enjoyable. If I had to pick a "desert island" yarn (which would be strange because socks would not seem applicable to that milieu) it would probably be STR -- the three different weights provide stylistic variety and there are both solid and wonderful wild colorways. But I know I'd be trying to figure out how to sneak some other of my favorites into my suitcase.
* I have included some sock swap socks because even though those pairs are with someone else, I received an equally nice pair in trade.
Love the sock list. I'm missing sockwearing (actually, I wear socks just not handknit all the time). Several pairs of mine have developed holes this winter - 4 or 5 pair. Can't wait until Christmas is over and I can begin knitting more socks for replacements.
Happy holidays
I agree with you on the Opal/Regia socks. They look good years later, but aren't the softest - clearly a trade-off.
Thus far I've been impressed with the wear of the Vesper sock yarn. I'd try this one again as I prefer the look of hand-dyed over the Opal/Regia colors.
Thanks for the "retrospective". I'm not a particularly experienced sock knitter. I've only done maybe half a dozen pairs--plus the sock and a half that's been sitting in my knitting basket for almost a year. I have trouble wearing hand knit socks, because most of the yarns make my feet itch like crazy, and I have narrow feet and thick ankles, so my handknit socks always slide down. (And, of course, the sock-wearing season in San Diego is pretty short to begin with.)
You're cracking me up with the socks. And I love the Regia and Opal. Trekking is great, too; the ones I've knit in it have held up beautifully ... far better than the more glorious, all-hailed handpainteds out there.
I'm coming to Chicago for work in April ... will you be around?
That's a lot of socks. I don't think I've knit nearly so many, but I'm getting close.
I love the Trekking socks I've made. They definitely feel pretty sturdy!
Complete and informative summary!
I learned about merino/tencel slouchiness the hard way.
I think that Opal yarn is significantly softer than Regia (at least if you put a few drops of fabric softener in the rinse). Also I seem to have a problem with the dyes in Regia (at least the darker or more intense colors) irritating the skin on my feet - the problem lessens with each washing which is what makes me suspect the dyes. Others with sensitive feet might have the same problem so I thought I'd post. Lorna's Laces sock yarn is pretty soft also & gives a lot of yardage - I can get a pair of socks (plain vanilla crew style) for my size 8 narrow feet out of one skein which makes it a bargain.
You want rough and tough with respect to Opal?
I have a pair that has mistakenly gone through hot-water bleach wash AND hot dryer, not once, but 3 times!!! Came out looking like they were lovingly hand-washed and dried laying on a cashmere towel. Awesome.