I ran across this post at The Knotty Gnome Knits and am blatantly copying her. I’m starting to amass a little sock family, so here are my thoughts on different sock yarns I’ve used and how I liked them (or not)!

Yarn: Knit Picks Parade (discontinued)
This is the first pair of socks I ever knit. Unfortunately, Knit Picks has discontinued Parade but it was easy to work with and has worn well over time. It’s superwash, so I machine wash these socks and air dry them. I have machine dried them, though, and they have held up nicely. Some pilling has occurred over time, but they’ve still held up well. Probably my only gripe about these socks is that they were extremely itchy on my ankles at first. They’ve since softened up, though. I think the itch factor was due to the fact that I knit them at too loose of a gauge. I used size 3 dpns and probably could have used 2s. Overall, a good yarn.

Yarn: Sunshine Yarns
Here’s the thing. I finished this sock in December 2005. That’s over a year ago. I STILL have not finished the second. I’m literally two or three inches away from finishing the second, but for whatever reason (extreme laziness?), I’ve never completed the pair. This yarn was dyed a while back, before Sunshine Yarns started selling superwash, so it’s handwash only and I’m not crazy about that. I can’t talk about how this yarn wears since I’ve never WORN the sock. I can say, though, that the yarn seemed to color my bamboo dpns a bit (made them pinkish-red). Other than that, I didn’t have any problems knitting with this yarn.

Yarn: Sassenach Yarns (my indefinitely-on-hold shop)
I’m possibly shooting myself in the foot here (no pun intended) since this is my own yarn, but I think it’s important to be upfront about my own experience knitting with it. First, I had no problems knitting with the actual yarn. The base yarn I used (I believe it’s Kona Superwash) was very soft and squishy. I set the dye properly, so there were no bleeding issues. I wore the socks only a couple times, and here’s why. Since the yarn was superwash, I machine washed and dried them. BAD idea. Just because a yarn is superwash does not mean that it’s ok to put the socks in the dryer. After only a couple washings (maybe 3 or 4), the socks shrunk about an inch or so in every direction, to the point where I couldn’t wear them anymore. They just didn’t fit. I was very sad about this, as it was my own yarn and I really liked the colorway. Live and learn.

Yarn: Sandnes Sisu
This is a very fine yarn that I knit on size 1 dpns, but it could probably be knit on 0s, even. While knitting, this was not the softest yarn I’ve ever worked with, but it had a “sturdy” feel to it. I don’t think I would work with it again, just because I’ve worked with other yarns that are much softer and pleasanter on the hands. Also, it’s handwash only, another drawback for me. (These socks weren’t for me, so I’m not sure how they’ve worn over time.)

Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, Variegated
I have only favorable things to say about LL Shepherd Sock. Soft, easy to work with, doesn’t split, beautiful colorways. It’s pretty fine, though, so I knit it on size 1 dpns. It’s superwash and I do wash these in the machine and air dry them. I’ve never had any issues with pilling. I would knit with LL Shepherd Sock again. Just a note about the actual socks: my cast-on was significantly tighter on one sock, and while I can and do still wear them, one is noticeably tighter. But that’s in no way the fault of the yarn…that’s my flub as a new-ish knitter. At this time, I was using the knitted cast on, and have since switched to the long tail/continental cast on, which is much stretchier.

Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, Nearly Solid
This is another sock that I knit using Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, only this time in a nearly solid colorway. (This time, I made sure to make my cast on very loose and stretchy, by the way!) I have all the same raves about this colorway that I did about the variegated colorway. As far as I know, the base yarn is the same and behaved the same way while knitting. I’m very fond of the nearly solid colorways because they are so ideal for lace knitting and don’t overpower the stitch pattern (although the lighter, variegated colorway I knit Hedera in worked very well, too). This is another superwash yarn that holds up well after being washed in the machine and air dried. Highly recommended.

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock, Mediumweight
This was my introduction to the famous Socks That Rock yarn. I loved the way this knitted up. It’s very easy to work with and probably my favorite thing about STR (other than the colors) is the tight twist of the base yarn. Because of this, it does not split while knitting. I love that. Also, again, it’s superwash and machine-friendly. However, I do not recommend putting them in the dryer. While these socks have not shrunk, they’ve pilled a bit over time and lost stitch definition, so I no longer put them in the dryer. This is one of my most comfortable, favorite pair of socks to wear.

Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss (on right)
Some pros and cons about Knit Picks Gloss. Pros: incredibly soft and squishy, easy to work with, and just really pretty due to the silk content that gives it a nice sheen. Currently, it only comes in solid colors, which makes it ideal for lace knitting. Cons: it’s handwash only. I really, really don’t like handwashing my socks, though of course that’s just personal preference. Also, I wish it came in more colors but perhaps Knit Picks will add more to the line in the future. I’d also like to see some variegated Gloss, as well, and if they could find a way to make it superwash, I’d probably buy some of that. However, since I can find the same shine in a merino/tencel blend elsewhere, I probably won’t use Gloss again.

Yarn: Fearless Fibers
This is a great yarn, not to mention good value for the price (massive yardage on these skeins, currently for $16…that’s really good). No pooling at all with this colorway, which I would call lightly variegated. Not only did I have enough yarn to knit these knee socks, but I even had some yarn left over. The dye was set perfectly, which sort of surprised me. With such a saturated colorway, I expected some bleeding on my fingers and/or bamboo needles, but there was NONE. I was very impressed by that. It is superwash, and the socks have softened up even more, if that’s possible, and have not pilled to date. The only thing I noticed that could be considered a con is that the dye has an odd odor, which comes out when the socks are wet (or maybe it’s the wool itself, but I’ve never smelled this scent before). Overall, a very good yarn at an excellent price.

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock, Lightweight
Knitting with Socks That Rock lightweight was just as easy as knitting with the mediumweight. In fact, I didn’t notice too much difference. I knit these on size 1 dpns. I did not have any problems with the yarn itself while knitting; however, after several washings, the colors have faded slightly and aren’t as vibrant as they were pre-washings. I’m a little disappointed about that. I’m not sure if they bled a little into each other, or if they just faded on their own, but the colors have lost their original richness. (I’ve washed these the same as the rest of my socks, so I’m thinking it’s the colorway itself.)

Yarn: Vesper Sock Yarn
Another famous yarn! This is hard to come by, as it seems to sell out immediately after it’s posted for sale. However, the yarn is good. Really good. It’s soft (that’s very important to me, as you’ve probably noticed!) and while it has pilled somewhat over time, it has still held up fairly well after being washed in the machine (and again, air dried). The only slight bummer about this yarn is that the white portions are not very bright anymore. I’m not sure if the greens bled somewhat, but the bright white you see here is not-so-bright anymore. However, the socks themselves are quite comfy, so I’m ok with that.

Yarn: White Willow
I’m very fond of this yarn! It’s amazingly soft, and seems to have taken the dye beautifully. And even though it’s a variegated colorway, I experienced no color pooling whatsoever, which is really nice. Actually, I’m currently knitting the second sock to this pair, so of course the first sock has not yet been worn or washed. So the jury’s still out on the wear issue. It feels as though it could pill a bit over time, but only with heavy wear and I tend to rotate my sock wear, so I’m not too worried about pilling.

Yarn: RubySapphire Yarns
Another great Etsy yarn. This is from the Sapphire superwash line, which is a merino/nylon blend. It’s comfy on my foot and while I would consider it soft, it’s not necessarily “squishy” (there is a difference). But all that aside, I still really like this yarn. I haven’t knit the second one yet, so the first one has been neither washed nor worn, so I’m not sure about the wear issue, but it feels as though it will wear well.

Yarn: Lime & Violet
Dyed by my favorite knitting podcasters! I really love how this colorway knit up, especially that the colors never pooled. But my favorite thing about this yarn is the squish factor. They are SO soft on my feet. Once again, this yarn is superwash, so it goes in the machine and gets air dried. For some reason, these socks seem to soften up every time they are washed. I’m curious what the base yarn is, as it behaves differently from every other yarn I’ve worked with. Highly, highly recommended.

Yarn: Mind’s Eye Yarns
Lastly but not leastly, I am crazy about this yarn! This was my first time working with tencel (it’s a merino/tencel blend). Amazingly soft and shiny! The shine is my favorite thing about tencel. (Apparently, it’s a very strong fiber as well, so I’m pleased to know that.) It was easy to work with and the dye job is just beautiful. I have not washed it yet, as I have yet to knit the second sock, but it will be put in the washer and air dried, so we’ll see how it holds up after that!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 4th, 2007 at 4:20 pm and is filed under Knitting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.