What a sock yarn needs
Superwash wool. Socks get washed constantly; a non-superwash wool sock felts in the machine and shrinks in the shoe. Every sock yarn we stock is superwash unless it is cotton.
Nylon. Twenty to twenty-five per cent nylon (polyamide) is the difference between a heel that lasts a winter and one that lasts three. Pure merino sock yarns exist and are lovely; they wear through at the heel and ball of the foot, and are best for socks that live in slippers.
Twist. A tightly plied yarn resists abrasion; a soft single-ply pills and thins. Roll the strand between your fingers — if it untwists easily, it is a shawl yarn.
Weight. Fingering is the standard: 7–8 stitches to the inch on US 1–2 needles, a fabric dense enough to wear. Sport or DK makes a thicker boot sock in half the time.
How much
A 100 g skein of fingering — 400 to 460 yards — is a pair of adult socks up to about a men's size 11, with leftovers. Knee socks, large feet or a long leg may want a second skein; buy it in the same dye lot.
Kinds of colour
Self-striping yarns are dyed in short repeats so the sock stripes itself — West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply is the classic, with named colourways that stripe the same every time. Match the start point of the second sock to the first if you want a matched pair.
Gradient yarns — Zauberball Crazy — change colour slowly through the ball, so the two socks of a pair fade differently. Knit them from opposite ends of the ball, or embrace the difference.
Hand-painted yarns — Huasco Sock — have short runs of several colours that pool and flash unpredictably. They look best in a plain sock; texture fights the colour.
Solids and semi-solids show off a cable or a lace panel and are the choice for a patterned sock.
Cotton and wool-free
CoBaSi and other cotton-bamboo-nylon blends are for feet that cannot wear wool. They have less elasticity, so knit them at a firm gauge and expect the sock to relax.
Needles
Socks are small circumferences: a set of double-points, two circulars, or one long circular for magic loop. Bamboo and wood grip the fine yarn and are kinder to beginners; nickel-plated addi needles are faster once the hands know the way.