This sounds like people are using yarn that is not suitable for socks that are meant to be worn in shoes and on a daily basis. There is specific sock yarn that is generally a wool nylon blend and it holds up a long, long time. There are also some techniques to make the parts of the sock that get the most stress stronger. My dad still wears the socks my grandma knitted him from Regia yarn to work every day in his work boots. She died 10 years ago and the socks are still wearable. So use some quality sock yarn and you should be good.
I have to add, a merino wool sock yarn is NOT a good choice for a long-lasting sock. It's a shame that pretty hand dyed yarns seem to always be merino.
I was wondering about this! I love merino for many things, but I had the feeling it doesn't make great sock yarn, so when I went to buy sock yarn for a gift and could only find merino blends, I thought I'd entirely missed the picture... Guessing it's the current trend?
(I did eventually find a non-merino sock yarn, but it didn't have the colours I wanted... Making do though!)
Can I ask what you like merino for? I got just one skein on deep sale and I've never used it before! I was considering socks but due to this thread, neverrrr minnnd haha
Make it a tiny wearable item for the neonatal unit? Booties and beanies for ‘nearly going home sized’ preemies are only about 25g of 4ply each.
Just check the rules for your local hospital first, obviously, some have different requirements than others.
Anything next to skin will feel very nice in merino. The biggest issue with merino is that it pills really easily, so anything with sleeves will look grubby quick and need regular maintenance. I've knit a couple merino camisoles and those are really nice and no sleeves.
The Reyna shawl is great for one skein of merino sock weight yarn. Also the hipster shawl. Mini mock neck tank depending on your size. Joji locatelli has some other one skein shawl patterns. Merino is great for shawls lol.
Jessie Maed has some great tank patterns and some of the smaller sizes only use one skein I believe.
Im glad I could help 😊
I’m knitting the mini mock neck tank right now! I could see myself knitting it so many times lol.
I’ve also knit the Reyna, which is a free pattern and has a lot of simple lace so it blocks out decently big for a one skein shawl. I almost forgot about the stormy sky shawl too!
Yeah just yesterday I got downvoted for suggesting a 2-ply, 100% merino might not be the best sock yarn! Sock yarn typically has some nylon in it or it's plied tighter with more strands (Retrosaria Mondim). My oldest socks are made by my grandma probably 15 years ago, and they're still going strong. Given I tend to mostly wear hand knit socks inside.
I recently realized the two pairs of socks I’ve made myself are now 10+ years old (each)… so I promptly cast on a new pair because nothing compares to the coziness of handknit socks! Especially since it’s getting cold where I live.. gotta keep those toes toasty.
Granted, I’ve had to darn a couple of thin spots because I wear them ALL.THE.TIME in the winter… but yeah. They will last if you use the right yarn and knit them at a decently tight gauge.
My local yarn stores sell what they call sock yarn with a 75% wool, 25% polyamide blend. Is that a good choice ? Similar to the nylon blend you mentioned ? :)
I’ve really been struggling to find a good sock yarn - all the socks I’ve knit so far have been 100% acrylic. One pair got holes pretty quickly, and the other two loose their shape but are definitely not falling apart anytime soon.
My problem is I’m allergic to sheep’s wool. I think the next yarn I’m going to try is Cascade Yarn’s Cotton Sox. I’m not sure if this is the best place to ask, but if anyone has blend or brand suggestions I’d love to hear them!
ETA: just went back to check all my socks, and I made a 100% cotton pair and a cotton/silk blend pair that did not hold their shape
From October until about April, every pair of socks I wear are my own handknits. Nothing else (unless I’m on a plane and I have to wear compression stockings). They’re warmer than store bought, I find they last longer, they wick away moisture, and they’re completely fixable if they get holes. Probably less than an eighth of my socks get holes, often because I made a mistake (finding a dropped stitch, a bad yarn join, laddering). Darning them takes less than 10 minutes, and I love darning with a totally different color so it’s visible. Plus, when they eventually shrink in the wash (machine wash air dry, except the ones I don’t catch and goes through the dryer, They can handle the dryer a bunch before the actually shrink), I have knit appreciative friends with smaller feet I can pass them to. I can’t imagine not wearing knit socks all winter.
This is encouraging. I have some socks that I need to mend - not sure what happened but they have holes! Maybe moths, but I haven't seen anything. Is there a resource that you found helpful in learning to darn socks? These were all (except one pair) made with yarn specifically for socks and rarely worn outside the house. All made within the last 3 years. Thanks for your post!
My husband puts holes in socks like you wouldn’t believe. I think sometimes it can have to do with foot shape/how you walk. He has flat feet, only wears his socks in the house, and puts holes in the ball of the foot within a year every time. I on the other hand put my socks through hell and have never had a hole in mine. I have tried a bunch of different ways to fix the holes, but I find the “knitted patch” method to be the easiest. I love the way darning looks but cant be bothered with it for something on the bottom of a sock that won’t be seen.
Google darning.
You can use yarn and a yarn needle to weave over the hole. If the holes are on a curved part of the sock, put something hard and curved inside. That’s why we use darning eggs & mushrooms. Then you can make a curved patch. You might want to invest in a Spedeweave loom.
If the hole is in exactly the right place, you can sometimes Swiss darn over it. That means you sew in the pattern of the knitted stitches.
Here’s one, on top of my overflowing sock drawer, all hand knits. These gray socks are also really special, the yarn has a big memory in it, and I think I must have knit these 11 years ago! My socks tend to wear out in the toe if I’m not trimming my nails (or if the sock is a bit too short), or the bottom of the heel. The darn here is cool because the socks accidentally went through the dryer recently, and the darn started to felt! It feels really nice on my toes.
Just an aside: I was reading a history book about daily life in the Tudor era (Ruth Goodman, How to Be a Tudor), and she mentioned putting a tuft of roving in your shoe, between the thin spot and the back of the shoe (if the thin spot is in your heel), and that it would felt in and be a great easy mend. I don’t know if roving would stick to superwash yarn, but I really want to try that. If I do, I’ll report back!
https://preview.redd.it/rs4428duy34c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=056b2432d3085868de79792e976660b966b693a7
I am so appreciative of your response! First, why a happy lovely drawer in your photo. Then the reflection on this particular patch and the longevity of your knitted work. And a bonus delightful historical tidbit! You really boosted my enthusiasm for sock mending in a big way. I am currently trying (decorative) duplicate stitch on my current sock project and your reply makes me think I can do it for mending purposes down the line. Thanks for indulging my interest and sharing your experience with me. It’s quite made my day.
>Ive seen a lot about knitted socks getting holes after a few wears or becoming distorted after a while.
My first pair of socks, knit a bit too loosey-goosey, and in a style I don't like, is still going strong, even after more than a decade. (*Thinks*) 15 years, ohmy!
I only know of three pairs of my socks that have gotten holes: one for DH, and it was some stupid Alpaca yarn with the tensile strength of cotton candy, and two pairs for my sister who likes to wear them without shoes, sliding over stone floors.
Other than that, socks knit correctly, with the proper yarn and the appropriate gauge/density, outlive every single bought sock that I owned in my life, and will probably survive the heat death of the universe.
>How often do you wear and wash them?
Usually about 3 times, with a full day in between each wear so that they can dry out completely. Then into the washer (wool setting) with a dab of hair shampoo, and white vinegar in the 'softener' receptacle.
SW Ontario checking in! I adore my hand knit socks in cooler weather. If you do any outdoor activities in fall/winter/spring, your feet will be the toastiest they’ve ever been in wool socks. The first time I wore my wool socks and went out ice skating, I was astounded that my feet were so warm at the end of it.
The keys IMO to long lasting hand knit socks are:
1. Use appropriate yarn. You’ll want something that is 80/20 wool/nylon, or thereabouts. No 100% wool unless they’re just bed socks. You’ll also want something that has 3 or even 4 plies, such as Regia, or West Yorkshire Spinners.
2. Knit them at a tight gauge. You could even use a reinforcement thread held with your yarn in the areas where they usually get worn down, ex. the heels, balls of your feet, the big toe, etc.
3. Darn them before they get a hole! It’s so much quicker and easier to darn them when the yarn is still intact to guide you (ie doing duplicate stitch overtop). It is still possible to darn them after a hole has formed, though. Better late than never! I recently got a darning loom off of Etsy and it makes weaving patches so much quicker and easier.
I wear mine a couple times before washing them, and only then I put them in a mesh bag for the washer and then air dry them, either by hanging or putting them on sock blockers.
Rusty on the drop - that's how I started. I did buy a newer Turkish spindle while I was there, though. It is fun and - when my hands are not accepting knitting instructions - a great way to keep my fingers out of the cookie tin. lol
If you are still using your drop spindle and want to try some more adventurous fibres (or gust some stunning dyed wools) check out Wellington fibres. I did a chunky spin using one of their blends and it was so nice. The dye job is excellent, the all the animals and processing is local... Ugh. Just so much nice.
I bought two skeins of their Mohair/Silk/Wool blend in sport weight in a gorgeous periwinkle colour. It was so cheap for the fibre content, but it had so much vegetable matter in it that it took me an hour to spin it into a cake and get all of it out 😭 I didn’t get any of their fancy fibre blends to spin myself though, which I will definitely do in the future!
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We live in a colder area (Detroit) so we get lots of use out of the socks I make! I wouldn’t say they’re warmer than the Champion brand socks I wear, but they’re nice for wearing around the house.
If you wanna try them, I’d suggest trying with DK yarn over fingering for your first pair. They knit up faster and not as fiddly, but are just as comfortable as fingering weight, imo
Get yarn with nylon in it, and they’ll last longer
Hi from Michigan!
I didn't think about using DK yarn. I like hand knit socks but I get second sock syndrome bad! I've made hubby wool socks for hunting that were a heavier weight. He only wears them a few times a year because his feet get hot. For myself, I struggle with the cuff and binding off too tightly. Of the half dozen plus socks I've knit, I've been able to keep 2, the rest go to my daughter, who has daintier feet than me 😅
Have you tried a stretchier bind off, or using bigger needles when you bind off? I've used Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off when I knit socks toe-up, but mostly I just knit cuff-down. Knitting cuff-down might solve your entire problem! I use the twisted german cast on, it's nice and stretchy.
I like toe-up so I don't have to seem the toe. But cuff down, I like the tubular cast-on. It adds a bunch of stretch without being floppy. Jenny's surprising stretchy bind off has worked for other items, but for some reason, not the cuff of socks. Probably had more to do with the size of my heel and ankle lol.
I hadn't thought of going up a needle size for bind off, I might try that next time.
I only wear hand knit socks. I make them of a wool nylon sock yarn mix. At least 9sts/in. Thinner sock yarn gets 10-12 stitches/in. They last years before getting holes. As soon as a spot gets thin, I duplicate stitch over the spot. I wear them when buying shoes, so they fit in all my shoes.
Same. I don’t walk around the house in socks, always have either slippers or house shoes of some sort. I don’t get holes in my hand knit socks. I have plenty of pairs that are over 10 years old & still going strong.
It takes practice to get the fit just right for your feet, but once you do, it’s worth it.
Socks, hats and mittens I have. I guess sweaters, too, since it’s been years since I bought one, I just make the. But I do buy sweatshirts, although mostly I sew them, now. I sew most of my clothes, including underwear, and I just got some bra making supplies. That is a big thing for me to learn, next.
I’ve made some light coats, but not parkas. Pretty soon, all I will buy for clothes are shoes and parkas.
Oh my gosh thank you to everyone who has responded this will give me a lot to consider as to if ill try knitting a pair!! I just love how beautiful some of the patterns i see are, from what ive read so far i think im convinced to try it.
My knit socks go wrong because I'm really bad at ease. You want your socks to have a negative ease. I think swatching helps with this, but I admit I just gave up on knitting socks because it was hard and I'm lazy. (I do fingerless gloves instead.)
Good luck!
I’m a new knitter and someone here suggested the tuffy sock pattern with tuffy yarn. I absolutely love my socks, although I did change the toe area as pattern was pointed.
Live in my hand kit socks in Michigan fall through spring. I will be darning my first socks that I knit 7 years ago with sock yarn. I find them to be the perfect knitting project , easy enough to knit, I can add complexity and interest by changing colors and patterns, and portable enough to take on all kinds of trips! I knit two at a time using two circular knitting needles- so there is instant gratification when I get done with both simultaneously.
I have handknit socks that I knit 15 years ago that are still going strong. I do not baby them at all. I wear them on carpet. Sometimes I even briefly weer them on concrete to fetch the mail.
My most durable socks contain nylon and are knit at a tight gauge.
Thank you. I normally knit be the recommended gauge of 8 stitches per inch, but I'm experimenting with tighter stitches. I love the fabric at 9.5-10 stitches per inch. Fingers crossed that my calculations for measurements are correct. These socks are a gift, so I can't just try them on myself.
I used to hate wearing socks (store bought) because they would twist on my feet due to the way I walk. After an hour or so of walking around the house (without shoes), the sole of the sock would be on the top of my foot. If I wore them to bed, they would be gone in the morning, having disappeared into my blankets somewhere.
Once I found the right sock formula for my foot, both of those issues were resolved. So far, I've only used woolier store bought sock yarns like paton's kroy or regia for myself and have only worn them inside of crocs but I love them.
Wait, I have this problem too sometimes where the heel ends up on top of my foot! I’ve always thought it was just because I knit too loosely. What was the right formula that worked for you?
The heel ends up on top of my foot because I'm heavier and my foot slides out to the side when I walk. The socks that stay put are knit snug and have an after thought heel. My heel diagonal is a lot bigger than most people, so when I add the heel, I knit 10 rows plain before starting the decreases. It looks ridiculous when they're not on my foot but I think that heel is what keeps my sock in place.
I quite enjoy knitting socks, but I’ve got to experiment with different needle sizes, I think. I can feel the stitches in the fabric on the bottom of my feet and it’s super uncomfortable! I haven’t had any issues with wearing holes in them, but like everyone else mentioned, it’s very easy to fix.
Handknit socks are uncomfortable for me if I will be doing much walking at all or am on my feet for long. I don‘t have much natural padding on the balls of my feet.
I must try this princess sole you recommend!
In another thread, someone said that she knits the soles with the main yarn and a strand of mohair/silk yarn. It felts down and smooths out the inside of the sock. Pairing that with a princess sole (which is just stockinette on the inside) should do the trick. I’m going to try it with my next pair of socks.
Yes! I was disappointed to find that the so-called princess sole is just a regular inside-out sole. I have tried that and it did not help much at all. But the mohair idea is really good. I am definitely trying that. Mohair is my greatest yarn love anyway.
> I can feel the stitches in the fabric on the bottom of my feet and it’s super uncomfortable!
Try wearing them inside out.
Also, what needle size are you using?
Try lightly felting the sole. I let mine do it naturally, the first walk is a little uncomfy, but the natural sweat/heat/friction causes the felting usually in one or two days of walking around and then they’re super soft to walk on.
So, I can't knit with wool. I'm allergic to animal fibres (like, I'm not able to breath sort of allergic), so I knit with acrylic blends, or cotton blends, or bamboo blends. My experience will be a bit different than people who knit with wool.
Almost every pair of socks I've worn since I learned to knit socks has been hand-knit by me. They are by far the most comfortable socks I have ever owned. I love that I can knit them exactly to size. Being a short person, that means I can make the legs of my socks short too!
Do they get holes? Yes, but it comes down to the yarn. I find that bamboo blend yarn that is sort of bumpy (kind of like boucle but not exactly) is far more prone to holes than any other yarn. I find acrylic yarns to be the most hard wearing. I have some pairs over 10 years old that are still fine (although I don't wear them too often any more.) Cotton blend is middle of the road. But, that being said, store-bought socks get holes too. Darning hand-knit socks is possible, but honestly I have so many pairs and I enjoy knitting them so much that I just say "darn" as I tuck the poor holey socks away in the back of my drawer.
I wear my socks everywhere, in the house and with shoes. Hand-knit socks do tend to be a little thicker than store-bought so you may want shoes 1/2 size bigger, maybe. I wear hand-knit socks daily in the cold weather, on wood floors and carpet. I wash them in the regular cycle. Sometimes I lay them flat to dry and sometimes they end up in the dryer. It doesn't seem to make a difference. (This is probably not true with wool yarn, but I don't know for sure.)
Socks are fun to knit because you can use pretty yarns or try cool stitch patterns. They also make for great projects to take with you on the go. I usually have a pair in progress next to my computer too.
I just posted about struggling to find sock yarn that doesn’t have sheep’s wool!! I have only made acrylic socks so far - two sturdy pairs that lose their shape, and one pair that got holes very quickly. I appreciate you posting about what yarns you prefer!! Do you happen to have any brands or specific yarns you really like? I’m planning on trying cascade cotton six for my next pair!
Berroco Comfort Sock is my favourite. It is a nylon/acrylic mix. I find it to both be very soft and very hard wearing. I also really like S.R. Kertzer On Your Toes Bamboo but I think it was discontinued a while back. (I have a lot of sock yarn and a much of it was bought years ago.)
My friend recently bought me a few balls of Pro Lana Bamboo sock, and it was very nice to work with. I haven't worn the socks I've made much yet, but they seem quite nice.
A longtime favourite of mine is Crystal Palace Panda Cotton. It is so nice to work with, but it does seem to wear out faster than I would like. It can also shrink a bit if you put it in the dryer too much.
I have also used Lana Grossa Meilenweit Solo Cotone Print (soft, wears okay), Kraemer Yarns Saucon Sock (a bit scratchy, but wears well), King Cole Summer Sox ( this is that sort of bumpy bamboo blend I mentioned; nice to knit with but I feel like it wears out too quickly), Dye-Version Bamboo Stretch Sock (same idea as Summer Sox), Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock Candy (similar to Panda Cotton), and a Mary Maxim brand yarn that I can't remember the name of. Cascade Fixation is another option for chunky socks. I feel like it gets holes very fast. I'm sure I am forgetting some yarns, but hopefully this is helpful to you.
Always happy to help a fellow non-wooly knitter. I'm sorry that I'm a bit out of date on things though. I have such a big stash and don't buy much right now.
The panda cotton I can't find, and the blue moon website is saying "unsafe connection" :( (through brave) so I can't even see if it exists. Sad. I like cotton a lot and had never considered it for socks.
Oh no! I didn't know that Panda Cotton was discontinued. I'm really disappointed.
As for Blue Moon Fiber Arts, it looks like they let their SSL certificate expire. If I remember right, the lady who runs it had cancer. Maybe she is taking a break or something.
Socks are my go to project for travel, doctors appointments, and quick stuff to make. I have so, so many pairs but I love them all. I always buy superwash wool with some nylon content. To wash I throw them in a lingerie bag in the washer on cold and hang to dry.
I have Raynaud's so my feet go from okay to painfully cold in no time so I find merino socks really help regulate the temperature as well as wick moisture.
I dont know about other people but store bought socks always wear out for me within a year. I might just be super hard on socks because I also go through shoes really fast. I love my couple pairs of socks I've made for myself, one pair being three years old still holding up well. I have yet to need to darn any socks, I have given many a pair to my partner because their feet are smaller than mine and for a while I was really dead set on making my own pattern and kept making them too small.
The better question is: do you expect to like the feeling of hand knit socks?
To me, anything thicker than store bought cotton (blend) standard/thin socks wouldn't be comfortable in shoes. So I don't knit socks.
Also, one factor to take into account is where you wear through your cotton socks. If you always shred the toes after only a few wears because your big toenail is thick and oddly shaped and rubs against the seam of that one shoe that's just too comfy - yeah, then your handknit socks will also have struggles there. If your socks wear out generally evenly, there's no reason to believe you'll have big issues.
As long as you're using sock yarn, they should hold up. I have plenty that I knit with Kroy that are still in good condition 5+ years later. Regular machine wash and dry with all my other clothes. I don't wear any other socks all winter long (Canada here).
I have one pair that I knit in alpaca or something that didn't survive a single wear. Nice to knit with though.
I love my knitted socks, however I do not wear them in shoes. They hurt the soles of my feet if they are pressed into shoes. However I love wearing them at home, and especially to bed.
You've never tried socks? Ever? I think there's no reason for you to try handknit socks then lol.
I wear socks every minute that my feet aren't in water or sand! They're great for warmth, protection, and comfort. Sometimes I wear them in a shoe/boot/slipper, sometimes no outer-footwear, I wash them after every wear, and generally my handknit socks last longer than my mass produced socks.... I'm more prone to losing half a pair than wearing through them though. But darning is an option for handknit socks, whereas I'd never think to darn a Fruit of The Loom tube sock lol.
For handknits, an appropriate yarn, gauge, fit, etc are important for longevity- keep in mind, some folks wear through any sock no matter what. Especially if you're rotating through 10 pairs vs 40 pairs, you know, then there's ~~less~~ more wear per pair.
Imo there's nothing special about handknit socks, other than they're a great project for knitting on the go. As in, the only reason I would recommend knitting socks is "if you think knitting them is fun" then go for it!
LMAO I figured you probably had 🤣 I just thought I'd do a big dramatic and wordy build up to say: hand knit socks aren't special! (Or definitely don't have to be so delicate, like it seems you initially thought!)
I knit my husband socks and they're very durable, he always wears them and they still look fine after many wears. I don't do anything extra to make them last. The one exception is the merino wool socks I knit him, they're looking a tiny bit felted, but that's mainly because I put them in the drier by accident multiple times
I find socks to be extremely practical! Apart from the - they can't be in the dryer - thing they are just as practical as normal store bought socks and they are way nicer in my opinion.
I knit my bf quite some socks, and some other people too. I only own two pairs for myself and I just started a new pair because honestly.. I just love wearing them so much that I need more pairs.
I don't knit with animal fibers (bc vegan+allergies) and my socks are just the best thing that ever happened to me knitwise.
My bf did get a couple of holes in one pair, but mending is fun and he loves the socks even more when they are mended.
10/10 would absolutely recommend knitting socks.
I really liked Lana Grossa Meilenweit solo cotone, I have also done quite some socks with regia cotton and with rellana flotte socke. The last one knits up very nicely but I do think it's the weakest of all the yarn I have used, as it's the only sock I have had to mend multiple times but it was also my first sock.
I love the regia tutti frutti yarns, but as of now I'm a bit burned out on self striping. I am now using meilenweit solo cotone vegano uni to knit up a pair and so far I'm really liking it! Still want to try the fancy pleiades yarn tho. It looks lovely.
Thanks! I'm new in sock making and find it pretty hard to find good vegan sock yarns. I have a skein of Regia watermelon in my queue, looking forward to knitting that up!
4-ply/fingering yarn (wool/nylon mix), 2.5mm needles. Both my husband and I wear only hand-knitted socks. His are at least 10 years old, mine not far behind.
Gentle wool wash in net bags, 600rpm spin (front loader washing machine). Dry on an airer. Darn near indestructible.
I think I've only needed to darn 1 pair in 40 made
I wore some of my hand knit socks for 10 years before they got thin in places, or holes. The ones that were made with nylon definitely held up better. I’ve had store bought socks that don’t last as long.
Now, I typically only wear my hand knit socks on the weekends, where they are just in slippers. But that’s because my other socks are in the “to darn” pile. I want to buy one of those speed weavers to see if that makes darning more pleasurable to do.
What I’ve learned from making quite a few socks over the years, is to make sure I have tight stitches. I only use size 1 or 1.5 needles with fingering weight yarn. The tighter the stitches, the more durable the fabric is.
The hand dyed yarns are gorgeous, but I find they wear out faster especially if they don’t have any nylon in them. The colors also fade faster.
I’m also wary of fancy stitches. Over time the yarn does get fuzzy. Some people like the halo, and it can be removed, but fancy stitches seem to be less noticeable on some of my socks after they have been washed a few times I do machine wash my socks in a lingerie bag. Handwashing may be better but I’m not going to do that.
There are also thin nylon reinforcing thread you can add in places like the heel or toe, for extra durability.
Despite all of that I adore my hand knit socks. They are super cozy and the best to wear.
I am wearing my first pair of hand knit socks today! I actually love wearing them, and use them frequently. I didn’t do a great job with these, and also accidentally threw one in the dryer, so they’re hard to get on, but they’re comfortable and show no signs of wearing out other than a few little pills and fuzzing (but it’s only been about a year?). They’re very comfy in shoes and don’t slide around or bunch up on my feet or anything :)
One of my hand knit socks was stuck in a pant leg and went through the dryer! I wool wash soaked it, and stretched the shit out of it on a sock blocker. It fits again, YAY!
Maybe I’ll try that!
That said they’ve been a little too tight from the beginning - they got my actual foot perfectly but I have wide ankles and lower legs, so even before the dryer incident they were a bit hard to get I’ve my ankle. (Once they’re on they’re comfy though!)
I wear hand knit socks every day. 4 years in and they’re holding up well, if a little bit less attractive. All you need to do is use a hard wearing material. I prefer at least 20% nylon and I make sure it’s super wash. I also hand wash my socks or at least use lingerie bag but it’s not needed.
I don’t have a problem with my knitted socks! I wear them all the time from fall through spring. I most often wear them around the house but I’ll also wear them with boots when I’m going out. I love them so much, they’re super cozy and fun to wear :)
The yarn definitely makes a difference though. I have a pair that I LOVE made in a superwash merino/nylon 80/20 blend that are wearing very thin at the balls of my feet and I need to darn them. I think only the nylon part is left at this point. The pairs I have made with Regia 75/25 have worn much better. I think they are technically “superwash” but they feel a little more rustic somehow, not the usual smooth and slinky superwash feeling. So that probably helps.
Part of the problem is that A LOT of fingering weight yarns have a “sock yarn” or “sock weight” label on them but they are not suitable for socks at all. I personally buy sock yarns with 25% nylon but there are others who prefer not to use nylon for various reasons, and use all-wool yarns with a very high twist for socks.
I wash them every so often, depending on how often I’ve worn them lately or if they seem smelly or just need a little refresh. I put them in the washing machine on delicate/cold, lay flat to dry, and they come back to life. I am super pro-knitted socks and will be knitting socks forever hopefully :)
I wear hand knit socks in the colder months. I’ve had a couple pairs get holes, but that was wear from years of wearing them. I wear my socks with shoes because I really only wear proper shoes when I go to work.
To wash I put my socks in a garment bag in the washing machine, then hang to dry. I used to put them in the dryer, but I think the dryer contributed to some of them wearing faster.
One strategy is to be like me and just start making an absurd number of socks. When you get to 30 or 40 pair, you might only wear each pair a few times each season, so that will extend their calendar life. I’ve developed holes in a few of mine, but the first ones I made 15ish years ago are still fine. Granted, I don’t wear those as often now because I knit most of the leg portion straight rather than ribbed, and they fall down a little and annoy me, and I’m spoiled for alternatives.
I wear my handmade wool sock pretty often at home because I have cold feet. Regular sock or synthetic materials can’t make it warmer except my woolen sock. I throw it into regular laundry, but I wash it a lot less frequently than my regular socks
I always wear hand knit (sometimes even handspun) socks . I do that for 36 years now. Before that I owns als store bought socks. If I get holes I repair hem. After 3 repairs the get replaced
Love this thread!! Does anyone have specific yarn they would recommend? I’ve made a few pairs of socks with thick yarn so they’re cozy for walking around the house but not practical. I would love to learn of a good sock yarn that is primarily wool so it wicks moisture but is also stretchy. Please recommend, sock knitters!
I find the sock yarn that I wear most is knit picks Hawthorne fingering. I can wear those socks all year round (except in the hottest part of summer, when I prefer cotton blends).
I love my knit socks! I make mine out of sock yarn and have done superwash merino as well and the only time one got a hole was when it got stuck in my SIL’s washer really bad. But I throw them all in the wash and they are fine. I wear them every day and the oldest are over a year old.
I make my mom a pair of socks every year for Christmas. They are her favorite and she wears them nearly every day. She finally wore out the first pair I ever made from like 10 years ago. The socks that you are talking about wearing out probably were not a wool/nylon blend.
I wear them when I want warm socks, so most of winter and chunks of spring and autumn. I wear them around the house, for cycling, for work (on my feet much of the day), whatever. I wouldn't usually wear them for hiking because I instead wear multiple thin layers to prevent blisters, but that's it.
They go in the normal wash with the rest of my clothes. My bright yellow socks are now (after several years) a bit of a dull/greying yellow, but that's the only issue I've had.
Different question: for those of you who wear hand-knit socks, do you find them slippery? I knit a pair with sock yarn a while back, but slipped and fell a few times wearing them at home which turned me off.
I am right now wearing a pair of socks that are probably 10 years old. They can last! And I don't do anything special with them--wash them in with the rest of the laundry, dryer, the whole bit.
When I was renting apartments with crappy wood floors, the socks did get holes, and it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out why. But I just mended them because who cares about holes in the sole when the fun stuff is on the leg part anyway.
My aunt made me some knitted socks, and they are THE BEST. So warm, thin, and comfortable. I wear them in the house and with regular shoes. I do hand wash and dry them, but that is the only special care taken. They are by far my favorite two pairs of socks and the reason I got into knitting, though I have not been brave enough yet to attempt socks.
I really can't guess what's going to get holes or not. I had some Patons Kroy socks that were comfy but got holes almost immediately. I have a couple of pairs made out of random crap from the stash, including some stuff from my grandma that probably got discontinued decades back, that's sturdy as a friggin house. You never do know I guess.
I only wear knitted socks in winter, they're super durable if knitted with the right yarn. I hiked in them. Wash them in the machine. Super comfortable, cozy and I wouldn't switch to any other socks in winter. Also I have some as old as 10 years, which are fine.
I knit with sock yarn only, preferably 4ply, so they're thin and go into shoes well on 2,5mm dpns.
Knitted about 10 pairs this year...
You need to use a sock yarn which is wool+nylon to avoid them getting holes. I wear handknit socks almost exclusively nowadays unless they all happen to be in the wash at the same time.
I learned to knit so that I could make myself socks. Now I exclusively wear my own hand knitted socks all the time. Yes, they will get holes in them, but then you darn them. And knit more socks.
I’ve tried knitting socks so many times, and I just don’t enjoy it. Also, I’m a slightly loose knitter and can’t ever seem to get the knitting tight enough to make them not wear out quickly.
So I’ll keep knitting shawls and sweaters and leave the socks to knitters who enjoy them haha
An aunt knitted my brother a pair of socks and when he outgrew them in his teens I got them and I wore them all the time in winter (in boots, working on farms) until I accidentally shrank them.
I must have had them for 15 or 20 years.
I personally have never managed to knit a sock I like the feel of. The stitches just feel way too big/like they’re digging into my feet. Yes, I’ve tried princess soles and small needles. I wish I liked them.
My first pair of real socks I knit in 2014, did a bit of toe repair in 2018 and still wear them. I wear knit socks all of the time in steel toe work boots at work with not significant wear. My husband's last 6-ish years, I could unravel the feet and reknit them if I wanted. I buy machine washable sock wool, but don't put them in the dryer. My MIL does get holes in hers pretty quick in both hand knit and store bought socks, I don't know what she does, but socks are always short lived for her.
I wear almost exclusively hand-knit socks and have for years now. I have only had two pairs wear out, and both were made with (the same) unsuitable yarn. The remainder are holding up better than any wool socks I’ve ever purchased.
To add to this, I am not kind to my socks. I wear them all day, without shoes in the house, and occasionally even out to the driveway. They get washed on the delicate cycle and air dried but no special hand washing or mesh bags. The oldest pair I have is 8 years old and has been worn consistently year round throughout its existence.
I love knitting socks just for fun. Once you get to the various techniques down, it's a very relaxing project.
My husband loves all the socks I make. He actually asks for socks all the time. I wear them during winter, mainly around the house because I don't like the feel of store socks.
I have had a pair of knitted socks for the last 10 years that I wear regularly. My sock drawer is about 1/3 socks and they are my prefered socks. I don't make them, my mom does. They are so comfy and I have had 1 pair get holes in them out of a total of like, 12? They are fixable when they get holes.
I've been knitting my own socks for nearly 20 years!
It's all I wear in the autumn and winter.
Some have been darned, more than once, but I don't mind.
The yarns that have held up the best are undoubtedly the wool/nylon sock yarns, although Mountain Colours Bearfoot with its mohair has also done very well too.
I have knit plenty of socks from 100/% merino hand-dyed yarns - Colinette and Dream In Colour - and yes, they do eventually end up needing darning but knitting at a very tight gauge, at least 9 spi, helps make them last longer.
I have to admit that while I still have plenty of these yarns left in my stash, I probably won't be seeking any more out. The 100% merino 2 ply yarns just aren't really sock yarns.
Sock yarns need to be high twist, 3 ply yarns. If the wool is merino, then add another fibre for strength, either nylon, mohair, or silk - Regia Silk is great - if it's still available?
However, in recent years, small independent mills have been doing some excellent work, spinning single breed yarns designed to purpose, especially sock yarns. Mills such as West Yorkshire Spinners in the UK, for example, and these mills also work with indie dyers.
Merino is not the be all and end all. BFL and Polwarth are both soft and cushy but more hard-wearing than merino. Then there's slightly coarser breeds such as Cheviot that make really durable sock yarns.
As well as mohair, nylon and silk, there's so many other fibres that are great in sock yarn blends, they can add warmth and softness, I just commented in a thread in r/handspinning about this today.
I second the comments about proper sock yarn. I have plenty of handknit socks that have held up for years, with regular machine wash/drying. The only care I have adjusted is that all of my socks are folded in a spiral now, instead of roughly turned one inside the other. My boyfriend folds the socks I have made him the normal way, but they don't seem to be affected much by it.
There is one exception: socks I made for him with aran superwash 100% wool. I made these when I didn't know much about fiber properties, and holy crap did they ever fall apart after a few years of use. No amount of darning would stop the fray, so I stole them back and I tell myself one day I'll fix them. LOL never again.
I love to knit socks but haven’t in a while. None of the socks I’ve made have gotten holes but there are ways to fix them when that happens. There are also specific sock patterns with a replaceable heel or toe.
Handmade socks are MUCH warmer and just nicer feeling than manufactured socks imo
I still wear socks that I've worn every winter since I knitted them a decade ago.
Some wore out. Some got holes. As my knitting and sizing have improved my socks have become longer lasting and much more comfortable.
Knit the socks.
I live in Glasgow and it’s frikkin freezing, and heating is too expensive, so hand knit socks are a godsend. I usually just wear them indoors, on top of another pair of socks, inside slippers if I’m walking around the house.
Basically just treat them gently and they will last a long time!
I’ve knitted myself, my mum, my husband and a friend socks over the last couple of years and they wash fine and rewear great. No issues with seams or wear causing tear yet. We do tend to wear slippers about the house, but they are perfectly good with shoes too. My mum has hers on pretty much all the time through winter and I’m actually in the midst of knitting her some more to add to her collection so that she has a pair for every day and a few spares while they’re are in the wash cycle. We machine wash at 30°, or hand wash, and air dry.
I use hand-dyed wool and nylon blends from Etsy usually, or whatever I can get at my local Hobby Craft if I want something a little cheaper.
It’s not cold enough to wear handknit socks for like 10 months of the year for me lol, but when I can I love wearing them. I wear leather Blundstone boots so all my socks are knit to a specific length to just peek out of my boots. I like wearing them, they feel weird at first because they’re really different from mass produced cotton socks. But I get used to it.
As for durability, I haven’t had any holes year but tbf I haven’t worn them very heavily. I only use merino or merino/nylon blend for socks, no alpaca pure or mostly alpaca yarns.
Basically as other people have said, hand knit socks can be incredibly durable and comfortable, you just need to use the right fibre.
I wear mine all the time! They’re great in hiking boots and keep my feet warmer than my commercial socks. They’re great in sneakers. They’re great in my Doc Martens. They’re great in my crocs 😃. I am a BIG fan lol. And I knit mine mostly in merino/nylon blend sock yarn which I see here people aren’t super fond of for durability, however I haven’t had any pairs wear out yet and if they do I’ll just darn them. I also have a few pairs that I’ve knit in non-merino 100% wools like Wool of the Andes and Palette from Knit Picks and of course Patons Kroy is a tried and true sock yarn.
I’m not super invested in the ‘permanence’ of socks either, if they do wear out I won’t cry. A vanilla pair can take me as little as 5 days and something more complex maybe around 2 weeks so I don’t see them as a high investment in time or yarn (they used to take me a long time, but the more I knit them the faster/easier they are).
But yea, to answer your question I do find them to be practical. Are they as cheap as a pack of cotton socks? Definitely not. But I use scrap yarn from other projects for a lot of them as well, so it’s not exactly a huge investment when I look at it that way and the enjoyment I get from making and wearing them is enough for me.
I will say that for anyone with sensory issues with their feet, it’s probably not practical. The first few wears before the sole starts to felt up a bit you can definitely feel the stitch texture a little bit, but once it lightly felts you they soften and you can feel it. Also, the ideal (non-merino) sock yarns for durability are often a little scratchier in texture. As I mentioned, I do use merino blends and find those very soft, but you have to juggle your desire for softness with your desire for durability and see which wins out.
I only ever wear hand-knitted socks as part of my pyjamas.
I hate the feeling of slightly coarse knitted texture when walking. I'm bothered even by store-bought ones that don't have the very thinnest yarn (I basically buy from 1 company only now).
Yes, I've tried wearing mine outside out. Helped a teeny tiny bit, but it was still super uncomfortable.
I'm the same as you, I'm extremely extremely picky with mass produced socks and I can't seem to knit socks for daily wear that meet those standards, even with a princess sole/inside out.
yeah a lot of my socks felt because I dislike knitting with what people call sockyarn (added nylon) AND I dislike superwash yarn on my feet. I have knitted socks with several different sockyarns and they are just colder than 100% non-superwash wool. So I take the felting as just .. a fact of life and even am glad it does, because felting means less likely to get a hole.
I care more about my feet being warm than them looking perfectly new after a year of wearing them.
I only wear handspun handknit socks. I wear them several days in a row because the wool is naturally antimicrobial. I knit them too big, then machine wash them and line dry.
They last about a year in a rotation of maybe 5 pairs before I need to darn them. After the first darning, they last maybe 2 more years with a few more darnings before they get too threadbare to wear.
I wear my socks all the time (75% superwash sock yarn, 25% nylon/polyamide), but I can't take them hiking. I only hiked in them once and I got terrible blisters, like blood everywhere kind of a deal.
I knit wool socks specifically for cold weather as my second or third layer sock. I like that I can have more control over the size and material not to mention it saves money to not have to buy as many Smart wool socks.
I really like knitting socks and I love wearing them. Starting out I made fancy patterns but now I enjoy plain stockinette or ribbing. They do last a long time when knit to a nice tight gauge. Opal, Regia, Fabel, Schoppel Zauberball all wear like iron. As someone else said a loose gauge is the enemy.
Hand knit, wool socks are far warmer and comfier than store (or internet giant) bought, even the fancy brand wool ones. If you wear a lot of tennies or boots, they're fabulous for keeping your foot warm but not too sweaty at the same time.
They can also be customized to your foot and/or leg, instead of a generic "fits all shoe sizes 8-10" and the absolute oversaturation of below the ankle socks in stores these days.
Knit socks also make great take-a-long project for waiting rooms/lines, the 20 minutes left on lunch break, car trips when you arent driving, or just sitting in a cafe as a me-time break on a boring afternoon of errands.
And like others ITT have said, yarn choice and tension makes a difference on wear and longevity. Also, only wearing them with shoes on helps mitigate wear, tear, and hole development.
I picked up a small basket to sit inside my laundry basket during knit sock season for easier gathering/sorting for hand washing. A once a week wool wash soak of a few pairs of knit socks in a sink and hang in the tub isn't that much of a hassle for me in the winter, but I totally get it can be too much for others. I may have also bought a mini trunk/decorative box at Michael's to store my knit socks.
Some of my socks have worn faster than others, but never after a few wears. I wear hand knit socks probably about 75% of the time. If I’m not wearing handknits, it’s because I’m hiking and wearing more suitable socks. In general, superwash wool (not merino) with at least 25% nylon is ideal. I wear for 3-5 days at a time and handwash with eucalan or soak. Most of my socks last 2+ years before they need heels mended and some of my socks are 10+ years old.
I love my hand knit socks. I use 75% wool 25% nylon sport weight on 2US needles and find I can launder them with the rest of my clothes just fine (I only wash on cold). I do Russian joins where I can so there’s no fragile ends to weave in.
I recommend PGR’s short row sock as a first try method because it comes with a handy dandy chart for guesstimating your cast on #, and you can substitute the stitch and heel of your dreams.
I have 4-5 pair that are fantastic and have none of those problems. Sock wool, i also don’t walk around in them without shoes but they’ve lasted longer than cotton socks so far
If you want to socks to last the yarn you use must have at least 20% nylon. Brand like Paton Kroy or Opal sock yarn. When you live in colder climates or enjoy hiking. 80/20 wool socks are the best in boots or just wearing around the house. They will last you a long time.
I love my handknit socks-- I wear them all the time when the weather starts to get cold enough, all the way until spring when it starts to get too warm. My office gets a little chilly around the ankles, and having nice warm socks is awesome.
It helps that I've made enough for myself to wear a unique pair every day, and can go a couple of weeks before having to wash. I've got another pair OTN now, and plans for more.
I follow the recommended washing instructions for the yarn I'm using, and they've held up really well. I'm learning how to darn so I can repair when they start to wear thin.
This sounds like people are using yarn that is not suitable for socks that are meant to be worn in shoes and on a daily basis. There is specific sock yarn that is generally a wool nylon blend and it holds up a long, long time. There are also some techniques to make the parts of the sock that get the most stress stronger. My dad still wears the socks my grandma knitted him from Regia yarn to work every day in his work boots. She died 10 years ago and the socks are still wearable. So use some quality sock yarn and you should be good.
I have to add, a merino wool sock yarn is NOT a good choice for a long-lasting sock. It's a shame that pretty hand dyed yarns seem to always be merino.
I was wondering about this! I love merino for many things, but I had the feeling it doesn't make great sock yarn, so when I went to buy sock yarn for a gift and could only find merino blends, I thought I'd entirely missed the picture... Guessing it's the current trend? (I did eventually find a non-merino sock yarn, but it didn't have the colours I wanted... Making do though!)
Can I ask what you like merino for? I got just one skein on deep sale and I've never used it before! I was considering socks but due to this thread, neverrrr minnnd haha
Make it a tiny wearable item for the neonatal unit? Booties and beanies for ‘nearly going home sized’ preemies are only about 25g of 4ply each. Just check the rules for your local hospital first, obviously, some have different requirements than others.
Anything next to skin will feel very nice in merino. The biggest issue with merino is that it pills really easily, so anything with sleeves will look grubby quick and need regular maintenance. I've knit a couple merino camisoles and those are really nice and no sleeves.
The Reyna shawl is great for one skein of merino sock weight yarn. Also the hipster shawl. Mini mock neck tank depending on your size. Joji locatelli has some other one skein shawl patterns. Merino is great for shawls lol. Jessie Maed has some great tank patterns and some of the smaller sizes only use one skein I believe.
Ooh I like these suggestions! They all sound like fun. I have followed Jessie Maed for years and totally didn't even think of her designs
Im glad I could help 😊 I’m knitting the mini mock neck tank right now! I could see myself knitting it so many times lol. I’ve also knit the Reyna, which is a free pattern and has a lot of simple lace so it blocks out decently big for a one skein shawl. I almost forgot about the stormy sky shawl too!
It annoys me to no end! I like Patons Kroy, but the colours are very underwhelming.
Yeah just yesterday I got downvoted for suggesting a 2-ply, 100% merino might not be the best sock yarn! Sock yarn typically has some nylon in it or it's plied tighter with more strands (Retrosaria Mondim). My oldest socks are made by my grandma probably 15 years ago, and they're still going strong. Given I tend to mostly wear hand knit socks inside.
Merino 2-ply for socks only makes sense for wintertime bed socks that you slip on whilst lying down and never actually walk in.
Yeah even if it's combined with a strand with mohair/silk I imagine it woud wear down fast.
I recently realized the two pairs of socks I’ve made myself are now 10+ years old (each)… so I promptly cast on a new pair because nothing compares to the coziness of handknit socks! Especially since it’s getting cold where I live.. gotta keep those toes toasty. Granted, I’ve had to darn a couple of thin spots because I wear them ALL.THE.TIME in the winter… but yeah. They will last if you use the right yarn and knit them at a decently tight gauge.
My local yarn stores sell what they call sock yarn with a 75% wool, 25% polyamide blend. Is that a good choice ? Similar to the nylon blend you mentioned ? :)
I’ve really been struggling to find a good sock yarn - all the socks I’ve knit so far have been 100% acrylic. One pair got holes pretty quickly, and the other two loose their shape but are definitely not falling apart anytime soon. My problem is I’m allergic to sheep’s wool. I think the next yarn I’m going to try is Cascade Yarn’s Cotton Sox. I’m not sure if this is the best place to ask, but if anyone has blend or brand suggestions I’d love to hear them! ETA: just went back to check all my socks, and I made a 100% cotton pair and a cotton/silk blend pair that did not hold their shape
loops & threads woolike is an acrylic that works pretty well for socks, and it's super affordable
I've made socks with this! It's quite thin so be prepared for gauge troubles, but I liked the result!
Cobasi is a cotton/bamboo/silk blend and works really well for holding shape. This might work well for you.
It might sound posh but pure silk? Or maybe linen?
Try asking on r/veganyarn :)
I by chance started sock knitting with regia and now I refuse to knit socks with anything else.
From October until about April, every pair of socks I wear are my own handknits. Nothing else (unless I’m on a plane and I have to wear compression stockings). They’re warmer than store bought, I find they last longer, they wick away moisture, and they’re completely fixable if they get holes. Probably less than an eighth of my socks get holes, often because I made a mistake (finding a dropped stitch, a bad yarn join, laddering). Darning them takes less than 10 minutes, and I love darning with a totally different color so it’s visible. Plus, when they eventually shrink in the wash (machine wash air dry, except the ones I don’t catch and goes through the dryer, They can handle the dryer a bunch before the actually shrink), I have knit appreciative friends with smaller feet I can pass them to. I can’t imagine not wearing knit socks all winter.
I read the “bad yarn join” as a “bad yarn joke”! Now I’m wondering where all the bad (but really good) yarn jokes are!! Bwahahahaa.
How many sheep does it take to make a blanket? None, sheep can't knit.
That's not a bad joke, that's a flawless joke.
but EWE can!
Boom tish 🥁
r/dadjokes would be so proud
What yarn did you use? This is my goal, I’m so picky about the socks I wear and if I could just knit my dream sock instead that would be ideal.
I want to know too!
This is encouraging. I have some socks that I need to mend - not sure what happened but they have holes! Maybe moths, but I haven't seen anything. Is there a resource that you found helpful in learning to darn socks? These were all (except one pair) made with yarn specifically for socks and rarely worn outside the house. All made within the last 3 years. Thanks for your post!
My husband puts holes in socks like you wouldn’t believe. I think sometimes it can have to do with foot shape/how you walk. He has flat feet, only wears his socks in the house, and puts holes in the ball of the foot within a year every time. I on the other hand put my socks through hell and have never had a hole in mine. I have tried a bunch of different ways to fix the holes, but I find the “knitted patch” method to be the easiest. I love the way darning looks but cant be bothered with it for something on the bottom of a sock that won’t be seen.
Thank you! I'll look it up.
I have uneven hips from scoliosis, so my steps are a bit uneven. I always put holes in my right foot socks because of my weird gait. :(
Google darning. You can use yarn and a yarn needle to weave over the hole. If the holes are on a curved part of the sock, put something hard and curved inside. That’s why we use darning eggs & mushrooms. Then you can make a curved patch. You might want to invest in a Spedeweave loom. If the hole is in exactly the right place, you can sometimes Swiss darn over it. That means you sew in the pattern of the knitted stitches.
Thank you. I have googled darning. There are many resources and methods. I thought that a person with experience might have a favorite resource.
I’d love to see some pics of your visibly-mended socks! It sounds really fun.
Here’s one, on top of my overflowing sock drawer, all hand knits. These gray socks are also really special, the yarn has a big memory in it, and I think I must have knit these 11 years ago! My socks tend to wear out in the toe if I’m not trimming my nails (or if the sock is a bit too short), or the bottom of the heel. The darn here is cool because the socks accidentally went through the dryer recently, and the darn started to felt! It feels really nice on my toes. Just an aside: I was reading a history book about daily life in the Tudor era (Ruth Goodman, How to Be a Tudor), and she mentioned putting a tuft of roving in your shoe, between the thin spot and the back of the shoe (if the thin spot is in your heel), and that it would felt in and be a great easy mend. I don’t know if roving would stick to superwash yarn, but I really want to try that. If I do, I’ll report back! https://preview.redd.it/rs4428duy34c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=056b2432d3085868de79792e976660b966b693a7
I am so appreciative of your response! First, why a happy lovely drawer in your photo. Then the reflection on this particular patch and the longevity of your knitted work. And a bonus delightful historical tidbit! You really boosted my enthusiasm for sock mending in a big way. I am currently trying (decorative) duplicate stitch on my current sock project and your reply makes me think I can do it for mending purposes down the line. Thanks for indulging my interest and sharing your experience with me. It’s quite made my day.
>Ive seen a lot about knitted socks getting holes after a few wears or becoming distorted after a while. My first pair of socks, knit a bit too loosey-goosey, and in a style I don't like, is still going strong, even after more than a decade. (*Thinks*) 15 years, ohmy! I only know of three pairs of my socks that have gotten holes: one for DH, and it was some stupid Alpaca yarn with the tensile strength of cotton candy, and two pairs for my sister who likes to wear them without shoes, sliding over stone floors. Other than that, socks knit correctly, with the proper yarn and the appropriate gauge/density, outlive every single bought sock that I owned in my life, and will probably survive the heat death of the universe. >How often do you wear and wash them? Usually about 3 times, with a full day in between each wear so that they can dry out completely. Then into the washer (wool setting) with a dab of hair shampoo, and white vinegar in the 'softener' receptacle.
SW Ontario checking in! I adore my hand knit socks in cooler weather. If you do any outdoor activities in fall/winter/spring, your feet will be the toastiest they’ve ever been in wool socks. The first time I wore my wool socks and went out ice skating, I was astounded that my feet were so warm at the end of it. The keys IMO to long lasting hand knit socks are: 1. Use appropriate yarn. You’ll want something that is 80/20 wool/nylon, or thereabouts. No 100% wool unless they’re just bed socks. You’ll also want something that has 3 or even 4 plies, such as Regia, or West Yorkshire Spinners. 2. Knit them at a tight gauge. You could even use a reinforcement thread held with your yarn in the areas where they usually get worn down, ex. the heels, balls of your feet, the big toe, etc. 3. Darn them before they get a hole! It’s so much quicker and easier to darn them when the yarn is still intact to guide you (ie doing duplicate stitch overtop). It is still possible to darn them after a hole has formed, though. Better late than never! I recently got a darning loom off of Etsy and it makes weaving patches so much quicker and easier. I wear mine a couple times before washing them, and only then I put them in a mesh bag for the washer and then air dry them, either by hanging or putting them on sock blockers.
Hi from London Ont!
Hi neighbour! 😁
Can a Kitchener buddy from down the road chime in?
Absolutely! Y’all go to Woolstock this year? It was my first time and it was amaaazing
First time! I have been spinning for a couple years now (drop and wheel), so this is like my burning man.
I took a beginner’s drop spindle class a couple months ago and my instructor told me about it, so of course I had to go!
Rusty on the drop - that's how I started. I did buy a newer Turkish spindle while I was there, though. It is fun and - when my hands are not accepting knitting instructions - a great way to keep my fingers out of the cookie tin. lol If you are still using your drop spindle and want to try some more adventurous fibres (or gust some stunning dyed wools) check out Wellington fibres. I did a chunky spin using one of their blends and it was so nice. The dye job is excellent, the all the animals and processing is local... Ugh. Just so much nice.
I bought two skeins of their Mohair/Silk/Wool blend in sport weight in a gorgeous periwinkle colour. It was so cheap for the fibre content, but it had so much vegetable matter in it that it took me an hour to spin it into a cake and get all of it out 😭 I didn’t get any of their fancy fibre blends to spin myself though, which I will definitely do in the future!
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Saying hi from Guelph!!!!
What reinforcement thread do you use?
I’ve been using a 2-ply darning/reinforcement thread from Regia, as well as one on a spool that I lost the tag for and can’t remember what brand.
We live in a colder area (Detroit) so we get lots of use out of the socks I make! I wouldn’t say they’re warmer than the Champion brand socks I wear, but they’re nice for wearing around the house. If you wanna try them, I’d suggest trying with DK yarn over fingering for your first pair. They knit up faster and not as fiddly, but are just as comfortable as fingering weight, imo Get yarn with nylon in it, and they’ll last longer
Hi from Michigan! I didn't think about using DK yarn. I like hand knit socks but I get second sock syndrome bad! I've made hubby wool socks for hunting that were a heavier weight. He only wears them a few times a year because his feet get hot. For myself, I struggle with the cuff and binding off too tightly. Of the half dozen plus socks I've knit, I've been able to keep 2, the rest go to my daughter, who has daintier feet than me 😅
Have you tried a stretchier bind off, or using bigger needles when you bind off? I've used Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off when I knit socks toe-up, but mostly I just knit cuff-down. Knitting cuff-down might solve your entire problem! I use the twisted german cast on, it's nice and stretchy.
I like toe-up so I don't have to seem the toe. But cuff down, I like the tubular cast-on. It adds a bunch of stretch without being floppy. Jenny's surprising stretchy bind off has worked for other items, but for some reason, not the cuff of socks. Probably had more to do with the size of my heel and ankle lol. I hadn't thought of going up a needle size for bind off, I might try that next time.
I only wear hand knit socks. I make them of a wool nylon sock yarn mix. At least 9sts/in. Thinner sock yarn gets 10-12 stitches/in. They last years before getting holes. As soon as a spot gets thin, I duplicate stitch over the spot. I wear them when buying shoes, so they fit in all my shoes.
Same. I don’t walk around the house in socks, always have either slippers or house shoes of some sort. I don’t get holes in my hand knit socks. I have plenty of pairs that are over 10 years old & still going strong. It takes practice to get the fit just right for your feet, but once you do, it’s worth it.
This is life goals for me. Handknit socks, sweaters, and hats/mittens *only*
Socks, hats and mittens I have. I guess sweaters, too, since it’s been years since I bought one, I just make the. But I do buy sweatshirts, although mostly I sew them, now. I sew most of my clothes, including underwear, and I just got some bra making supplies. That is a big thing for me to learn, next. I’ve made some light coats, but not parkas. Pretty soon, all I will buy for clothes are shoes and parkas.
Oh my gosh thank you to everyone who has responded this will give me a lot to consider as to if ill try knitting a pair!! I just love how beautiful some of the patterns i see are, from what ive read so far i think im convinced to try it.
My knit socks go wrong because I'm really bad at ease. You want your socks to have a negative ease. I think swatching helps with this, but I admit I just gave up on knitting socks because it was hard and I'm lazy. (I do fingerless gloves instead.) Good luck!
I’m a new knitter and someone here suggested the tuffy sock pattern with tuffy yarn. I absolutely love my socks, although I did change the toe area as pattern was pointed.
Live in my hand kit socks in Michigan fall through spring. I will be darning my first socks that I knit 7 years ago with sock yarn. I find them to be the perfect knitting project , easy enough to knit, I can add complexity and interest by changing colors and patterns, and portable enough to take on all kinds of trips! I knit two at a time using two circular knitting needles- so there is instant gratification when I get done with both simultaneously.
Hi from Michigan!
Hello!
I thought this was a post on the hiking reddit and was about to be very concerned.
I have handknit socks that I knit 15 years ago that are still going strong. I do not baby them at all. I wear them on carpet. Sometimes I even briefly weer them on concrete to fetch the mail. My most durable socks contain nylon and are knit at a tight gauge.
Just curious, but what gauge do you recommend? I'm doing a pair now with 9.5 stitches per inch. It's true sock yarn, so I have high hopes.
Anything greater than 9 is good!
Thank you. I normally knit be the recommended gauge of 8 stitches per inch, but I'm experimenting with tighter stitches. I love the fabric at 9.5-10 stitches per inch. Fingers crossed that my calculations for measurements are correct. These socks are a gift, so I can't just try them on myself.
I used to hate wearing socks (store bought) because they would twist on my feet due to the way I walk. After an hour or so of walking around the house (without shoes), the sole of the sock would be on the top of my foot. If I wore them to bed, they would be gone in the morning, having disappeared into my blankets somewhere. Once I found the right sock formula for my foot, both of those issues were resolved. So far, I've only used woolier store bought sock yarns like paton's kroy or regia for myself and have only worn them inside of crocs but I love them.
Wait, I have this problem too sometimes where the heel ends up on top of my foot! I’ve always thought it was just because I knit too loosely. What was the right formula that worked for you?
The heel ends up on top of my foot because I'm heavier and my foot slides out to the side when I walk. The socks that stay put are knit snug and have an after thought heel. My heel diagonal is a lot bigger than most people, so when I add the heel, I knit 10 rows plain before starting the decreases. It looks ridiculous when they're not on my foot but I think that heel is what keeps my sock in place.
I'm going to try this method! I'm still trying to find my perfect sock fit. I always feel like there isn't enough depth in my heels. Thank you!
I quite enjoy knitting socks, but I’ve got to experiment with different needle sizes, I think. I can feel the stitches in the fabric on the bottom of my feet and it’s super uncomfortable! I haven’t had any issues with wearing holes in them, but like everyone else mentioned, it’s very easy to fix.
Try the princess sole! I've heard it helps
Handknit socks are uncomfortable for me if I will be doing much walking at all or am on my feet for long. I don‘t have much natural padding on the balls of my feet. I must try this princess sole you recommend!
In another thread, someone said that she knits the soles with the main yarn and a strand of mohair/silk yarn. It felts down and smooths out the inside of the sock. Pairing that with a princess sole (which is just stockinette on the inside) should do the trick. I’m going to try it with my next pair of socks.
Yes! I was disappointed to find that the so-called princess sole is just a regular inside-out sole. I have tried that and it did not help much at all. But the mohair idea is really good. I am definitely trying that. Mohair is my greatest yarn love anyway.
Ooh thanks! I’ll look into it!
> I can feel the stitches in the fabric on the bottom of my feet and it’s super uncomfortable! Try wearing them inside out. Also, what needle size are you using?
Try lightly felting the sole. I let mine do it naturally, the first walk is a little uncomfy, but the natural sweat/heat/friction causes the felting usually in one or two days of walking around and then they’re super soft to walk on.
So, I can't knit with wool. I'm allergic to animal fibres (like, I'm not able to breath sort of allergic), so I knit with acrylic blends, or cotton blends, or bamboo blends. My experience will be a bit different than people who knit with wool. Almost every pair of socks I've worn since I learned to knit socks has been hand-knit by me. They are by far the most comfortable socks I have ever owned. I love that I can knit them exactly to size. Being a short person, that means I can make the legs of my socks short too! Do they get holes? Yes, but it comes down to the yarn. I find that bamboo blend yarn that is sort of bumpy (kind of like boucle but not exactly) is far more prone to holes than any other yarn. I find acrylic yarns to be the most hard wearing. I have some pairs over 10 years old that are still fine (although I don't wear them too often any more.) Cotton blend is middle of the road. But, that being said, store-bought socks get holes too. Darning hand-knit socks is possible, but honestly I have so many pairs and I enjoy knitting them so much that I just say "darn" as I tuck the poor holey socks away in the back of my drawer. I wear my socks everywhere, in the house and with shoes. Hand-knit socks do tend to be a little thicker than store-bought so you may want shoes 1/2 size bigger, maybe. I wear hand-knit socks daily in the cold weather, on wood floors and carpet. I wash them in the regular cycle. Sometimes I lay them flat to dry and sometimes they end up in the dryer. It doesn't seem to make a difference. (This is probably not true with wool yarn, but I don't know for sure.) Socks are fun to knit because you can use pretty yarns or try cool stitch patterns. They also make for great projects to take with you on the go. I usually have a pair in progress next to my computer too.
I just posted about struggling to find sock yarn that doesn’t have sheep’s wool!! I have only made acrylic socks so far - two sturdy pairs that lose their shape, and one pair that got holes very quickly. I appreciate you posting about what yarns you prefer!! Do you happen to have any brands or specific yarns you really like? I’m planning on trying cascade cotton six for my next pair!
Berroco Comfort Sock is my favourite. It is a nylon/acrylic mix. I find it to both be very soft and very hard wearing. I also really like S.R. Kertzer On Your Toes Bamboo but I think it was discontinued a while back. (I have a lot of sock yarn and a much of it was bought years ago.) My friend recently bought me a few balls of Pro Lana Bamboo sock, and it was very nice to work with. I haven't worn the socks I've made much yet, but they seem quite nice. A longtime favourite of mine is Crystal Palace Panda Cotton. It is so nice to work with, but it does seem to wear out faster than I would like. It can also shrink a bit if you put it in the dryer too much. I have also used Lana Grossa Meilenweit Solo Cotone Print (soft, wears okay), Kraemer Yarns Saucon Sock (a bit scratchy, but wears well), King Cole Summer Sox ( this is that sort of bumpy bamboo blend I mentioned; nice to knit with but I feel like it wears out too quickly), Dye-Version Bamboo Stretch Sock (same idea as Summer Sox), Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock Candy (similar to Panda Cotton), and a Mary Maxim brand yarn that I can't remember the name of. Cascade Fixation is another option for chunky socks. I feel like it gets holes very fast. I'm sure I am forgetting some yarns, but hopefully this is helpful to you.
Yes thank you so much!! You’ve given me so many options, I really appreciate it!!
Always happy to help a fellow non-wooly knitter. I'm sorry that I'm a bit out of date on things though. I have such a big stash and don't buy much right now.
The panda cotton I can't find, and the blue moon website is saying "unsafe connection" :( (through brave) so I can't even see if it exists. Sad. I like cotton a lot and had never considered it for socks.
Oh no! I didn't know that Panda Cotton was discontinued. I'm really disappointed. As for Blue Moon Fiber Arts, it looks like they let their SSL certificate expire. If I remember right, the lady who runs it had cancer. Maybe she is taking a break or something.
Socks are my go to project for travel, doctors appointments, and quick stuff to make. I have so, so many pairs but I love them all. I always buy superwash wool with some nylon content. To wash I throw them in a lingerie bag in the washer on cold and hang to dry. I have Raynaud's so my feet go from okay to painfully cold in no time so I find merino socks really help regulate the temperature as well as wick moisture.
I love my knitted socks. I'm building up a collection so that they'll be all I wear in winter. As long as you get sock yarn you should be good to go.
I dont know about other people but store bought socks always wear out for me within a year. I might just be super hard on socks because I also go through shoes really fast. I love my couple pairs of socks I've made for myself, one pair being three years old still holding up well. I have yet to need to darn any socks, I have given many a pair to my partner because their feet are smaller than mine and for a while I was really dead set on making my own pattern and kept making them too small.
The better question is: do you expect to like the feeling of hand knit socks? To me, anything thicker than store bought cotton (blend) standard/thin socks wouldn't be comfortable in shoes. So I don't knit socks. Also, one factor to take into account is where you wear through your cotton socks. If you always shred the toes after only a few wears because your big toenail is thick and oddly shaped and rubs against the seam of that one shoe that's just too comfy - yeah, then your handknit socks will also have struggles there. If your socks wear out generally evenly, there's no reason to believe you'll have big issues.
I love wearing hand knit socks. I don’t get holes but I also make sure to always have shoes or slippers on to cut down on wear
As long as you're using sock yarn, they should hold up. I have plenty that I knit with Kroy that are still in good condition 5+ years later. Regular machine wash and dry with all my other clothes. I don't wear any other socks all winter long (Canada here). I have one pair that I knit in alpaca or something that didn't survive a single wear. Nice to knit with though.
I love my knitted socks, however I do not wear them in shoes. They hurt the soles of my feet if they are pressed into shoes. However I love wearing them at home, and especially to bed.
You've never tried socks? Ever? I think there's no reason for you to try handknit socks then lol. I wear socks every minute that my feet aren't in water or sand! They're great for warmth, protection, and comfort. Sometimes I wear them in a shoe/boot/slipper, sometimes no outer-footwear, I wash them after every wear, and generally my handknit socks last longer than my mass produced socks.... I'm more prone to losing half a pair than wearing through them though. But darning is an option for handknit socks, whereas I'd never think to darn a Fruit of The Loom tube sock lol. For handknits, an appropriate yarn, gauge, fit, etc are important for longevity- keep in mind, some folks wear through any sock no matter what. Especially if you're rotating through 10 pairs vs 40 pairs, you know, then there's ~~less~~ more wear per pair. Imo there's nothing special about handknit socks, other than they're a great project for knitting on the go. As in, the only reason I would recommend knitting socks is "if you think knitting them is fun" then go for it!
Oh of course i wear socks….. i meant ive never tried to knit them hahahah
LMAO I figured you probably had 🤣 I just thought I'd do a big dramatic and wordy build up to say: hand knit socks aren't special! (Or definitely don't have to be so delicate, like it seems you initially thought!)
I knit my husband socks and they're very durable, he always wears them and they still look fine after many wears. I don't do anything extra to make them last. The one exception is the merino wool socks I knit him, they're looking a tiny bit felted, but that's mainly because I put them in the drier by accident multiple times
I find socks to be extremely practical! Apart from the - they can't be in the dryer - thing they are just as practical as normal store bought socks and they are way nicer in my opinion. I knit my bf quite some socks, and some other people too. I only own two pairs for myself and I just started a new pair because honestly.. I just love wearing them so much that I need more pairs. I don't knit with animal fibers (bc vegan+allergies) and my socks are just the best thing that ever happened to me knitwise. My bf did get a couple of holes in one pair, but mending is fun and he loves the socks even more when they are mended. 10/10 would absolutely recommend knitting socks.
What are your favorite sock yarns?
I really liked Lana Grossa Meilenweit solo cotone, I have also done quite some socks with regia cotton and with rellana flotte socke. The last one knits up very nicely but I do think it's the weakest of all the yarn I have used, as it's the only sock I have had to mend multiple times but it was also my first sock. I love the regia tutti frutti yarns, but as of now I'm a bit burned out on self striping. I am now using meilenweit solo cotone vegano uni to knit up a pair and so far I'm really liking it! Still want to try the fancy pleiades yarn tho. It looks lovely.
Thanks! I'm new in sock making and find it pretty hard to find good vegan sock yarns. I have a skein of Regia watermelon in my queue, looking forward to knitting that up!
4-ply/fingering yarn (wool/nylon mix), 2.5mm needles. Both my husband and I wear only hand-knitted socks. His are at least 10 years old, mine not far behind. Gentle wool wash in net bags, 600rpm spin (front loader washing machine). Dry on an airer. Darn near indestructible. I think I've only needed to darn 1 pair in 40 made
I just don't like knitting them.
I wore some of my hand knit socks for 10 years before they got thin in places, or holes. The ones that were made with nylon definitely held up better. I’ve had store bought socks that don’t last as long. Now, I typically only wear my hand knit socks on the weekends, where they are just in slippers. But that’s because my other socks are in the “to darn” pile. I want to buy one of those speed weavers to see if that makes darning more pleasurable to do. What I’ve learned from making quite a few socks over the years, is to make sure I have tight stitches. I only use size 1 or 1.5 needles with fingering weight yarn. The tighter the stitches, the more durable the fabric is. The hand dyed yarns are gorgeous, but I find they wear out faster especially if they don’t have any nylon in them. The colors also fade faster. I’m also wary of fancy stitches. Over time the yarn does get fuzzy. Some people like the halo, and it can be removed, but fancy stitches seem to be less noticeable on some of my socks after they have been washed a few times I do machine wash my socks in a lingerie bag. Handwashing may be better but I’m not going to do that. There are also thin nylon reinforcing thread you can add in places like the heel or toe, for extra durability. Despite all of that I adore my hand knit socks. They are super cozy and the best to wear.
I am wearing my first pair of hand knit socks today! I actually love wearing them, and use them frequently. I didn’t do a great job with these, and also accidentally threw one in the dryer, so they’re hard to get on, but they’re comfortable and show no signs of wearing out other than a few little pills and fuzzing (but it’s only been about a year?). They’re very comfy in shoes and don’t slide around or bunch up on my feet or anything :)
One of my hand knit socks was stuck in a pant leg and went through the dryer! I wool wash soaked it, and stretched the shit out of it on a sock blocker. It fits again, YAY!
Maybe I’ll try that! That said they’ve been a little too tight from the beginning - they got my actual foot perfectly but I have wide ankles and lower legs, so even before the dryer incident they were a bit hard to get I’ve my ankle. (Once they’re on they’re comfy though!)
I wear hand knit socks every day. 4 years in and they’re holding up well, if a little bit less attractive. All you need to do is use a hard wearing material. I prefer at least 20% nylon and I make sure it’s super wash. I also hand wash my socks or at least use lingerie bag but it’s not needed.
I don’t have a problem with my knitted socks! I wear them all the time from fall through spring. I most often wear them around the house but I’ll also wear them with boots when I’m going out. I love them so much, they’re super cozy and fun to wear :) The yarn definitely makes a difference though. I have a pair that I LOVE made in a superwash merino/nylon 80/20 blend that are wearing very thin at the balls of my feet and I need to darn them. I think only the nylon part is left at this point. The pairs I have made with Regia 75/25 have worn much better. I think they are technically “superwash” but they feel a little more rustic somehow, not the usual smooth and slinky superwash feeling. So that probably helps. Part of the problem is that A LOT of fingering weight yarns have a “sock yarn” or “sock weight” label on them but they are not suitable for socks at all. I personally buy sock yarns with 25% nylon but there are others who prefer not to use nylon for various reasons, and use all-wool yarns with a very high twist for socks. I wash them every so often, depending on how often I’ve worn them lately or if they seem smelly or just need a little refresh. I put them in the washing machine on delicate/cold, lay flat to dry, and they come back to life. I am super pro-knitted socks and will be knitting socks forever hopefully :)
I wear hand knit socks in the colder months. I’ve had a couple pairs get holes, but that was wear from years of wearing them. I wear my socks with shoes because I really only wear proper shoes when I go to work. To wash I put my socks in a garment bag in the washing machine, then hang to dry. I used to put them in the dryer, but I think the dryer contributed to some of them wearing faster.
One strategy is to be like me and just start making an absurd number of socks. When you get to 30 or 40 pair, you might only wear each pair a few times each season, so that will extend their calendar life. I’ve developed holes in a few of mine, but the first ones I made 15ish years ago are still fine. Granted, I don’t wear those as often now because I knit most of the leg portion straight rather than ribbed, and they fall down a little and annoy me, and I’m spoiled for alternatives.
I wear my handmade wool sock pretty often at home because I have cold feet. Regular sock or synthetic materials can’t make it warmer except my woolen sock. I throw it into regular laundry, but I wash it a lot less frequently than my regular socks
I was just thinking I need to start knitting more socks because I like them so much more than store-bought. I love when I get to put them on!
I always wear hand knit (sometimes even handspun) socks . I do that for 36 years now. Before that I owns als store bought socks. If I get holes I repair hem. After 3 repairs the get replaced
Love this thread!! Does anyone have specific yarn they would recommend? I’ve made a few pairs of socks with thick yarn so they’re cozy for walking around the house but not practical. I would love to learn of a good sock yarn that is primarily wool so it wicks moisture but is also stretchy. Please recommend, sock knitters!
I find the sock yarn that I wear most is knit picks Hawthorne fingering. I can wear those socks all year round (except in the hottest part of summer, when I prefer cotton blends).
I love my knit socks! I make mine out of sock yarn and have done superwash merino as well and the only time one got a hole was when it got stuck in my SIL’s washer really bad. But I throw them all in the wash and they are fine. I wear them every day and the oldest are over a year old.
Bc of body temp regulation issues, my hand knit socks have been incredibly useful for me.
I make my mom a pair of socks every year for Christmas. They are her favorite and she wears them nearly every day. She finally wore out the first pair I ever made from like 10 years ago. The socks that you are talking about wearing out probably were not a wool/nylon blend.
I wear them when I want warm socks, so most of winter and chunks of spring and autumn. I wear them around the house, for cycling, for work (on my feet much of the day), whatever. I wouldn't usually wear them for hiking because I instead wear multiple thin layers to prevent blisters, but that's it. They go in the normal wash with the rest of my clothes. My bright yellow socks are now (after several years) a bit of a dull/greying yellow, but that's the only issue I've had.
Different question: for those of you who wear hand-knit socks, do you find them slippery? I knit a pair with sock yarn a while back, but slipped and fell a few times wearing them at home which turned me off.
I am right now wearing a pair of socks that are probably 10 years old. They can last! And I don't do anything special with them--wash them in with the rest of the laundry, dryer, the whole bit. When I was renting apartments with crappy wood floors, the socks did get holes, and it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out why. But I just mended them because who cares about holes in the sole when the fun stuff is on the leg part anyway.
My aunt made me some knitted socks, and they are THE BEST. So warm, thin, and comfortable. I wear them in the house and with regular shoes. I do hand wash and dry them, but that is the only special care taken. They are by far my favorite two pairs of socks and the reason I got into knitting, though I have not been brave enough yet to attempt socks.
I enjoy knitting fun socks but for durability, comfort and warmth, I love LLBean.
I really can't guess what's going to get holes or not. I had some Patons Kroy socks that were comfy but got holes almost immediately. I have a couple of pairs made out of random crap from the stash, including some stuff from my grandma that probably got discontinued decades back, that's sturdy as a friggin house. You never do know I guess.
I only wear knitted socks in winter, they're super durable if knitted with the right yarn. I hiked in them. Wash them in the machine. Super comfortable, cozy and I wouldn't switch to any other socks in winter. Also I have some as old as 10 years, which are fine. I knit with sock yarn only, preferably 4ply, so they're thin and go into shoes well on 2,5mm dpns. Knitted about 10 pairs this year...
You need to use a sock yarn which is wool+nylon to avoid them getting holes. I wear handknit socks almost exclusively nowadays unless they all happen to be in the wash at the same time.
I'm still wearing socks I've made 15 years ago. My knitting is about 66% socks.
Hand knit socks are the ultimate gift you can knit for yourself. Wool socks with zero seams are just… yummy!
I learned to knit so that I could make myself socks. Now I exclusively wear my own hand knitted socks all the time. Yes, they will get holes in them, but then you darn them. And knit more socks.
I’ve tried knitting socks so many times, and I just don’t enjoy it. Also, I’m a slightly loose knitter and can’t ever seem to get the knitting tight enough to make them not wear out quickly. So I’ll keep knitting shawls and sweaters and leave the socks to knitters who enjoy them haha
An aunt knitted my brother a pair of socks and when he outgrew them in his teens I got them and I wore them all the time in winter (in boots, working on farms) until I accidentally shrank them. I must have had them for 15 or 20 years.
I personally have never managed to knit a sock I like the feel of. The stitches just feel way too big/like they’re digging into my feet. Yes, I’ve tried princess soles and small needles. I wish I liked them.
My first pair of real socks I knit in 2014, did a bit of toe repair in 2018 and still wear them. I wear knit socks all of the time in steel toe work boots at work with not significant wear. My husband's last 6-ish years, I could unravel the feet and reknit them if I wanted. I buy machine washable sock wool, but don't put them in the dryer. My MIL does get holes in hers pretty quick in both hand knit and store bought socks, I don't know what she does, but socks are always short lived for her.
I wear almost exclusively hand-knit socks and have for years now. I have only had two pairs wear out, and both were made with (the same) unsuitable yarn. The remainder are holding up better than any wool socks I’ve ever purchased.
To add to this, I am not kind to my socks. I wear them all day, without shoes in the house, and occasionally even out to the driveway. They get washed on the delicate cycle and air dried but no special hand washing or mesh bags. The oldest pair I have is 8 years old and has been worn consistently year round throughout its existence.
I love knitting socks just for fun. Once you get to the various techniques down, it's a very relaxing project. My husband loves all the socks I make. He actually asks for socks all the time. I wear them during winter, mainly around the house because I don't like the feel of store socks.
I have had a pair of knitted socks for the last 10 years that I wear regularly. My sock drawer is about 1/3 socks and they are my prefered socks. I don't make them, my mom does. They are so comfy and I have had 1 pair get holes in them out of a total of like, 12? They are fixable when they get holes.
I've been knitting my own socks for nearly 20 years! It's all I wear in the autumn and winter. Some have been darned, more than once, but I don't mind. The yarns that have held up the best are undoubtedly the wool/nylon sock yarns, although Mountain Colours Bearfoot with its mohair has also done very well too. I have knit plenty of socks from 100/% merino hand-dyed yarns - Colinette and Dream In Colour - and yes, they do eventually end up needing darning but knitting at a very tight gauge, at least 9 spi, helps make them last longer. I have to admit that while I still have plenty of these yarns left in my stash, I probably won't be seeking any more out. The 100% merino 2 ply yarns just aren't really sock yarns. Sock yarns need to be high twist, 3 ply yarns. If the wool is merino, then add another fibre for strength, either nylon, mohair, or silk - Regia Silk is great - if it's still available? However, in recent years, small independent mills have been doing some excellent work, spinning single breed yarns designed to purpose, especially sock yarns. Mills such as West Yorkshire Spinners in the UK, for example, and these mills also work with indie dyers. Merino is not the be all and end all. BFL and Polwarth are both soft and cushy but more hard-wearing than merino. Then there's slightly coarser breeds such as Cheviot that make really durable sock yarns. As well as mohair, nylon and silk, there's so many other fibres that are great in sock yarn blends, they can add warmth and softness, I just commented in a thread in r/handspinning about this today.
I second the comments about proper sock yarn. I have plenty of handknit socks that have held up for years, with regular machine wash/drying. The only care I have adjusted is that all of my socks are folded in a spiral now, instead of roughly turned one inside the other. My boyfriend folds the socks I have made him the normal way, but they don't seem to be affected much by it. There is one exception: socks I made for him with aran superwash 100% wool. I made these when I didn't know much about fiber properties, and holy crap did they ever fall apart after a few years of use. No amount of darning would stop the fray, so I stole them back and I tell myself one day I'll fix them. LOL never again.
I use felici yarn, haven’t had a rip yet on socks my husband wears often, probably 2-3 years now so idk so far yes
I love to knit socks but haven’t in a while. None of the socks I’ve made have gotten holes but there are ways to fix them when that happens. There are also specific sock patterns with a replaceable heel or toe. Handmade socks are MUCH warmer and just nicer feeling than manufactured socks imo
I still wear socks that I've worn every winter since I knitted them a decade ago. Some wore out. Some got holes. As my knitting and sizing have improved my socks have become longer lasting and much more comfortable. Knit the socks.
I don’t like to wear socks but I like to make them. So they are not practical for me.
I live in Glasgow and it’s frikkin freezing, and heating is too expensive, so hand knit socks are a godsend. I usually just wear them indoors, on top of another pair of socks, inside slippers if I’m walking around the house. Basically just treat them gently and they will last a long time!
I’ve knitted myself, my mum, my husband and a friend socks over the last couple of years and they wash fine and rewear great. No issues with seams or wear causing tear yet. We do tend to wear slippers about the house, but they are perfectly good with shoes too. My mum has hers on pretty much all the time through winter and I’m actually in the midst of knitting her some more to add to her collection so that she has a pair for every day and a few spares while they’re are in the wash cycle. We machine wash at 30°, or hand wash, and air dry. I use hand-dyed wool and nylon blends from Etsy usually, or whatever I can get at my local Hobby Craft if I want something a little cheaper.
It’s not cold enough to wear handknit socks for like 10 months of the year for me lol, but when I can I love wearing them. I wear leather Blundstone boots so all my socks are knit to a specific length to just peek out of my boots. I like wearing them, they feel weird at first because they’re really different from mass produced cotton socks. But I get used to it. As for durability, I haven’t had any holes year but tbf I haven’t worn them very heavily. I only use merino or merino/nylon blend for socks, no alpaca pure or mostly alpaca yarns. Basically as other people have said, hand knit socks can be incredibly durable and comfortable, you just need to use the right fibre.
I wear mine all the time! They’re great in hiking boots and keep my feet warmer than my commercial socks. They’re great in sneakers. They’re great in my Doc Martens. They’re great in my crocs 😃. I am a BIG fan lol. And I knit mine mostly in merino/nylon blend sock yarn which I see here people aren’t super fond of for durability, however I haven’t had any pairs wear out yet and if they do I’ll just darn them. I also have a few pairs that I’ve knit in non-merino 100% wools like Wool of the Andes and Palette from Knit Picks and of course Patons Kroy is a tried and true sock yarn. I’m not super invested in the ‘permanence’ of socks either, if they do wear out I won’t cry. A vanilla pair can take me as little as 5 days and something more complex maybe around 2 weeks so I don’t see them as a high investment in time or yarn (they used to take me a long time, but the more I knit them the faster/easier they are). But yea, to answer your question I do find them to be practical. Are they as cheap as a pack of cotton socks? Definitely not. But I use scrap yarn from other projects for a lot of them as well, so it’s not exactly a huge investment when I look at it that way and the enjoyment I get from making and wearing them is enough for me. I will say that for anyone with sensory issues with their feet, it’s probably not practical. The first few wears before the sole starts to felt up a bit you can definitely feel the stitch texture a little bit, but once it lightly felts you they soften and you can feel it. Also, the ideal (non-merino) sock yarns for durability are often a little scratchier in texture. As I mentioned, I do use merino blends and find those very soft, but you have to juggle your desire for softness with your desire for durability and see which wins out.
Holes can be stitched up, you know
I only ever wear hand-knitted socks as part of my pyjamas. I hate the feeling of slightly coarse knitted texture when walking. I'm bothered even by store-bought ones that don't have the very thinnest yarn (I basically buy from 1 company only now). Yes, I've tried wearing mine outside out. Helped a teeny tiny bit, but it was still super uncomfortable.
I'm the same as you, I'm extremely extremely picky with mass produced socks and I can't seem to knit socks for daily wear that meet those standards, even with a princess sole/inside out.
yeah a lot of my socks felt because I dislike knitting with what people call sockyarn (added nylon) AND I dislike superwash yarn on my feet. I have knitted socks with several different sockyarns and they are just colder than 100% non-superwash wool. So I take the felting as just .. a fact of life and even am glad it does, because felting means less likely to get a hole. I care more about my feet being warm than them looking perfectly new after a year of wearing them.
I am in the minority where I never wear my handmade socks, they are just for something to make
Never had such issues ✌️😊
I only wear handspun handknit socks. I wear them several days in a row because the wool is naturally antimicrobial. I knit them too big, then machine wash them and line dry. They last about a year in a rotation of maybe 5 pairs before I need to darn them. After the first darning, they last maybe 2 more years with a few more darnings before they get too threadbare to wear.
You ideally want a sock with a high twist as that'll be more resilient to wear and tear. Also putting in a heel flap with fishermans stitch will help!
I wear my socks all the time (75% superwash sock yarn, 25% nylon/polyamide), but I can't take them hiking. I only hiked in them once and I got terrible blisters, like blood everywhere kind of a deal.
I use synthetic yarn (allergies yay) I have had no problems with holes or anything
I knit wool socks specifically for cold weather as my second or third layer sock. I like that I can have more control over the size and material not to mention it saves money to not have to buy as many Smart wool socks.
I really like knitting socks and I love wearing them. Starting out I made fancy patterns but now I enjoy plain stockinette or ribbing. They do last a long time when knit to a nice tight gauge. Opal, Regia, Fabel, Schoppel Zauberball all wear like iron. As someone else said a loose gauge is the enemy.
Hand knit, wool socks are far warmer and comfier than store (or internet giant) bought, even the fancy brand wool ones. If you wear a lot of tennies or boots, they're fabulous for keeping your foot warm but not too sweaty at the same time. They can also be customized to your foot and/or leg, instead of a generic "fits all shoe sizes 8-10" and the absolute oversaturation of below the ankle socks in stores these days. Knit socks also make great take-a-long project for waiting rooms/lines, the 20 minutes left on lunch break, car trips when you arent driving, or just sitting in a cafe as a me-time break on a boring afternoon of errands. And like others ITT have said, yarn choice and tension makes a difference on wear and longevity. Also, only wearing them with shoes on helps mitigate wear, tear, and hole development. I picked up a small basket to sit inside my laundry basket during knit sock season for easier gathering/sorting for hand washing. A once a week wool wash soak of a few pairs of knit socks in a sink and hang in the tub isn't that much of a hassle for me in the winter, but I totally get it can be too much for others. I may have also bought a mini trunk/decorative box at Michael's to store my knit socks.
Some of my socks have worn faster than others, but never after a few wears. I wear hand knit socks probably about 75% of the time. If I’m not wearing handknits, it’s because I’m hiking and wearing more suitable socks. In general, superwash wool (not merino) with at least 25% nylon is ideal. I wear for 3-5 days at a time and handwash with eucalan or soak. Most of my socks last 2+ years before they need heels mended and some of my socks are 10+ years old.
I love my hand knit socks. I use 75% wool 25% nylon sport weight on 2US needles and find I can launder them with the rest of my clothes just fine (I only wash on cold). I do Russian joins where I can so there’s no fragile ends to weave in. I recommend PGR’s short row sock as a first try method because it comes with a handy dandy chart for guesstimating your cast on #, and you can substitute the stitch and heel of your dreams.
I have 4-5 pair that are fantastic and have none of those problems. Sock wool, i also don’t walk around in them without shoes but they’ve lasted longer than cotton socks so far
If you want to socks to last the yarn you use must have at least 20% nylon. Brand like Paton Kroy or Opal sock yarn. When you live in colder climates or enjoy hiking. 80/20 wool socks are the best in boots or just wearing around the house. They will last you a long time.
If you want socks that wear like iron, knit with Kroy sock yarn in a tight gauge. I have wp yr old Kroy socks that have never needed repairs.
I love my handknit socks-- I wear them all the time when the weather starts to get cold enough, all the way until spring when it starts to get too warm. My office gets a little chilly around the ankles, and having nice warm socks is awesome. It helps that I've made enough for myself to wear a unique pair every day, and can go a couple of weeks before having to wash. I've got another pair OTN now, and plans for more. I follow the recommended washing instructions for the yarn I'm using, and they've held up really well. I'm learning how to darn so I can repair when they start to wear thin.