I love my wool socks! Even in the summer, even in Texas, if I was wearing shoes that needed socks, mostly I wore my wool socks. To me, they were cooler than nylon type socks and feel a lot better on my feet.
I’ve been knitting socks now for about 14 years. Some years I knit 10 or 12 pair, some years (like 2020), I don’t knit any socks. In the Texas house, I kept all my socks in a drawer type thing in a bathroom closet and I didn’t realize how many pairs I had til it took three drawers in my dresser in MO to hold them all. I’ve given away a lot of socks through the years too so not every pair I’ve made is here.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll share some of them with you as I pull them out to wear them.
Most of my socks are plain Jane stockinette, mindless knitting socks. I won’t remember what all the yarns are without looking it up, which I probably won’t do.
These are plain Jane socks. This yarn is one of the Opal varieties. Opal is a machine made, mass produced (vs. craftsy type dyer) yarn from Germany. Opal isn’t scratchy by any means but not as soft and luxurious feeling as some sock yarns. I’ve found that socks made from Opal yarns last forever! These socks were made in 2007. That’s 13 years ago and these are some that I wear a lot because I know they can handle the wear and tear.
This yarn can be machine washed. I don’t but Nicole does so a lot of Addie’s socks are made using Opal yarn. Simply Sock Yarn usually has a good selection of Opal yarns and that’s where I buy all the Opal yarns I have.
The pattern I used is Classic Socks for the Family, which is the pattern I’ve used for the majority of the socks I made, including my very first pair of socks. I’ve adapted it a bit, now do two at a time on circular needles but this is a great pattern and includes sizes for babies, children and adults, as well as for fingering, sport and worsted weights. Can’t do much better than that for $5.50.
Paula Nordt says
I love those socks! Makes me wish I could knit. I’ve tried, but I get things so backwards!
Judy Laquidara says
You know what I’m going to say. If others can do it, you can too. It all depends on how much effort you want to put into it. Once you get it, I promise you’ll wonder what was so hard! I was talking to a friend about tatting the other day and telling her how much I want to do it. She said “No you don’t because if you really wanted to do it, you would do it” so I accepted that I want to do it but there are too many other things I want to do.
Paula Nordt says
That is true! I am currently taking a free motion quilting class with HollyAnne Knight. That, substituting, fishing, and my flowerbeds are priorities that take up my time.
Judy Domke says
I put on my first knit socks of the season this morning when we had to go to town. I’m mostly barefoot in the house. I was thinking when I started knitting socks and it is right after you started. Because I wanted to learn so bad and because of you, I did! I thank you quite often when I’m knitting. I have lots of fabulous socks so Thank You again.
Judy Laquidara says
I used to go barefooted in the house but the grass burrs would get tracked in and they were on the wood floors, the tile floor, the floors with rugs . . they were everywhere so I got in the habit of putting on shoes as I got out of bed in the mornings. Sometimes it was flip flops but anything else, I wore socks. I think I’ll get back in the habit of going barefooted now that I’ve left those grass burrs behind (I hope).
Rebecca says
That’s a thing to look forward to! One of those simple things that can make us happy.
Nelle Coursey says
I love your socks and I have worn the heck out of the ones I made for me!! Pat loves his also!!
JustGail says
I tried several times to learn to knit. I think my first efforts were foiled by materials selection – cheap acrylic yarn and aluminum needles. Waaay too slippery for me. I could concentrate on keeping yarn on the needles OR learning the stitches, not both. Then I tried some wool yarn and bamboo needles – wow what a difference! I did manage to make a couple simple garter stitch scarves, but never got back to trying anything more advanced. I think it’s time to dig out the book and some yarn again.
Thanks for the sock yarn recommendation, the shop where I bought needlework supplies and yarn (yes – I bought yarn even though I don’t really knit) closed up last December.
Judy Laquidara says
Yes! I think too many, myself included, feel like we have to start with the least expensive yarn and needles we can find “in case we can’t do it” and we set ourselves up to fail. That’s why, when someone I know really wants to learn to knit, I share a skein of yarn with them and loan them a set of needles.
I wish everyone would realize that no matter how proficient we seem to be at knitting NOW, we were once struggling, wishing for a third hand, holding yarn in our mouth and needles with our knees trying to get it right. It’s part of the learning to walk before you can run process and too many give up before they get it right.
Anne says
Thanks to you Judy, I knit socks. I love my socks and have knit way more than 100 pairs of socks in the last few years!!
When my friends ask me what they need to knit socks, I tell them to buy the best yarn and needles that they can afford. I believe starting with the cheapest supplies is setting up people to fail. I also tell them if they do that and hate it, I’ll buy the yarn and needles from them….and I haven’t had to do that yet! 🙂
Love your socks Judy, and thanks for the encouragement to knit them. I live in Arizona and wear my hand knit wool socks 365 days a year! (we have goat heads here too!!!)
Judy Laquidara says
Thanks for those kind words. It’s always nice to hear a success story.