Is Lion Brand 1878 wool yarn good for socks?
I picked up a LB cone of Lion brand 1878 wool to experiment on with Kool-aid dyeing. Its a sock weight and 100% virgin wool. I meant to use the finished product to crochet some socks, but everywhere I look it seems that wool mixed with nylon is the preferred sock yarn. Will 100% wool really wear out too quick? If so what else can I make with this yarn?
Did you dye your yarn in hot water with agitation? In that case, it’s already shrunk somewhat.
Sock yarns are usually *superwash*, meaning that they have been treated to go through a washer and (perhaps) dryer without shrinking or felting.
Sock yarns usually contain 25% nylon, meaning that the nylon will enhance the wear at the heels, toes, and ball of foot to make them last longer.
Okay, you’ve already put the yarn through the dyeing process, which should improve its washability. You can add your own nylon thread at the wear points. What some people do is use a clear nylon monofilament sewing thread as a carry-along thread when knitting the heel flaps and turning pocket and when knitting from the ball of the foot through the toes.
If you love the yarn, there’s no reason you can’t make socks. You’d probably want to give them regular wool care–wash in a wool wash such as Eucalan with *no* agitation, dry flat and block (or dry on sock stretchers).
I usually wear my wool socks more than once unless they get wet while I’m wearing them. Then I soak in wool wash in tepid water, drain, press out as much water as I can (DO NOT wring knitted wool!), rinse one time in tepid water (I know the wool wash says it does not need to be rinsed out, but I rinse it once anyway), press out as much water as I can, and then wrap in a dry bath towel to press out as much more water as I can. Then dry flat. I don’t have any sock stretchers, but I wish I did.
How To Use A Cone Winder & Wool Winder
