My husband has FINALLY asked for a hand knit!! Insert squeal of glee here….
He has asked for a pair of hand knit socks! Never mind his size 12 man feet. I like kooky colors and sparkles and I don’t mind a bit of scratch just as long as they are warm. Now the husband on the other hand doesn’t do scratchy. So here lies my conundrum, what yarn to knit with? I have nothing in my stash that is appropriate.
So I’m asking the blogosphere for input. I need a sock yarn that is sturdy yet soft and that comes in man approved colors. What do you guys use??
Ps. I’m also on a budget so I need a yarn that won’t break the bank…
My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures 
I always think you cant beat opal or regia. My husband has a pair of handknits in a dull grey varigated regia yarn that are about 4 years old and still goigg strong deapite repeated machine washings.
A good sock yarn is Patons Kroy Socks. It’s pretty cheap (you can find it at Micheals), it comes in some nice colors, and it’s soft!
Hope this helps š
I sock yarn I think is good is Patons Kroy Socks. It’s pretty cheap (you can find it at Micheals), it comes in nice colors, and it’s soft!
Hope this helps š
I use King Cole zig zag. There’s a nice Khaki colorway if he likes greens. š
I recently knitted with Lang Yarns Jawoll yarn and it is really good, comes with a reinforcing thread and is well prices. Plenty of manly colours too š
I agree with the Opal or Regia. You can also buy coordinating color elastic yarn to use in heels and toes to reinforce or do after thought heel to make them easy to remove and reknit.
For my husband’s socks I also prefer Opal (even over Regia or Lang Jawoll). They have solid colorways but also patterned yarn that is appropriate for non-adventurous men. When I first used it, I thought it’s not as soft as I would like it, but it did soften up after washing.
Any of the above which I was about to suggest š
Congratulations. It always feels good when your loved ones courage your yarn addiction. I wish I knew anything about socks. I hope you find a really good yarn for this project. Good luck. š
What they said and, if you can afford it, Spud and Chloe. Anything knitted with Spud and Chloe is amazing. I also like Jitterbug and Fiesta Sock.
the thick Opal sock wools are great for man feet – I am using the Opal X 8ply (DK weight) for a pair of Thujas for my husband right now, and you can crank out a pair of those within a week without trying hard! He has some Opal 6ply (sport weight?) socks I made him before (Thujas again) which he loves – nice and thick to be cushiony inside his work boots. Again a thicker yarn made the socks go so much faster!
All of the above yarns, but also anything from Knit Picks, if you happen to order from them!
Love this yarn ! Lang Yarns Jawoll is really nice http://goo.gl/vI0UTG
I also love the colors of Jawoll Magic http://goo.gl/zHT4tT
I personally love Stroll Tonal from Knit Picks. Knits well, washes well, wears well, nice colors. There is even a brown if that’s his thing.
Wow, I have never used Opal OR Regia. Apparently I am really missing out! If you want soft and sturdy on a budget, Knit Picks’ Stroll is a pretty safe bet.
I love JaWool. Comes with it’s own reinforcing thread. And to add that splash of color, I make my husband’s toes a bright pink or something fun. They are in the shoes after all! Be careful though, as my husband now only wears hand knit socks.
Great question! Feels like I just got a crash course in sock yarn š ā„ ā¤
I made socks for pretty much everyone in my family this year. I used Patons Kroy Sock yarn for most of the family but used Cascade Heritage Sock Yarn for my Dad. No contest – the Cascade yarn was incredibly soft š
Soft doesn’t always hold up, but then you get to knit him another pair. Heritage sock seems to hold up ok, the Opal and Regia are very hardwearing.
I’ve got a pair of socks out of Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere in a nice grey, and I’m sure they’ve got some other good neutrals.
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/KettleAndString/by-the-seine-river
It’s SUPER soft, super warm, and has survived a trip through the washer and dryer (although I did that because they got good and loose, so I kinda wanted them to shrink a bit, I wouldn’t recommend a weekly wash).