sock yarn

 I love knitting socks and so was initially enthralled with the idea of spinning to later join in with one of Liesl's future monthly sock challenges. After doing a little research, I realised that sock yarn needs to be not only strong, smooth and elastic but also very sturdy - sturdy enough to withstand the abrasion caused by the rubbing motion of foot and shoe. Whilst I could easily knit the sock cuff out of any yarn, the foot portion would need to be spun from a good worsted yarn. Worsted yarn has all the attributes that a sock yarn needs: it's smooth, resilient and very, very strong. It also resists felting, which is a real plus as sometimes my feet get wet whilst out walking!

So for now, sock yarn is beyond me. I possess neither the tools (a reasonable set of wool combs) or the skills (worsted draw) to easily make a worsted yarn. However, I'll be filing that idea away for a future project...

I'm hoping that sometime next year I'll produce some sock weight yarn strong enough to withstand the inevitable wear that comes with a pair of socks. But for now, I'm happy to use up some yarn that I've had in my yarn stash since I was in my final year of university.