Many years ago when I started selling hand-dyed yarn, I made the decision to use the word “sock” in the names of all of my fingering-weight/sock-weight yarn. As you know, fingering weight and sock weight are the same weight, and I liked the way the names rolled off the tongue. However, I realized that that decision has caused a bit of confusion over the years.

This is one of those things that varies depending on where you live. In Great Britain and Australia, the term for sock-weight yarn is 4 ply because until about 80 years ago or so, each ply was a consistent thickness, so 2 plies made lace weight, 4 plies made sock weight/fingering weight, 8 plies made DK, etc.

Here in America and Canada though, the most common and well-known term for sock-weight yarn that isn’t really made specifically for socks is fingering weight. For years now I’ve had to mention that Twinkle Sock and Stained Glass Sock aren’t really great for socks, which is sort of awkward.

This week I finally made the decision to do what I’ve been thinking about doing for quite awhile. I decided to change the names of four of my sock/fingering-weight yarn bases. These are lovely sock-weight yarn bases that are better suited to shawls and hats and sweaters and cowls and ponchos and all the other wonderful things we make with yarn.

As you probably know, socks are about the toughest use for any yarn. Here are the ideals for yarn for socks:

• It’s made with 4 or more plies.
• It’s spun with a tight twist.
• It’s made of superwash yarn so you can machine wash it.
• It has some added nylon or silk or mohair to give it extra strength.
• It’s mostly made of fiber with good memory like wool.

I should mention that not every one of these ideals is set in stone. Some people prefer the roundness of 3-ply yarn for socks. Some prefer 100% wool and don’t want nylon in their socks. Some people prefer untreated or non-superwash yarn and are quite willing to wash their handmade socks by hand.

With those ideas in mind, though, let’s go through all five of my sock-weight yarn bases. My hope is that this will help you assess all yarn for its best uses, whether it’s mine or someone else’s. I want you to be the expert on what yarn base works best for any given purpose!

While we chat, I’ll include a closeup photo of each yarn base.

Sock Perfection gets to keep its name. I chose it with socks in mind, though it’s also great for shawls and hats and sweaters and everything else. It has been my best-selling yarn base for years now. It has 4 plies, and it’s made of 80% extra-fine merino and 20% nylon. That extra-fine merino means your feet will feel great while wearing socks made of Sock Perfection.

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Twinkle Sock is a 2-ply yarn with 10% lurex. This sparkly yarn is so much fun to use! It’s great for shawls and hats and sweaters and more, but it doesn’t meet the tough sock qualifications we talked about above. Therefore Twinkle Sock is now Twinkle Fingering.

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Stained Glass Sock is also a 2-ply yarn. It has 20% nylon added for strength, so you could probably get away with making socks out of this, especially if you chose a Splendid Sock mini skein for the toes and heels, which get the hardest use. However, since it isn’t a 4-ply yarn, this one is getting a new name too. Stained Glass Sock is now Stained Glass Fingering.

If you look closely at both Stained Glass Fingering and Twinkle Fingering, you can see the two plies wrapping around each other. With a 4-ply yarn, you can’t easily see the individual plies this way. If you’re ever wondering how many plies something in your stash has, that can help. With 3 plies, you can see the plies wrapping around each other but not as distinctly as with 2 plies.

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So Silky Sock is a 4-ply yarn, and it’s made of 50% superwash merino and 50% mulberry silk. The mulberry silk adds strength but but decreases memory (the bounce-back factor). If you combined it with one of my Splendid Sock minis and used that for the cuffs so they don’t get stretched out, that could definitely work. However, on its own I wouldn’t recommend it for everyday socks. Therefore So Silky Sock is now So Silky Fingering.

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Last but not least is Dream Sock, which is a 3-ply yarn made of 70% baby alpaca, 20% silk, and 10% cashmere. Again, 3 plies is almost enough. Some people would say it is enough. However, none of the materials in this exquisitely soft yarn have much memory, so socks made of Dream Sock may eventually sag. I recommend using this for shawls and ponchos and everywhere you want something with lots of drape. That being the case, Dream Sock is now Dream Fingering.

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Like I said, I have been thinking about this for a long time, and a part of me really hates to make this change. I like the old names. I like their brevity and alliteration, but ultimately I think it’s better to be clear and avoid any confusion.

I think I have managed to change the names everywhere on my website, but it will be a few months before all the labels are changed out. My plan is to use the current yarn labels and start making new ones as I dye new yarn to add to the shop.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you think this is a good change? Have you ever made socks out of the yarn bases we talked about? If you do make socks, what is your favorite fiber composition and number of plies?

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Fresh from the Dye Pots

This week I dyed more of my Vivaldi’s Four Seasons colorways on Squoosh DK and Sock Perfection:

I’m actually working on a new DK-weight shawl pattern that uses these four colorways with Buttery Soft DK. Each season has a stitch motif that makes sense for the season–tiny flowers for spring, berries for summer, etc.

I also dyed Autumn Sunset on Sock Perfection:

I dyed Japanese Maples on Stained Glass Fingering for the first time:

I dyed Dappled Things on Sock Perfection:

You can see these and all the other “newbies” in my shop right here.

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Art Batt

I wanted to point out this art batt since it’s perfect for fall.

It’s Pumpkin Spice Latte, and it is extra luxurious with muga silk, baby camel down, bamboo, baby alpaca, and merino. I recently chatted with a newish spinner who was asking about how to spin from art batts. I would say wait until you feel comfortable spinning from merino top and maybe merino top with some silk. At that point, you can take an art batt and tear it lengthwise into four quarters and spin it about the same way as top. What I love about art batts (and I enjoy spinning from them so much more than top) is that you get to enjoy all the textures and a larger variety of colors as you spin. Art batts make art yarn easier as well, and that’s what I love to spin most.

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Advent Calendar Update

For the last week I have been packaging up the yarn Advent calendars, and I packaged the last ones today! If you ordered one, you should have gotten a tracking notice by email. If you don’t see it, check your spam folder please so you’ll know when your squishy mail will be arriving.

I’m going to catch up on everything else and then start packaging the fiber calendars in another week. I always want to make sure these arrive in plenty of time so you don’t have to stress about them. I appreciate your orders so much and know that it’s kind of an act of trust to order something that you have to wait so long to get. Thank you!!!

It finally feels like fall here in North Texas, and I love it! The lower humidity and cooler air just make everything feel so refreshing. I hope the same is true where you are. Have a great weekend!