Article by Leslie Shelor
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A favorite fiber for many of the Greenberry House artisan dyers is superwash wool. Superwash is a wool fiber that has been treated, usually chemically, in a way that prevents it from shrinking when it is washed. Superwash is made with one of two methods: either the wool is made smooth by using an acid bath to remove the scales that naturally occur on the wool fiber or the wool is coated with a polymer that covers the scales. Either way, the scales can no longer join together and cause shrinkage in the garment. SUPERWASH is a trademark owned by The Wool Bureau for the process that makes 100% wool machine washable and dryer safe.
Knitters or crocheters often chose superwash when they want to make a garment that might be washed often, such as socks or baby items, and don't want to use a synthetic fiber. Superwash might also be chosen to make a gift for someone that the knitter or crocheter is aware would not appreciate the extra trouble required to hand wash an item. A pair of socks or a baby sweater made from superwash can be tossed in the washer without the worry that it will shrink. Since so much time can be spent in creating a gift, using a suitable yarn that can be cared for easily often makes sense. Disaster might await the unwitting knitter who gives a fine wool sweater to a busy young mother for her baby.
There's nothing written in stone, however, that says a pair of socks or a baby
garment has to be made of a machine
washable yarn. Even superwash yarns will look better longer, in my
opinion, if they are hand washed rather than machine washed.
Our
dyers that use superwash create lovely yarns with beautiful, rich color and I
love looking at them and working with them, even after a garment is finished.
In
most cases it only takes a few minutes to wash out a garment by hand and then
lay it out with seams straight and flat to dry. Hard still, I know, for
some busy people, but the reward for taking the extra care is worth it.
With the time it takes to make a knitted or crocheted garment, I find it makes
sense to me to take the time to care for it, especially since I generally use a
good yarn!
So if a natural fiber yarn doesn't have to be superwash to make good socks, what should you look for? Opinions about what makes a good sock yarn are probably as varied as the knitters that make them. But a good rule of thumb is that a sock yarn should be made of a fiber sturdy enough to resist normal wear and stand up to frequent hand washing. This generally means that you should use a sturdy wool such as Border Leicester, Romney or Coopworth as the fiber of choice for your yarn. Some people also recommend the Down breeds, such as Sussex or Suffolk, for sock yarns. Mohair is an excellent choice to add to a blend of fibers for socks because of it's length and strength. Most of these fibers have a long staple, which is desirable for spinning a yarn for socks. Occasionally I talk to people that will use a strand of nylon and knit it along with their natural fiber yarn. There is some debate as to whether or not this is a good practice, as some people feel that the nylon strand can abrade the wool yarn. If nylon is added to wool fibers before spinning, however, it does add strength to the yarn.
Rules
are made to be broken, however, and if you know what to expect and how to care
for it, any fiber can be used to make socks. Wonderful sock blends include
angora with wool for warmth and incredible softness, and alpaca added to wool
creates a luxury yarn that is wonderfully warm. Neither of these fibers is
generally considered a "sturdy" one. One of my customers
commented recently, though, that her favorite bed socks are made with pure
angora for comfort on cold winter nights. Using an unconventional fiber to
create a sock yarn just adds to the wonder and adventure of handspinning.
A good fiber preparation is a must for creating a smooth, even sock yarn. Careful blending is also required if you're using more than one fiber to create a combination of wools, mohair, etc., that is uniform throughout the batt or roving. Since it usually only takes a few ounces to create enough yarn for a pair of socks, hand carding is a good option for preparing your fibers to be hand spun.
The first time I spun a yarn for socks, I added so much twist that the resulting singles seemed like wire! Not a good candidate for a good finished sock yarn, of course, for many reasons. The extra twist made it difficult to get a balanced yarn when I plied and I'm sure it would have been difficult to knit a comfortable fabric from the yarn. Now when I look at sock yarns I realize that they have enough twist to be firm, but not so much as to make the yarn hard. Too much twist can even weaken the fibers. A hard yarn just isn't going to make a lovely, soft pair of socks. The other spinners and dyers that have their yarns here realized this much sooner than I did, I'm sure, and have created some wonderful yarns for you to knit into beautiful handmade socks!
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This page was last updated July 14, 2009 . Copyright 2009 by Leslie R. Shelor.