My FOKS Confession!

I have a confession to make... I've previously suffered a stifling bout of FOKS (Fear Of Knitting Socks). Scarves, jumpers and hats were second nature but I truly believed that socks were the hardest things to knit. An unfounded assumption I hear you cry... on the contrary! Many close friends and regular customer had claimed how difficult socks were to get right, especially the dreaded heel. I took these trusted opinions as gospel, save myself the angst and simply avoided socks and sock yarns altogether.

Sock Yarns are something that we have stocked for sometime but has never really taken off. A few years ago, just as Christmas was approaching, I was introduced to Regia Pairfect Sock Yarn. I had a feeling it would be a good seller but knew that for me to truly get behind the product I needed to master  face my fears.

Four 3mm Double Pointed Needles, a ball of Sock Yarn, a pattern and I was off. Row by row I came to the realisation that I really had been missing out. Yes, the heel was tricky but with a bit of concentration in a quiet space and I managed to suss it out. My previous affliction had been replaced with an addiction: with socks being such a small garment, turnaround is relatively quick and rewarding. Not only are they a perfect challenge for yourself, they also make great gifts!

During this discovery period I did a bit of research and found there to be a huge community of Instagram Sock Yarn fanatics. I just love to see what other knitters are creating... It's safe to say I've become part of the clan!

This leads me onto the purpose of this post: Sock Yarn Reviews. I've put together a few stand outs and given my slightly less than expert opinion.

Regia Pairfect 4 Ply

75% Wool/25% Nylon

420m / 100g

Arne and Carlos brought out a few new colours at the start of this year, several of which I pre-ordered back in November. By the time they arrived I was itching to get them on the needles. I cast them onto my Double Pointed Needles using the magic loop technique, which I think makes knitting a pair of socks faster. This Sock Yarn comprises of the now standard 75% Wool 25% Nylon (polyamide). A handy feature is the length of yellow yarn that indicates where to cast your first stitch. The instructions say to us the strand for the centre of the ball... and I'm all about following instructions. This neat trick helps to create 2 perfectly matching socks in no time.

Goomy 50

Bergere De France

75% Wool/25% Nylon

50 g / 215 m

These have been knitted by a new addition to our Knitting circle at Emms, Debbie, who had never knitted a sock before. Very impressive, I know! She's now a regular at our Knit & Natter on Thursdays and also our Sit & Stitch on Fridays. These socks were knitted for her daughter, Brooke, who lives in France (how fitting). Debbie also utilised the magic loop method here after being taught by another customer of ours. The label states that the Yarn is 3 ply but it does work very well as a 4 ply. The colour way 'Imprim Lagon': Lagoon Print, is definitely a winner and Bergere always gives us the excuse to bring out the French 'aggsent'.