We’re all about sock knitting in the spring, and the first step in casting on a pair of socks is choosing your yarn. Knit Picks has a huge selection of fingering weight sock yarns, with plenty of variations beyond just the dye options! Some of our socks are spun extra tight to create super-dense yarns with fewer yards per gram to wear like iron, and some are decadently soft but delicate with the addition of luxury fibers. Some come exclusively in their natural bare color for you to dye at home, and some come in up to six different dye methods. To help you get to know all of our unique sock yarns, we broke down the details and knit swatches showing each yarn used for classic cables, stockinette, and simple lace.
Capretta
Fiber Content: 80% Fine Superwash Merino Wool, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon
Number of Plies: 4
Density: 4.6 yds per gram
Dye Styles: Bare, heathered, solid
Care: Machine Wash Gentle Cold / Tumble Dry Low
What Makes It Special: Capretta’s touch of cashmere paired with fine Merino creates one of our softest sock yarn. It’s perfect for luxurious socks to be worn gently or fingering weight accessories that would benefit from the strength of Nylon, such as gloves and fingerless mitts.
Felici & Felicini
Fiber Content: 75% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon
Number of Plies: 4
Density: 4.37 yds per gram
Dye Styles: Bare, self-striping
Care: Machine Wash Gentle Cold / Tumble Dry Low
What Makes It Special: Felici & Felicini are limited-edition, self-striping yarns with striped color sequences that are unique to each release. Felici features wider stripes, and Felicini features narrower stripes. With the stripes built into the yarn, self-striping sock yarn is perfect for plain vanilla socks and simple gloves.
Gloss Fingering
Fiber Content: 70% Merino Wool, 30% Silk
Number of Plies: 4
Density: 4.4 yds per gram
Dye Styles: Bare, solid
Care: Hand Wash / Dry Flat
What Makes It Special: With silk for strength instead of Nylon, Gloss Fingering is a luxurious but strong sock yarn. It has a hint of sheen that highlights textured stitches. Unlike most sock yarns, Gloss Fingering does not feature superwash wool, so pieces knit in it must be hand washed. For that reason, it’s best used for special socks–rather than everyday socks–as well as accessories like gloves and shawls.
Hawthorne Fingering
Fiber Content: 80% Fine Superwash Highland Wool, 20% Polyamide (Nylon)
Number of Plies: 2
Density: 3.57 yds per gram
Dye Styles: Bare, kettle dyed, tonal, multi, speckle
Care: Machine Wash Gentle Cold / Tumble Dry Low
What Makes It Special: Hawthorne’s 2-ply, high-twist construction creates a very round yarn when compared to our other sock yarns. It’s uniquely bouncy and creates gorgeous textures and cables. The fine superwash Highland wool holds saturated colors well, making it a great base for hand-dyed techniques. It’s a sturdy sock yarn, but Hawthorne also makes lovely accessories.
Muse Fingering
Fiber Content: 75% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon
Number of Plies: 4
Density: 4.23 yds per gram
Dye Styles: Bare, speckle, hand painted, tonal
Care: Machine Wash Gentle Cold / Tumble Dry Low
What Makes It Special: Muse Fingering’s classic sock yarn base is ideal for holding hand-dyed colors like speckles and tonals. Originally coming in a range of hand-dyed colorways produced in Japan, it has proven itself to be reliable yarn for soft socks and colorful accessories.
Static
Fiber Content: 75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon
Number of Plies: 4
Density: 4.37 yds per gram
Dye Styles: Self-patterning stripes
Care: Machine Wash Gentle Cold / Tumble Dry Low
What Makes It Special: Status is released in limited-edition, TV-inspired colorways, making it a great yarn for collectors. Its patterned stripes make for an engaging knitting experience, even with simplest patterns, because it’s fascinating to watch each color sequence evolve. At some gauges the staticky stripes can look almost like Fair Isle, while other gauges create a white-noise pattern.
Stroll
Fiber Content: 75% Fine Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon
Number of Plies: 4
Density: 4.62 yds per gram
Dye Styles: Bare, solid, heather, tweed, tonal, hand painted
Care: Machine Wash Gentle Cold / Tumble Dry Low
What Makes It Special: Stroll comes in a wide variety of dye styles and put-ups, making it one of our most versatile sock yarns. Stroll Mini Packs make multicolor projects affordable and low-waste, and solids, tweeds, and heathers come in 50g balls, making it easy to get just the right amount of yarn. Stroll Hand Painted and Stroll Tonals come in 100g hanks, so you’ll have enough yarn for a pair of socks without worrying about the natural variation that can occur with hand-dyed yarns. If there’s a fingering weight project, odds are good that there’s a perfect Stroll to match!
Surefoot
Fiber Content: 40% Superwash Wool, 40% Super Kid Mohair, 20% Polyamide (Nylon)
Number of Plies: 4
Density: 4.37 yds per gram
Dye Styles: Bare
Care: Machine Wash Gentle Cold / Tumble Dry Low
What Makes It Special: Thanks to kid mohair, Surefoot has a slight sheen and a very faint halo, and in addition to its unique look, mohair adds extra durability to the classic sock yarn blend. Create socks and accessories in natural cream, or have fun with hand-dyeing your own custom colorways.
