Wool socks for daily use

Ceezer said:

Do wool socks require special care? Do they need to be hand-washed and line dried, or can they be tossed in the washer & dryer with the rest of the laundry?

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Meant to reply to this earlier: I usually machine wash on cold in a delicates bag and line dry--apparently wool will shrink if dried or washed in hot water. Of course, the few times I've accidentally thrown them into the dryer they came out pretty much okay.

I've always worn wool socks...summer and winter.....to my mind they have no equal....machine wash on delicates.

I scour Sierra Trading post when I know I need socks and get Smartwools. I've been wearing them exclusively for close to 8 years.Cotton socks are only good for polishing shoes.

It's amazing to me that we use cotton for almost everything, when it's really not a very good fabric. It doesn't breath that well, isn;t particularly warm, gets cold when wet and takes ages to dry out. It's also less durable than many other fabrics. Hemp, linen, bamboo and wool are all much better. I'd keep a look out for hemp socks during your search.

scottish steve said:

It's amazing to me that we use cotton for almost everything, when it's really not a very good fabric. It doesn't breath that well, isn;t particularly warm, gets cold when wet and takes ages to dry out. It's also less durable than many other fabrics. Hemp, linen, bamboo and wool are all much better. I'd keep a look out for hemp socks during your search.

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Ey! Don't forget these qualities:

- It's comfortable
- It's comfortable when you make it thicker and heavier as well, which makes it great for casual clothing. Sweatshirts, sweatpants, college jumpers etc.
- It breathes very well(, but it doesn't transport moisture.)
- It dries very fast in warm/sunny conditions
- It is VERY durable. Weight for weight it's extremely durable compared to wool. Thick and tightly sewn cotton is a staple of modern military uniforms. Very durable.

For casual clothes that don't require much except for durability and comfort.. you're absolutely right =P

Hemp is far more breathable and durable than cotton and far less harmful to the environment to grow. As to the durability of wool, while for inner garments it's not ideal for years and years of use, as an outer fabric it takes some beating. Harris Tweed and a worsted kilt will both last for 30 years or more.

Haha.. mate, of course. But tweed and kilts aren't really day-to-day garments for most of us, are they? Nor is any form of tightly weaved wool. Anything is durable if you sow or weave it tight enough. I don't know much about hemp and I would not know where to buy hemp clothing. Regardless of that, cotton is durable.

How does moisture affect hemp or the other way around?

EDIT
Can someone who's worn tweed suits enlighten me on something? I imagine that wool loses some/a lot of two of its great qualities when it's woven as tight as tweed is, that is breathability and insulation.. Also, tweed suits have silk or synthetic lining as well, so that has to affect insulation performance. Any input on this? In my head I'm comparing it to say.. something like this:


I'm not thinking of windbreaking capabilities here. Obviously the more tightly sown garment will win that.

what are the brands for dress socks....for wool and the others mentioned ???

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/smartwool~b~19440/ Sierra Tradering POst has SmartWool at the best prices I have seen.

A few years ago switching to ECCO shoes and SmartWool dress socks made a whole of difference.. after humping around the hospital all day on those concrete floors I could still feel my feet.

Rossmeister said:

How does moisture affect hemp or the other way around?

EDIT
Can someone who's worn tweed suits enlighten me on something? I imagine that wool loses some/a lot of two of its great qualities when it's woven as tight as tweed is, that is breathability and insulation.. Also, tweed suits have silk or synthetic lining as well, so that has to affect insulation performance. Any input on this? In my head I'm comparing it to say.. something like this:

I'm not thinking of windbreaking capabilities here. Obviously the more tightly sown garment will win that.

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I have three genuine Harris Tweed Sports jackets and a Supasax one (fine, tightly-woven lambswool and as good, all things considered) and they're breathable enough for it not to be an issue at all. Something like a Paramo jacket will be more breathable, but I've cycled hard for 30 mins in both a top of the line Gore-Tex jacket (it wasn't std Gore-tex, but the ultra-breathable type...CRX or something) and a Harris Tweed and the Tweed beats its hands-down. They're not as windproof as a Windstopper fabric, but very good and as to waterproofness, they will let water in eventually, but the soaking of the top layer makes the fibres swell, which stops the holes- same principle as Ventile, which is a wonderful use of cotton, I'll admit. I was out in torrential rain in a tweed jacket and cap with a shemagh scarf underneath it, for over an hour and there was 95% waterfastness from the ensemble; just a tad leaking at the shoulders. And a few days later, when it was dry again, the whole thing shone like it had just been drycleaned! So, it's not the most breathable or the most wind/waterproof, but it's the best combination of the 3 I've come across. And when there's not chance of rain at all, you look and feel a lot more stylish than with a Gore-tex thingy on. Also, it won't look out of date in 5 years, but get softer and more fitted to you personally, as it matures.

Hmm, interesting. Very interesting indeed. But what about the lining? What's it made of and how does it stand up to moisture?

Rossmeister said:

Hmm, interesting. Very interesting indeed. But what about the lining? What's it made of and how does it stand up to moisture?

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In the vintage ones the lining is usually viscose. A lot of the newer ones have this or a similar lining. This is something I've thought about too. Why put something so artificial next to something so naturally brilliant? I think because the viscose is very thin, yet durable, you can get away with it. The performance mentioned above is with a viscose lining, so while not what most of us would pick if we had $4000 for a Saville Row HT, it isn't an issue. My supasax jacket retails for $500 and still has that sort of lining. I woudn't worry about it. One thing I forgot to say of course, is that HT, in addition to the above qualities, is very warm when you need it to be, but in a sports jacket you can get rid of excess warmth very quickly by opening a button

I've always wanted something in tweed. It's so expensive though, and it's not really a part of Norwegian classical style, so it's hard to get a hold of.

How does hemp react to moisture though, do you know?

Hemp is difficult to get a hold of, as there's been huge prejudice against it due to the perception that a license to grow it is the same as a license get high- the only thing I personally own made of hemp is a TH5 Tilley hat. This has been drenched several times and didn't even notice it- no need to reform or anything. It's also very breathable and comfortable, yet still warm enough to make a difference, even in quite cold weather, despite only being about 1mm thick. Ok, it's not as warm as wool, even wool of similar weight, but it's good. A lot of people don't know that wool (& I think hemp, but I'm not 100% on it) does not lose heat when wet, whereas cotton does. It might seem obvious, but Scotland is a good place to get vintage/second had HT. There are 3 good vintage clothes shops within 15 mins walking distance of my house in Scotland in which you are very likely to find it; one in particular had about 25 jackets going for 35 pounds each- the one I bought looked like it had never been worn; it was immaculate. I got 2 others (1 definitely unworn- the pockets were still sewn up, even though it was from the '60s and another from the '50s which had seen some wear but was a classic cut and great fit, still unstained lining and perfect, untarnished outerweave).I got the $500 Supasax in the 3rd shop, for 30 pounds. It had had a pen burst in it, so the lining was stained and a tiny tiny area round the skirt underneath the pocket, but apart from that it was also in A1 condition. HT is often available in local charity shops too, of which there are several, but it doesn't hang around long.

In my experiences, Smartwool socks wear out quickly, particularly with steady wear (i.e., I have a pair of "hiking" socks that has lasted for a few years, but my "everyday" socks wear out in ~6 months, meaning that they wear through in the the footpad, normally in the ball-of-the-foot area). However, I have had very good luck with LLBean wool-blend socks. Very nice product, last forever, and very good guarantee on quality!
Just my .02

Sierra Trading Post has been mentioned several times and is a great source for wool socks (and numerous other items). I highly recommend you get on their mailing list of daily deals. These regularly include substantial discounts on their already highly-discounted items. They're excellent to deal with, ship promptly, and have an easy, efficient, and liberal return policy. The only caveat is since they deal in close-outs, overruns, seconds, and discontinued merchandise, you can't always get what you want , but if you try, sometimes you get what you need! Hmmm...where have I heard that before?

scottish steve said:

(...) A lot of people don't know that wool (& I think hemp, but I'm not 100% on it) does not lose heat when wet, whereas cotton does. (...)

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If hemp was like wool in this respect, that would be phenomenal. I'll believe it when I see it =) Some wools actually INCREASE insulation when wet. During one Autumn exercise I was on, both of my feet/boots were drenched in water, couldn't be avoided. I had two wool socks on each foot, and I've never, ever been so warm on my feet in my life.

Cotton can kill you during cold weather, it's scary.

Another good source for wool socks is Gander Mountain . They stock several weights and heights of sock from dress to all out "camping/hiking/winter/my feet will never freeze" models. I have a mix of Gander Mountain and SmartWools and the Gander Mountain ones seem to hold up better. I wear them year round in Asolo hiking boots or approach shoes and I have VERY happy feet.

Anyone have experience with:

1) Pantherella Merino Wool Dress Socks?; or
2) SmartWool Men's City Slicker Socks?; or
3) SmartWool Men's New Breadwinner Socks?;

Are Merino wool socks good for all-year wear?

Cuttingboard said:

Anyone have experience with:

1) Pantherella Merino Wool Dress Socks?; or

Are Merino wool socks good for all-year wear?

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Pantherella dress socks are great; their merino socks are fine all year round. Thicker socks might be a problem in summer, but not dress socks.