sock review

After hearing cries of anguish from a fellow knitter when she got holes in her socks after only a few wears, I thought that I could report on the current status of my socks. This is not meant to be a comprehensive yarn review (how it knits up, etc).

All my socks are hand washed in Eucalan and hung to dry. Occasionally, a sock might jump into the washing machine. Most of my socks are knit fairly tightly (8-9 sts/inch for fingering and 7-8 sts/inch for sportweight). Socks are listed oldest to newest. I've included direct links to the yarn, the Ravelry project, and the blog post (when available) for each sock project.

Fleece Artist Basic Merino Socks - Ravelry project; no blog post
Fibre content: 100% wool
Finished: October 2006
These socks are the oldest pair and have the most wear. At the beginning of their life, they were machine washed a few times but now they are exclusively hand washed. After the first wash, they developed a significant halo. Over time, they are still very fuzzy and there are huge pills. All my shoes cause the heels to pill. I expect these to wear out first.

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino - Ravelry project; no blog post
Fibre content: 100% superwash wool
Finished: October 2006
These are hubby socks. He has only worn them 2-3 times because they were too long. I have fixed them but he hasn't worn them since. They developed a slight halo after the first wash.

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino - Ravelry project; no blog post
Fibre content: 100% superwash wool
Finished: November 2006
I've worn these a lot because they're so soft. I made these from the leftover sock yarn from hubby's socks. There is a significant halo but it doesn't pill very much.

Indigo Moon Hand dyed Sportweight - Ravelry project; no blog post
Fibre content: 100% superwash wool (I believe Louet is the base yarn)
Finished: December 2006
Hubby socks. He wears these a lot. They're too thick to wear in shoes so he just wears them around the house (hardwood floors & carpet). There is a slight halo, no pills.

Regia Cotton Surf - Ravelry project; no blog post
Fibre content: 41% new wool, 34% cotton, 25% nylon; machine washable
Finished: December 2006
These socks get a lot of wear because they're thin and I can get them into most of my shoes. Plus with the cotton content, I can wear them year-round. Very little halo, no pills. The colour has faded a bit on the foot portion.

Jojoland Quartette - Ravelry project; no blog post
Fibre content: wool/cashmere (can't find specifics; yarn is discontinued?); hand wash only
Finished: January 2007
These are very soft and as expected, they're not wearing very well. They only have a slight halo but there are huge pills on the heels and under the foot. They are starting to felt slightly on the inside of the sock. I am very careful about which shoes I wear these with and because I want these to last, they don't get worn as much as my other socks.

Knit Picks Memories (discontinued) - Ravelry project; blog post
Fibre content: 100% merino wool; hand wash only
Finished: January 2007
I wear these ones mostly as slipper socks because they're so thick. While there is very little halo, there are lots of pills in the heels and the toes.

SWTC Tofutsies - Ravelry project; blog post
Fibre content: 50% superwash wool, 25% soy silk, 22.5% cotton, 2.5% chitin (shrimp and crab shells!)
Finished: February 2007
These socks get a lot of wear during the warmer months because they feel cool on my feet (which is why I don't wear them in the winter). No halo, no pills. But the colour had faded quite a bit in the foot. The colours are still vibrant on the leg portion.

Indigo Moon Hand dyed Sportweight - Ravelry project; blog post
Fibre content: 100% superwash wool (I believe Louet is the base yarn)
Finished: February 2007
These were a test knit and I was asked to knit the larger size which doesn't fit well enough to wear inside shoes. So these are house socks and get a lot of mileage schlepping around the house. Like the hubby's socks, there is a slight halo but no pills. I remember knitting these at a really tight gauge.

Patons Kroy Socks - Ravelry project; blog post
Fibre content: 75% wool and 25% nylon; machine washable
Finished: June 2007
These were frogged twice and the yarn held up quite well but there were some serious issues that made these so troublesome to make (please read blog post for details). These socks get a moderate amount of wear. Slight halo, no pills. They're not as soft as my other socks but they're not overly itchy.

Koigu KPPPM - Ravelry project; blog post
Fibre content: 100% superwash wool
Finished: June 2007
I wear these a lot because they're so pretty. There is a bit of a halo (mostly around the heels), no pills. The colour has faded quite a bit in the foot whereas the colour is still bright on the leg.

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino - Ravelry project; blog post
Fibre content: 100% superwash wool
Finished: August 2007
I wear these a moderate amount. There's not as much halo as the other CTH socks (probably because they're newer) but these ones already have a few pills around the heel.

SweetGeorgia Handpainted Sock - Ravelry project; blog post
Fibre content: 100% wool; hand wash only
Finished: October 2007
I haven't worn these that much (less than 6 times) but they're definitely showing a lot of wear. They are extremely fuzzy (probably my fuzziest pair) with huge pills around the heel and on the bottom of the foot. The colour looks faded on the foot as compared to the leg. They are incredibly soft and I want them to last so I won't be wearing them as often (as I want to).

Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Mediumweight
Fibre content: 100% superwash wool
Received: November 2007
I received these in the Monkey sock swap. Since they are very special (my first STR socks and my first hand knitted sock gift), I've only worn them a few (4-5) times. They have a slight halo and there are some pills around the heel and on the foot already.

ONline Supersocke 6ply Winter - Ravelry project; blog post
Fibre content: 75% wool and 25% nylon; machine washable
Gifted: Christmas 2007
These are hubby socks and he only wears them as house socks. Very little halo and no pills. I also used this same yarn (different colour) to make him a pair of mittens. He wears the mittens on his commute to/from work. He carries an umbrella in one hand and a messenger bag in the other so these mittens see a lot of action. They are quite fuzzy in the palms but they don't have any pills.

Trekking XXL - Ravelry project; blog post
Fibre content: 75% wool and 25% nylon; machine washable
Finished: January 2008
One of my newest pairs so I've only worn them a few times. They developed quite a halo after the first wash but no pills yet. The socks are scratchier than I expected but they're still ok to wear.

Schaffhauser Wolle Soiree (vintage yarn) - Ravelry project; blog post
Fibre content: 70% wool and 30% silk; dyed with KoolAid
Finished: January 2008
Never worn so no comment.

Overall, the Cherry Tree Hill socks are my favourite. They are incredibly soft and my oldest pair is looking quite good. My second favourite is Koigu. I only have one pair but I really like them. One yarn that I won't buy again is Fleece Artist. I expected them to look better but they don't.

If you are interested in more sock yarn reviews, Kristi has three - 2006, 2007a, and 2007b. Her reviews are more comprehensive than mine and they cover a lot of yarns that I haven't listed here so go check it out.