Socknitters Forum

[kimejones]

I've knit about 12 pairs of socks, and really enjoy it. Only once or twice have I purchased yarn that included a reinforcing yarn for the toe and heel. Certainly most sock yarns don't come with reinforcing yarn. Is there a 'standard' yarn that can be used for reinforcing yarn, maybe in a neutral color? I'd like to be able to reinforce the toes and heels on all my socks.

Thanks!

[Dawn]

You can use woolly nylon. www.joann.com carries an assortment of colors. I use it for my heels and toes if it feels the yarn may wear quickly.

Happy Knitting

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[Ladybee]

[YorkshireLass]

I read somewhere recently (and I wish I could remember where) that you can use polyester sewing thread to reinforce heels and toes - just knit it in with your wool at appropriate sections. Being so fine it doesn't alter the tension, and of course it comes in thousands of colours so you should be able to get one that matches or blends in. Haven't tried it myself but it sounds like a good idea.

[knitsinchurch]

I'm a sucker for Coats and Clark baby sport weight acrylic yarn. It wears well and resists stains reasonably well. I do the body of the sock with one strand, and the heels and toes with two strands.

[twobrownears]

Knitsinchurch!

I will have to try that. The one pair of socks I have for myself was made with the baby sport and the soles are already wearing through. (but then, I hardly take them off )

I have more baby sport in sappy girly colors just for ME - HEHEHEHE!! No dull black, or navy for this girl!!

Barb R.

[PersnicketyKnitter]

I've been wondering about the usefulness of reinforcing yarn...

None of my socks made with sock yarn (yarns with some nylon content) have worn out yet. Some pairs are a couple years old and I wear them A LOT in the fall/winter. However, I don't usually wear them with shoes (that might make all the difference I guess).

The socks I made with non-sock yarn (100% wool, DK or worsted wt) did not last long at all when worn frequently. They did not even survive one season (and they were knit tightly). I've tried duplicate stitching in some reinforcing yarn into areas of these socks that were starting to show wear. What happens is that the wool yarn just wears away completely leaving just a web of reinforcing yarn behind.

So I'm wondering if reinforcing yarn is really that useful. Socks yarns don't seem to need it and it only slightly extends the life of non-sock yarns. What have your experiences with it been?

On a related note, here are the places that I have seen my handknit socks wear out (so far):
- ball of foot
- bottom of heel (not the back of heel)
- under the big toe

The directions I've seen for reinforcing yarn have you work it in the heel flap, heel turning, and tip of the toe (they don't seem to give you enough to work the whole toe area). That would not help at all with the ball of the foot. It would only partially help with the heel, because the area that wears out is a little bigger than the area covered by the turning of the heel. And it 'could' cover the whole toe area (if you had enough) but then the toe would end up feeling kind of stiff and uncomfortable.

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear how other people's socks hold up to wear (and what they're made of).

[Dawn]

I think the key to socks not wearing out is not wearing them on carpet a lot. The fibers of the carpet cut into the socks. I've used the reinforcement yarn and had no problem with siffness. Woolly Yarn is really light.

When I use the Woolly Nylon I knit it all around the heel bottom and then around the ball of the foot to the tip of the toe. I wear my socks also a lot in the fall and winter and they have lasted a long time.

Happy Knitting

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