02/20/2022
I have a special kind of neuropathy on the balls of my feet that make them hurt when I walk in wool or wool-and nylon socks. It feels as if I’m walking on steel wool. But sometimes it’s only after I’ve walked quite awhile, sit and take a break, and resume walking.
So what to do? I tried a variety of socks that don’t have any wool in them. This was before winter, when wearing wool wasn’t required for the weather. I would normally wear merino & nylon wool socks because that’s simply what I generally knit with. I knit primarily with merino because every other wool itches me; the 20% nylon component is a fairly standard component of washable sock yarn to make them strong enough.
For this project, see a description of each below, which matches the photos shown here. Note that my favorite socks are cotton with acrylic, but they do not stand up to winter temperatures. I made a pair of peds or short socks from each yarn since this was a study, and I have enough left of each one now to knit a full-sized pair of each, if I like.
1.) CoBaSi
Cotton 55% / Nylon 21% / Bamboo 16% / Silk 8%
To knit: Not pleasant to knit with as it does not have a tight twist and I worked hard to knit with it.
To wear: They feel awful! Not just in my textured rain clogs but in my normal shoes. They are worse than wool.
2.) Lana Grossa Meilenweit
Cotton 87% / Polyamide 13%
To Knit: Pleasant, especially after CoBaSi.
To wear: I feel the stitches but will have to try tomorrow when I haven't been walking yet.
3.) Bamboo Pop Sock
Bamboo 55% / Cotton 37% / Polyamide 8%
To knit: Very silky and nice to work with.
To wear: I feel the stitches but I will wear them today.
After wearing for the day, which was lots of couch-sitting, the stitch just at the apex of my would-be bunion is a little fuzzy. I think knitting these next time on US 0s would be a better idea, as the stitches have opened up a bit and don't form a tight fabric.
4.) Mirai (8/22-8/25/2021
Cotton 40% / Silk 25% / Rayon 25% / Nylon 10%
To knit: Feels good; this will be solid, a pretty firm fabric. Made them anklets as I don't expect to wear these in summertime since they are DK.
To wear: They are pretty comfortable though I feel the stitches a little.
5.) River Washed Scheepjes
Cotton 78% / Acrylic 22%
To knit: Very pleasant; makes a tight fabric since it's sport weight.
To wear: They are very comfortable. The tightness of the fabric means I don't feel the stitches.
6.) Juniper Moon Summer Sol
Linen 48% / Cotton 24% / Viscose 24% / Polyester 4%
To knit: Feels a little coarse, but I understand linen softens up a bit with washing and wearing, so we'll see.
To wear: They're a little rough, so let's see how they are after washing. They are not that comfortable.
7.) Adriafil Bon Ton
Cotton 97% / Polyester 3%
To knit: Feels lovely to knit with, very much like a merino wool in its smoothness and softness.
To wear: These feel the best of all of them.
