This is a rare yarn from New Zealand that’s perfect for knitting soft yet durable socks. It’s 80/20 22-23 micron Merino/Wooly Nylon and weighs in at 2,300 yards per pound--perfect for sock knitting. This 1,152g (40-3/4 ozs) cone has approximately 5,806 yards (5,309 meters). It knits up beautifully on sock machines on every cylinder from the 54 on up to the 84. If you have a wide foot, it knits just fine on the 96 and 100 slot cylinders at a loose tension. You can also use it for hand-knitting on roughly American size needles 2 through 4.

What makes this yarn so special is the Repco spinning method that’s used to spin the yarn. The wool is spun by wrapping the fibres around a centre core of Wooly Nylon. Every few seconds the machine adds a little more twist then reverses itself and twists the opposite direction. What you get is a few inches loose then a couple of inches twist--see the third picture above for a closeup of the finished yarn. It’s soft, fluffy, and perfectly balanced as the Repco system puts in exactly the same number of “Z” twists as it does “S” twists--no worries about spiraling socks!! The wooly nylon core keeps all the wool in place during knitting, but allows the wool to full beautifully in the finished product and adds long-term durability.

I recommend machine washing the finished knitting in a gentle cycle and cool water, dry naturally, and then fluff it in a warm dryer for about 10 minutes to let that 22-micron Merino fluff up and show it’s beauty.

It felts well, if you want to felt it, and sucks up dye even better giving you a somewhat heathery look due to the wool and nylon taking up the dye differently. This yarn is white-white-white--a clean palette for your dye projects. Knit it big and felt it to size in the dryer or knit it to size and wash it gently to maintain its unfelted size and shape. It also wears extremely well for such soft yarn. If you’re looking for a hiking sock or a worker’s sock that wears well, but isn’t harsh on your feet, you should definitely give this yarn a try!