Description
My vintage Circular Sock Machine, Bessie, is an Imperia, made from solid chrome and cast iron in circa 1929. She’s a beaut, and I’ve been hand cranking socks since March 2023 – making socks on one of these machines is certainly an art form in itself.
I always used good quality 75% Superwash wool/25% nylon blend, which means they are practical and hard wearing and will last and last, and these are just a little cut above the average, knitted in the fantastic Signature 4-ply from West Yorkshire Spinners. British grown and British milled featuring a luxury 35% Blue Faced Leicester. You’ve heard of merino wool I’m sure. Supersoft and practically guaranteed not to cause any irritation to the skin. So meet it’s British grown cousin. Blue Faced Leicester is so soft and fluffy, but unlike merino, is much more hard-wearing. Once you’ve tried knitted socks you’ll never want to wear anything else, especially in this quality wool. So comfortable, so warm, so long lasting. Featuring a fully ribbed cuff, the ribbing continues across the top of the foot for a great fit but comfy too.
If you like a snug sock, aren’t likely to wash them at superhot temperatures, and have average width feet, choose the larger of the 2 sizes it will fit to match your shoe size (ie if you’re a 5, choose 4-5). If you have wide feet, choose the smaller size to allow for more widthwise stretch. The smallest size mentioned is the smallest standard foot size they will comfortably fit, but these things have S-T-R-E-T-C-H so will fit at least 1, and often 2 sizes bigger.
Softening slightly with each wash, you can expect a very small amount of shrinkage initially, but it shouldn’t alter the fit as they will stretch back out with wear. That’s another bonus with knitted socks – they stretch and fit a wide range. And these are machine washable at 30 degrees (although I usually wash mine on the 30 degree wool setting).
Buy quality, buy once.
Please note that due to self-striping yarn, the pattern may vary slightly depending on the size ordered.
