This yarn base is quite possibly my best-selling yarn ever. It's definitely a customer favorite! I think people see "merino" and think "ooh!" and they see "silk" and think "OOH!" and it's a fingering weight yarn, which every sock knitter adores. (I know I do!) The yarn comes in 100g/3.5oz skeins that have a silky soft 440 yards of 3-ply fingering weight yarn. It is a blend of 70% merino wool and 30% silk, so it is soft, yet sturdy, and with a beautiful shimmer to it. That silk! I tell you... It just adds the perfect amount of shine. Knit on size 1-3 needles it gets 7-8 stitches per inch.
It makes lovely socks - though be aware that this yarn is not as friendly with the washer and dryer as the superwash merino sock yarn. For this one, I always recommend hand washing and hanging to dry. (Make sure any gift recipients are aware of this! We would hate for them to inadvertently ruin your hours of hard work.) I have knit several pairs of socks from this yarn as gifts and they are still going strong! It is also a popular choice for other small items - hats, mittens, etc. - and is fun for colorwork too.
This yarn dyes up completely differently than the superwash merino sock yarn - the colors are often more muted than the same dyebath on the merino. Not a bad thing! And there are certainly examples of very vibrant silky merino batches - like this one or this one - but frequently the colors blend more gradually into one another and don't come out quite as rich or dark. It's an excellent base for dyeing pastels and soft-looking shades to tickle your fancy.
I only have three colorways currently listed in the silky merino sock yarn: a lovely variegated violet, a similar but solid purple and a particular favorite of mine - a slightly variegated latte-hued color, pictured above. But...there will be more soon! There are a handful of colors just waiting to be photographed and listed in the very near future.
