I have found so many great sites to buy awesome socks… but they tend to be more boutique style places with cool socks with a high $$tag. I just need some warm feet for not a lot of money. Scratchy wool makes me itch. Not sure about other kinds of wool. I don’t think I have an allergy, it’s mostly texture. Anyone have the inside scoop on the awesome stockpile of knee-high, warm socks that don’t cost a lot?
Target has the best selection of knee socks that I’ve seen in a shop, but generally cotton, cotton/poly blend. Not itchy, but not super warm. Although they did have some thicker knit thigh highs the last time I was in there stocking up. Occasionally they had an angora blend knee sock.
Alpaca knee socks are pricey, but taken care of, they will last a long time and be warm as all get out. And on this site, there’s a cashmere blend that’s pretty inexpensive.
I got some really nice cashmere-blend knee socks from Kohl’s on Black Friday. I don’t know how much they cost normally, but I got them for $4/pair. They are non-itchy, and they are machine washable. (It is insane to me that there are actually socks that are dry-clean only, but I have run across them in the past.)
Whaaaat?? DRY CLEAN SOCKS!? What has the world come to?
I will look at Target again. Their selection (should I say “in stock” selection) is rather hit and miss here…
The worst part is that I actually gave them to my mom for Christmas. She had been asking for nice socks for Christmas forever, so I got her a nice gift bag filled with toasty, comfy socks. I didn’t bother to read the care instructions, because who does that for socks?! A few weeks later, I asked her how she liked the socks, and she said they were great except that she couldn’t wear the cashmere ones too often, because they were dry-clean only. :smack:
I would tell her to go ahead and wash them anyway, as she would any ‘fine washables’, in cold water. Roll them up in a towel for a bit, and then let them air dry. I do this with my cashmere sweaters; after all, the goat that grew the fur was probably rained on sometime in his life and his coat didn’t shrink! I think the worst that would happen would be the socks would lose their finish and get fuzzy or a little pilly .
Smartwool socks–some good prices at this place. Merino wool, non-itchy, and they’re knitted in such a way that they stay up on the calf, stay tight across the heel and insole but leave a little extra room around the toes. Amazingly comfortable socks, I need about another twenty pair.
Back when I was employed, I wore knee-highs with long skirts to work all the time. I always had very good luck with Hue brand socks. You can get them at Macy’s and other department stores like that. I have also had luck with socks from Target. Here are some Hue socks that might:
Hue Women’s Baby Cable Knee Hi 97% Nylon, 3% Spandex
Hue Women’s Cotton Cable Knee Sock 70% Combed Cotton, 29% Nylon, 1% Spandex
Hue Women’s Flat Knit Knee Sock 70% Pima Combed Cotton, 23% Nylon, 1% Spandex
Hue Women Luxe Knee Sock 70% Viscose Rayon, 28% Nylon and 2% Spandex
Gold Toe is also good, such as Gold Toe Women’s Madison Rib Knee Hi Socks
Finally, if you have a Macy’s nearby, their house brand, Charter Club, has some decent socks too, which are a bit cheaper.
The first one you linked to describes itself as a “trouser sock” which to me means really heavy-duty knee-high pantyhose. Is that accurate? Because what I’m looking for is WARM thick socks…
I just bought two pair of the SmartWool socks…one pair at Dick’s Sporting goods, and one pair at Bavarian Village (where they were cheaper…they are a bit pricey for me, at roughly $16-20)but they don’t itch me, they are warm, and machine-wash, tumble dry. Lovely and thick.
Kohl’s had a nice selection of wool-blend socks in the men’s department, and they were on sale, too.
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I always purchase from Sock Dreams (sockdreams.com). Their prices are quite reasonable. Free shipping, too, though I haven’t placed an order in a while so that might have changed.
Follow my link–SmartWool socks may be had for as low as seven bucks a pair! Limited sizes, to be sure, and colors but the stock rotates pretty quickly and if you keep an eye on the site you’d be surprised the bargains you can find. If you get on their mailing list they’ll send you 20-30% off specials too.
Yep you’re right, my mistake. Upon closer inspection, those do appear to be the equivalent to knee-high pantyhose. But I think the others are thicker. All the Hue socks I have are thick and warm. Check 'em at if you’re ever at a Macy’s or Lord and Taylor.
Again, Target is good BUT you’re right - sometimes when their stock is depleted, the selection is lacking. And also I have found that about now they’re transitioning into spring, which means thinner socks.
I will, for the future. But I needed those socks NOW during the recent cold snap, when my store’s floors were freezing. And I need the XL size, which seems to be in short supply on that site…the socks run small, BTW.
Oh, do I EVER feel your pain! I ordered a whole batch of those lovely socks juuuuuuust before we got smacked with an unprecedented 2 ft of snow, and it took almost THREE WEEKS to get them to me, and the majority of that time they were right here in town but I couldn’t go pick them up. There was not a speck of snow on the ground when the damned UPS truck finally dropped them at my door. To add insult to the injury, my final two remaining pairs of wool socks developed huge holes in the soles during the cold snap. I have learned my lesson and will make sure I have a ton of good socks before October this year. As to sizing, I wear a women’s shoe size 9.5-10 depending and I’ve done just fine with the women’s L and the men’s M and L–the neat pattern of the knit keeps even a slightly too big sock pretty snug.