What is Sock of the Month?

What is sock of the month?



sock of the month clubs have been around for years and offer members the chance to receive new, high-quality socks on a monthly basis. Typically, the members are responsible for paying the monthly subscription fee and any shipping charges associated with their subscription. Some sock of the month clubs provide customers with the option to buy one pair of socks or several pairs at a reduced price depending on what they choose to purchase. For example, a customer may be able to select between receiving one pair every month or three pairs every three months as part of their subscription package.



Machine Knitted Socks

Machine-knitted socks have been a mainstay of retail shops for decades. They’re often more expensive than hand-knit socks, but they are also readily available and consistently high quality. Many stores rely on machine-knitted socks to be their best sellers and help differentiate themselves from competitors. Since many shop owners don’t know how to knit, you might assume that hand-knitting is going out of style, but that just isn’t true! In fact, many yarn shops are working hard to carry more hand-knit sock yarns so that customers can still feel accomplished knitting up their own pair at home.



Handmade socks

This type of sock is handmade using a variety of techniques. Sometimes they are knitted and sometimes they are woven, but they all use hand-made techniques rather than ones that use machines. Because of their nature, these socks can be sold at a higher price than machine-produced items, which means that you could potentially make more money per unit if you wanted to focus on making these types of socks. The benefit to working with hand-produced items is that your customers can get unique pieces from you—which can be useful for gaining repeat customers or clients who enjoy your style.



Crew Socks vs. Athletic Socks

Crew socks, also known as dress socks or dress/work socks, are most often found in business casual environments. They can come in a variety of colors and styles, but are most often solid colored. Athletic socks tend to have more wicking qualities and cushioning than crew/dress/work socks because they are specifically made for wearing while running or exercising. While crew/dress/work socks may seem like one-size-fits-all items, athletic socks generally come in men's and women's sizes. Crew and athletic sock fabrics vary by use and style, but can be constructed from wool, cotton or synthetic materials such as nylon and spandex blends.



Monofilament vs. Cabled Yarns

Monofilament yarns are made with a single strand while cabled yarns can be made with multiple strands. This makes monofilament socks both easier to produce and far less durable, as they’re only meant to last a few wears before losing their shape and elasticity. Cabled yarn, on the other hand, will maintain its shape for months or even years, providing you with greater long-term wear value for your money. However, when you're first starting out in sock knitting it's more important to be concerned about ease and cost than durability. With that in mind, monofilament yarn offers something that cabled yarn doesn't: variety in color options.



Yarn Dyeing Processes

You may want to dye your sock yarns in a very specific way and might be surprised to find out that it’s not as easy as adding a bit of food coloring or tea. The reason for that is twofold: First, many dyeing processes tend to be particular about temperature. So, you need to make sure that you stick with manufacturers’ recommendations when it comes to water or other liquid temperatures. Second, different dyes work differently depending on whether they’re applied to animal fibers (like wool) or plant-based fibers (like cotton). For example, many dyes don’t stick well to animal fibers and can break down during washing.



Funny Footwear Origins

It’s not clear exactly where sock-knitting started, but a commonly cited account says an Austrian tailor, reputedly King Charles VI, began making socks in prison because he could not get shoes from his cobbler. The king had been imprisoned for six years after being wrongly accused of treason. He knitted with scraps provided by his jailers. Later he persuaded a servant to smuggle some knitting needles into prison, and he was able to make several pairs of woolen socks and send them to friends at court. That’s why they are known as charles’s socks.