Ranging from bold primaries to classic neutrals and soft pastels, there is sure to be the perfect choice for your next sock knitting adventure!  Soft to the touch (and to the foot!), but hard-wearing as well, look no further for your next sock project!  It's also great for baby garments, as it's so super soft and superwash treated!

Why Merino Wool? The benefits of sheep's wool have been known and proven for centuries. It is a good insulator and is breathable, transporting moisture/sweat away from your body without feeling wet (hydrophilic fibres). It is naturally antibacterial, requiring less washing than synthetic fibres, and is both natural and sustainable. In addition to the normal benefits of sheep's wool, Merino is relatively lightweight, doesn't itch, and is unbelievably soft, making it the perfect fibre for garments to be worn next to the skin.

Caring for Merino: One of the benefits of natural wool products such as Merino is their natural antimicrobial properties, meaning garments can be worn regularly without the need for frequent washing, as would be the case with a synthetic fibre garment. Merino fibres are breathable, meaning they wick sweat away from the body and don't trap odours. Superwash Merinos, such as Yarnsmiths Merino Sock, are machine washable, but should not need to be washed at higher than 30 degrees, ideally on a hand wash setting. Drying garments is where we recommend taking particular care, so as not to allow the garment to stretch. Dry flat, and reshape when damp if necessary. Technically they can be tumble-dried on a cool, gentle setting, but we advise caution on this, as some tumble driers still can be quite aggressive, even on a gentle setting.

Where does the Merino originate? Our Merino is sourced from Australia, which is where the vast majority (roughly 85%) of the world's Merino originates. Australia is home to approximately 70 million sheep, nearly three quarters of which are Merino, and is known for producing some of the best quality, soft, fine-fibred Merino wool. Mulesing is still practiced in some parts of Australia, though this is decreasing as consumers and retailers, such as ourselves, actively start requesting (and paying more for) non-mulesed fibres. While we do not knowingly use Merino from mulesed sheep, being completely honest and transparent, we are unable to guarantee the entire initial batch of Merino DK is mulesing free, as the raw fibre was sourced from multiple farms, so we don’t have the required traceability of all the fibre used. For the second batch (and all batches of our Merino products produced from June 2024 onwards), we made the switch to only using Merino certified by the AWTA (Australian Wool Testing Authority) as being non-mulesed. We hope that as more and more companies adopt this stance, the practice of mulesing in Australia will eventually be phased out completely.