Hi, I want to knit myself a pair of slightly bulky sleep socks. I knit all my socks with regular sock yarn and 9” rounds circular needles size 2 (DPN make me crazy). When I look on line for yarn suitable for sleep socks I just get confused. I’d be very grateful for advice about choosing yarn. Even yarn like alpaca that has to be hand washed is ok. Thanks!
What do you mean by ‘slightly bulky’? Are you thinking worsted weight yarn? Maybe sport or dk?
Ravelry has several patterns for sleep socks and each pattern lists Yarn Ideas up at the top of the main page. The patterns have a range of yarn weights.
(One of the yarns used in this pattern is Lettlopi which seems an unusual choice which is scratchy enough to keep me up all night.)
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Yeah I guess worsted would be “slightly bulky”. Especially since I rarely knit with worsted weight because it does feel bulky to me and prefer to knit lightweight things. But I want these socks to be warm. Looking at it that way, dk or worsted would probably work. Thanks!
Yes I saw those and didn’t like them but I may have to reconsider, thanks!
I’d first decide on the yarn I want to use. The main thing is that it should be comfortable to wear. Sleep socks shouldn’t get a lot of wear but I think something to help it last longer, like the nylon in sock yarn, would be a good idea. I do socks toe-up, knit-to-fit. I’ve rarely used any pattern other than Lifestyle Socks (Ravelry seems to be down so I can’t share a link) and so don’t worry about gauge and math.
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I shouldnt post about socks, i don’t knit socks… but perhaps consider a fluffy yarn so it feels chunkier and more snuggly without being heavy? There are lots of fluffy yarns, maybe chenile in a DK?
Or recycled fluffy yarn
Or perhaps a teddybear yarn
I’m just going by what I’d like, something light and fluffy and not too tight.
Thank you, I’m not familiar with any of those yarns but I’ll check them out. I appreciate your suggestions.
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Thanks I’ll check out all of these.
I checked out the Lifestyle sock pattern. What is the advantage of knitting socks toe up? I’ve always wondered about that.
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You can try them on as you go, and once you’re around the heel, you can knit the tops as high as you have yarn for. I’ve only done one pair top down, and I have enough yarn left over for about 2/3 of another sock. I’d rather have had taller socks!
For me the main advantage is I can use any weight yarn and make socks that fit without doing math and finding out after knitting for a while that I miscalculated and have to rip back. I just increase until I have enough stitches then quit increasing. Top down socks can be tried on too so that’s not a claim to fame for toe up. I prefer a closed cast on over grafting toes at the end. I use a faux heel flap - increase for the gusset, turn the heel, decrease the gusset stitches, and don’t need picked up stitches on the heel flap. I’ve done a true heel flap and decided that even knitting cuff down I’d do the faux flap. I tried it on slipper socks and it worked. To me it just makes more sense than cuff down but that’s the way my brain works. I’ll also do mittens starting at the fingers if I’m not sure I have enough yarn for long cuffs. In the end it’s what works for the knitter making the socks. You are undoubtedly better at basic math than I am so what for me is the biggest advantage might not matter to you.
Ok. First of all I’m not better in math than anybody! 
Secondly my kitchener stitch for closing the toe is clumsy, I’m just not good at it. I’ve always used the same sock pattern but I think I’ll try the toe up pattern and see what it’s like. Thanks very much for all the information, big help!
Actually that’s a good point. I like long, slouchy cuffs. Thanks!
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You’re welcome. I’m always happy to lure someone into yet another rabbit hole. 
Math and I avoid each other to the fullest possible extent. The pattern probably calls for Judy’s Magic Cast on. It’s what I use. Some people hate it or never get the knack of working it. There are other cast ons to choose from including Turkish and figure 8 cast ons. I wrote probably up there. I have looked at the pattern at least once but I’d learned the technique when it was nothing but blog posts. Later it was compiled into pattern format. What heel do you prefer? Knowing when to start the heel can be tricky at first.
eta To prove that I can occasionally overcome my bias, here’s a grafting method some find works better. I haven’t tried it myself. It looks to me like grafting reverse stockinette which I wouldn’t need a tutorial for.
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Actually I spend a lot of my time in rabbit holes. What heel do I prefer? What a strange question. My sock pattern is the “vanilla” one I think. It’s the only heel I’m aware of. When I read the Lifestyle pattern I was hoping the heel part would make sense when I got to it. In writing it’s gobbledygook. I went to nimble needles for Judy’s cast on and saw it was done with the magic loop technique. I’ve tried magic loop several times and never got the hang of it. But other than that it looks like a great way to start the toe. I started out thinking I could use yarn a little heavier than sock yarn and needles a little larger and use my regular pattern. Not that simple. But I like to learn new techniques so I’ll try this pattern and see how far I get.
Also, I really don’t like dpns so I was very happy when I found the 9” circular needles. What needles do you use?
FYI, I’ll never work with chenille again! It was Bernat Velvet that made that decision for me. It worms like crazy. I assume any yarn like that would do the same. I could be wrong…. Also, tight or non-lacy stitches might make a big difference.
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If this is your pattern, it looks like the standard heel flap and gusset construction.
I’m not crazy about dpn either but can’t use the super tiny tips without killing my hands so it’s magic loop for me. I didn’t think about how to do the cast on with short circs, probably because I don’t use them.
Here’s a sock heel rabbit hole! I saw a Reddit post showing 55 different sock heels! I haven’t found that many (nor have I looked), but this blog has some interesting tips for 5 different heels:
You already have some great replies on here. I won’t repeat what’s already been said. But I do want to encourage you to be careful about the kind of yarn you choose. I have several pairs of sleep socks, (not ones I knitted, unfortunately), which are all comfy — until I wear them to bed. Then my feet get too hot, and I wind up kicking them off. That means when I get up, I have to hunt for the socks before I put my feet on the floor. So material is important. Having feet too hot is just as uncomfortable as too cold. Therefore, I wouldn’t use alpaca. A nice merino wool would still be my first choice, as it allows for both warming and cooling as needed. All my socks, except the objectionable store-bought sleep socks, as well as my husband’s, are from merino wool. Since I discovered it, I won’t use anything else for socks. Good luck with yours.
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