I want to make socks for my dad, but he is picky and will only take them if they are 85% wool yarn. Does any of you know where I can find (relatively) cheap 85% wool sock yarn?
thanks
You can find 100% wool superwash wool from KnitPicks.com at a very reasonable price. I live in FL and I use their wool for mittens here in winter because I work outside in the weather when school is in session. They have a 70% wool mixed with 30 % silk is very reasonable in price. But I think that yarn only comes in lace weight. I use the Swish superwash 100% merino wool to knit mittens and things for my son, daughter in law and grandson who live in VA.
Check out the website and try a skein or two of and see how Dad would like it.
I think it’ll be hard to find a fiber content hat specific. There are many that are near that though. Is he okay with that?
He does not want me to make socks for him with my 75% wool sock yarn. He will only take 85%.
He will only take 85%. He will not let me make him socks for him with my 75% wool yarn. Thank ya though!
By the way, I’m new here…HI YA’LLS!!!:waving:
Huh. Is this his way of saying he doesn’t want socks? I’m sure there must be yarn with that fiber content, but finding might be extremely hard.
ha! i wondered if this is like my dad, who only wants takeout coffee if it’s X hard thing, Y other hard thing and Z third hard thing… at that point, he can get his own damn coffee.
i found all sorts of literally gorgeous (swoon) sock yarns all over online… anywhere from 70-100% wool, but nothing 85% on the dot, and i looked at hundreds…
good luck to you, and maybe a tie for him for his next gift. 
If I have somebody that picky, I’ll let them knit their own darned socks. If you really want to knit them for him, lose the label and tell him it’s just what he asked for. How on earth would he ever know? Can he do tests in his basement laboratory to make sure?
I guess there’s one in every family.
Not quite the same thing, but I don’t think my son-in-law has ever had a cup of coffee at my house. He’s picky on one end of the scale (expensive!) and I prefer the store brand. He knows he’s a coffee snob, takes care of getting his own, and doesn’t expect anybody else to cater to him. He does like the Felici sport sox I made him. He must be OK. 
oh, felici… darn that it’s being discontinued. all knitpicks has are the x-mas colorways (red/white, or green/red/white)… and the comments about the “stroll” yarn that’s supposed to be its replacement give me pause (even tho the tonals, handpainteds and tweeds in it look so nice)…
I guess I’ll just make socks for the rest of our family and he can buy his really super expensive socks. I REALLY like the knitpicks sock yarn! Thank you Daylily for suggesting that.
You are so welcome Smallchild. Right now I am knitting a sock with the sock yarn I bought when it was on sale. Just remember this if it is in the small banded skeins you will need 2, since they only have 231 yards in each one. The color I am using is Stroll fingering in the colorway Blue Violet Multi
i did manage to find this one with 85% wool:
http://halcyonyarn.com/yarn/116/cascade-heritage-silk-paints-yarn
http://www.cascadeyarns.com/cascade-HeritageSilk.asp
http://www.cascadeyarns.com/cascade-HeritageSilkPaints.asp
but it’s pricey (although it’s the 100g ball, 437 yards, so only one needed for a pair) and it’s got to be the heritage “silk” or heritage “silk paints”. the other kinds of cascade heritage are different weights, or different (lower) amounts of wool. the silk paints have some nice, new colorways, and many are dad-appropriate.
hope that helps… - X 
(ETA those are the only 2 yarns of ANY kind, of any mix of fibers, of any color, etc that cascade offers that are 85% wool)
Thanks for the links, X.
Daylily, the sock looks wonderful. I love the way the colors are woking out.
Thank you so much X for your help.
Lookin’ good, Daylily! The sock yarn I got is Red Heart’s Heart & Sole. I made a pair of socks for myself and I love them! My Mom wants me to make her a pair of socks, but right now I’m out so I want to try that yarn you suggested.
I’m pretty intrigued to know the method your Dad employs to figure out the wool content of socks given to him! If you tell him they’re 85% wool, and they’re not,how does he know?
He would know that I never found and bought 85% sock yarn so he would think it was weird. But I’ll just give up because obviously he doesn’t want me to make socks for him. I’ll just make them for Mom.
Just tell him what he wants to hear and make him the best pair of sock he ever had. I wonder what is the significance of 85% not more nor less.
Does he care what the other 15% of is made of?
He says that he has been looking for his perfect socks for his whole life and he found it with 85% wool socks, so I’ll let him buy his perfect socks and I’ll make my own socks. Yes, irishsweaters, he does care; he wants the other 15% acrylic.:shrug:
we’re all giving your dad a bad time, in the spirit of fun…
but, let’s hope your mom appreciates all the time and effort you’ll be putting into HER socks