Help with yarn sub

General Knitting
1

I want to make these “Rainy Day Socks”, which recommend Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn, a sportweight yarn/light DK weight yarn (gauge 24 sts = 4" on size 4/3.5mm); fiber content is 55% merino wool, 33% microfiber, 12% cashmere.

I’m thinking about maybe subbing one of these three yarns:
[ul]
[li]Knit Picks Shine Sport yarn[/li]60% cotton, 40% modal, 24 sts = 4" on size 3-5 (3.25-3.75mm)
sportweight
[li]Knit Picks CotLin yarn[/li]70% cotton, 30% linen, 22 sts = 4" on size 5-7 (3.75-4.5mm)
DK weight
[li]Knit Picks Swish DK yarn100% merino wool, 22 sts = 4" on size 5 (3.75mm)[/li]DK weight[/ul]The Knit Picks Shine sportweight has the same gauge as the recommended Debbie Bliss yarn, but when I checked on Ravelry to see if anybody had made them with this yarn, but most people seemed to opt for a DK weight yarn. A few people used Knit Picks Swish DK; one person said that the lacy pattern was weird using a wooly yarn. Machine washability/dryability is a non-negotiable for me, so I have to have yarn I can throw in the washer and dryer without worry; all three of these yarns are machine washer- and dryer- safe.

Based off of gauge alone, the Knit Picks Shine sportweight seems to be the closest in gauge to the original yarn in the pattern, but is it the better choice? Also, based off of fiber content, would the Shine DK give me good results, since the original yarn contains animal fibers (merino and cashmere) and this contains plant fibers? I’m not a sock knitter by trade, so any helpful advice anybody can give would be really great!

2

My main concern with using a mostly cotton yarn is that it tends to make for saggy socks. It has no elasticity, which is pretty much a must in sock knitting. I would pick the Swish, personally. And you could knit a swatch to see if you like the lace pattern in the wool yarn (and to check gauge obviously lol). I’ve knit up several lacey woolen socks and I love them, but that is a matter of taste.
Good luck deciding, I would love to see pics when you’ve finished them!

3

Yeah, I would stay away from cotton for socks. I can’t remember who makes it, but I recently saw a yarn that was 50 cotton/50 merino. Maybe that would work?

4

I agree with others. The cotton blends have very minimal elasticity and wouldn’t stay up. I would go with a superwash wool like Swish.
When I make cotton socks I use Elann Esprit which is the same as Cascade Fixation in that they both have almost 2% elastic and so are very stretchy. I don’t know if there is a DK weight cotton/elastic yarn.

5

This is what I was afraid of with the cotton socks…that’s why I asked about fiber content, too. I’m really thankful you guys shared your experiences with me, and I think I’m going to go with the Swish DK–thanks!