12 Affordable Sock Yarns for Knitting

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You can spend a lot of money on luxury sock yarn to knit a pair of socks (around $40!) but there are plenty of options available that are more budget-friendly. In this article we’ll take a look at 12 affordable sock yarns for knitting that cost less than $15 for 400 yards (which is plenty of yarn to knit a pair of socks for an average-sized foot).

Here’s a quick peek at the 12 yarns we’ll discuss:

  • Red Heart Heart & Sole
  • Patons Kroy Sock
  • Loops & Threads Perfect Pair
  • Knit Picks Stroll
  • Knit Picks Felici
  • Knit Picks Hawthorne
  • Cascade Heritage
  • Valley Yarns Huntington
  • Paintbox Yarns Socks
  • Wisdom Yarns Allegro
  • MillaMia Naturally Soft Sock
  • Regia 4-Ply

Sock yarn generally comes in 50 or 100 gram (1.75 or 3.5 ounce) skeins. For one pair of socks you’ll need about 400 yards – which is usually 100 grams (3.5 ounces) – so get two skeins if the yarn comes in 50 gram (1.75 ounce) skeins. This is plenty of yarn for calf-length socks for average-sized feet. Obviously you’ll need more yarn for larger feet or taller socks and less yarn for smaller feet or shortie socks. But 400 yards is a good general starting place for most people.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these affordable sock yarn options and where you can find them. The list is divided into two basic categories – sock yarns that you can find at some ‘big box’ stores (craft stores like Michaels or other stores like Walmart) and online affordable options. I’ve also included a few yarns that are just outside the suggested price range, for those who want to splurge just a little bit.

And, while you can certainly knit socks with all of these yarns, sock yarn is also a great choice for accessories like shawls and hats. I’ve included a short list of books at the end with some ideas for more knitting projects that feature versatile sock yarns.

Affordable Sock Yarns at Big Box Stores

The following sock yarns can be found at many of your local retail stores (like WalMart or Michaels) where you can find yarn and craft items for sale. They range from solid colors to stripes and even some self-patterning options. To save even more money, wait for sales and coupons from your favorite local retailers.

➣ Yarnspirations

Red Heart Heart & Sole

Red Heart is a classic big-box store staple and their Heart & Sole line is a great addition to their offerings. The various options come in solid colors as well as self-patterning and variegated colorways. Each 50 gram (1.75 ounce) skein has 187 yards of fingering weight yarn in a machine-washable wool and nylon blend.

Get the yarn: Red Heart Heart & Sole

➣ Yarnspirations

Patons Kroy Socks

Patons has lots of great big-box options – including a budget-friendly sock yarn in a variety of colors – including solid colors, stripes, and self-patterning. It’s a blend of superwash wool and nylon in 50 gram (1.75 ounce) skeins (166 yards per skein).

Get the yarn: Patons Kroy Socks

➣ Michaels

Loops & Threads Perfect Pair

Perfect Pair from Loops & Threads is a great, budget-friendly, big-box store option for sock knitting. Each 100-gram (3.5 ounce) skein has 454 yards of yarn (plenty for a pair of socks). The different colorways knit up in a variety of striped patterns. And, for those who don’t like wool, this yarn is a blend of acrylic, polyester, and rayon.

Get the yarn: Loops & Threads Perfect Pair

Shopping Online for Budget-Friendly Sock Yarns

If you’d rather do your shopping online there are even more great options for affordable sock yarns. And, like the others listed above, these all cost less than $15 for 400 yards of yarn (plenty of yarn to knit a pair of socks).

➣ Knit Picks

Knit Picks Stroll

The Stroll sock yarn from Knit Picks is one of my favorite sock yarns. It’s very soft (superwash merino wool) but still durable (with added nylon). Each skein is 50 grams (1.75 ounces) with 231 yards. It comes in a wide variety of solid colors so you can mix and match to your heart’s content and make stripes, do stranded color work, or knit contrasting heels and toes.

If you like the hand-dyed look, their Stroll Handpainted and Stroll Tonal lines are a great option (and fits within our $15 budget!) in a 100 gram (3.5 ounce) hank with 462 yards of yarn in some beautiful colors. And, just above our budget is their Stroll Gradient yarn with 458 yards in a 100 gram (3.5 ounce) cake featuring bold hues that slowly fade from one color to another within each skein.

Get the yarn: Knit Picks Stroll

➣ Knit Picks

Knit Picks Felici

Along with their Stroll sock yarn, Knit Picks also offers a fun self-striping line of yarns – their Felici line. Also like the Stroll line, it’s a blend of superwash merino wool (so soft!) and nylon in a 50 gram (1.75 ounce) skein with 218 yards. Each of the colorways features an interesting blend of self-striping colors – from bright and bold to more subtle and subdued.

Get the yarn: Felici Sock Yarn

➣ Knit Picks

Knit Picks Hawthorne

Knit Picks has even more to offer sock knitters with their Hawthorne line – all of which are a blend of superwash highland wool and nylon in some beautiful hand-dyed colors. Hawthorne Fingering Multi is a blend of beautiful variegated colors. The Kettle Dye yarns comes in a wide range of colors that all feature that tonal, kettle dyed look. The Speckle Hand Painted is a fun addition with subtle multi-coloured speckled yarns. And the Tonal Hand Painted features more subtle color choices. All the yarns in this line include 357 yards in a 100 gram (3.5 ounce) hank.

Get the yarn: Hawthorne Fingering Multi – Kettle Dye – Speckle Hand Painted – Tonal Hand Painted

➣ Cascade Yarns

Cascade Heritage

Cascade Yarns, famous for their 220 line, has an affordable sock yarn as well. It’s a blend of superwash merino wool and nylon in a 100 gram (3.5 ounce) skein with 437 yards and in more than 50 different solid colors. They also have their Wave and Prints line that features marled and self-patterning yarns in the same yarn base.

If you want to go just a bit over budget, check out their Cascade Heritage Silk yarn (just the same as the yarns above but it uses silk instead of nylon) in a beautiful range of solid colors.

Get the yarn: Cascade Heritage Solids

➣ Webs

Valley Yarns Huntington

Valley Yarn is the in-house yarn line for Webs with a beautiful and affordable range of yarns including Huntington, their sock yarn. Huntington is a blend of superwash merino wool and nylon and comes in a variety of solid colors. Each 50 gram (1.75 ounce) hank has 218 yards of yarn.

Get the yarn: Valley Yarns Huntington

➣ Paintbox yarns

Paintbox Yarns Socks

Paintbox Yarns is a great affordable yarn line features a sock yarn that’s a blend of wool and nylon. Each skein is 427 yards in 100 grams (3.5 ounces). They come in a variety of speckled and self-patterning colors.

Get the yarn: Paintbox Yarns Socks

➣ Universal Yarn Co.

Wisdom Yarns Allegro

The Allegro line from Wisdom Yarns is another great choice for those that need or want to avoid wool. It’s a machine-washable blend of acrylic and polyester in speckled and self-patterning colors. Each 100 gram (3.5 ounce) skein has 470 yards of yarn.

Get the yarn: Wisdom Yarns Allegro

➣ LoveCrafts

MillaMia Naturally Soft Sock

MillaMia’s Naturally Soft Sock is a 50 gram (1.75 ounce) skein of soft wool and nylon yarn with 219 yards per skein. The colors include a selection of soft and muted shades.

Get the yarn: MillaMia Naturally Soft Sock

➣ Schachenmayr

Regia 4-Ply

The Regia 4-Ply yarn comes in a 100 gram (3.5 ounce) skein of washable virgin wool and nylon in a variety of solid and semi-solid colors with 459 yards per skein. The Regia 4-Ply Color line features some variegated and self-patterning color options.

If you want to move just outside our $15 price cap, take a look at Regia Pairfect – a self-striping yarn that produces a pair of identical socks.

Get the yarn: Regia 4-Ply – Regia 4-Ply Color

Sock Knitting Tips & Advice

Here’s a little more information about knitting socks – what to look for in good sock yarn, what yarn weights you should look for, and more sock knitting tips.

What yarn is best for knitting socks?

Sock yarns often come labelled as ‘sock yarns’ that are appropriate for socks but that’s not always the case. If you’re not sure, look for yarn that has added nylon for extra durability. Superwash wool is often used because it’s washable but still soft, durable, and, because it’s wool, has great natural elasticity – which is important for socks to stay put!

What weight yarn is best for socks?

When it comes to yarn weight – there are actually two different things to look at. First is the actual weight of the skein. Sock yarn generally comes in 50 or 100-gram (1.75 or 3.5 ounce) skeins – the weight of the one individual skein.

But weight can also refer to the thickness of the actual strand of yarn. And, for sock yarn, this category is referred to as Super Fine 1 (as set by the Craft Yarn Council Standard Yarn Weight System). Yarns in this category have a gauge of 27-32 stitches in 4 inches on US 1-3 knitting needles (2.25-3.25 mm needles).

Of course, you can knit a pair of socks using any weight of yarn – even bulky. But, for socks that will fit inside your shoes, stick to fingering, sock weight yarn.

How many grams of yarn do you need to knit socks?

For calf-length socks on an average-sized foot, you will need 100 grams/3.5 ounces (about 400 yards) of sock weight (Super Fine 1 CYC). For larger feet or taller socks you’ll want more yarn. For smaller feet or shortie socks you can use less yarn.

Sock yarn usually comes in 50-gram (1.75 ounce) or 100-gram (3.5 ounce) skeins so you will need to purchase two 50-gram skeins or one 100-gram skein to knit one pair of average sized socks.

What size knitting needles do I need for knitting socks?

If you’re using fingering, sock weight yarn, you will need 2.25-3.25 mm knitting needles. The equivalent US sizes would be 1-3.

Since socks are knit in the round, you will need needles that let you knit in this way:

Recommended Knitting Books

If you want to knit more than socks with your stash of sock yarn, check out these books:

More Tips for Knitting on a Budget