I saw some nice alpaca socks at the farmers market. anyone ever try them? Are they as warm as they claim? Should I spurge the $30 a pair?
They look like they are thin enough to wear in my tall boots.
thanks
1 Like
I don’t know about alpaca socks but I bought some cashmere socks at Tuesday Morning and they are awesome. Soft and warm.
I’d say try smartwool first, and you’ll probably be very happy. If those don’t suit you, maybe an upgrade would be worth the $$$. 
OK, knitter here. Alpaca is incredibly warm. But I am suspecting that it probably not very durable unless spun with nylon and possibly not even then. That goes double for the cashmere. Hope you weren’t planning on wearing those for everyday, bird4416. The alpaca was probably hand spun if you saw them at a farmers’ market, so no nylon.
Hard wearing, warm socks are best made of a fine wool with nylon spun in. I have some handknits going into their 3rd year of once a week wear. They make great boot socks for paddocks, probably not for tall boots though, as they aren’t long enough.
4 Likes
I love the warmth and comfort of alpaca socks but I have yet to find a pair that stays up on my feet.
I hate it when socks slide down.
So far, Smart wool socks have stayed put.
2 Likes
I have some handspun alpaca socks. Those things are SO warm. Love them. I wear them over my regular socks and have had no problems with wearing them out.
2 Likes
Smart wool socks are very warm and somewhat reasonable. I have very cold hands and feet and they work great!
I adore mine.
Did a quick search on alpaca socks. ALL of the ones I could find commercially made had some nylon, lycra or GASP acrylic content to them. The sock yarn I found had the standard 20% nylon. This should make those wear like iron. I have some pure merino socks which are tres beautiful. They are not as hard wearing. And yeah, the yarn cost as much as the socks in question - some assembly required. :winkgrin: It was not only hand spun, but hand painted.
Most people that don’t knit find the thought of $30 socks unacceptable. I know I did. I now have an unbelievable stash of sock yarn. Took me awhile to put one in a barn boot though. And prices for the yarn alone range from $10 - $40. Worth every penny.
I say go for if you like the socks. Just be aware that they won’t last as long without the nylon. But they will outlast socks from Walmart. Be sure to ask about washing instructions. Because if they were handspun by an alpaca farmer, they CANNOT GO IN A WASHING MACHINE. The only possible exception is cold water in a lingerie bag in a front load.
Smartwool!! Feet will be nice and warm. You can put these in the wash, just no dryer.
Smartwool socks can go in the dryer; mine have for years with no problems. From Smartwool’s website:
For socks you can machine wash using cool or warm water and tumble dry low. Turn inside out, do not use bleach, do not iron and do not dry clean. We do not recommend using fabric softener because it coats the wool fibers reducing their ability to breathe with your body.
1 Like
thanks for all the replies. I do believe they had other fibers in them…lycra and polyester? or maybe it was nylon.
I will be back next Sat. and check them out a little closer…and have a chat with the fellow selling them.
Maybe I should inquire about raising Alpacas…since I can’t seem to sell any of my horses anymore :no:
1 Like
reducing their ability to breathe with your body
That’s interesting. I breathe with my lungs, not my feet.
3 Likes
Good to know about the dryer. Maybe it was the longjohns that said no dryer. I’m not going to trust my SO, who sometimes does the laundry, with my smartwool.
I love mine. I am a whimp in the cold and they keep my feet warm, sometimes too warm. I only wear them in really cold weather. $30 is a little high, but no shipping so you probably won’t find them much cheaper elsewhere. My neighbor (alpaca farm) sells them for $26 in her store and she buys them from elsewhere and re-sells them.
I bought my first pair of alpaca socks at Fair Hill International… they were only $18 (knee socks). I can’t wait to try them! $30 was more than any pair that they had at the booth.
I hate smartwool socks. When they were the only winter socks I could get, I would wear them, but my feet never stayed warm in them…they would sweat, and get cold. Hate them.
I am now wearing foxriver or woolrich, and much prefer them
As far as alpaca, I bought quite a few alpaca sweaters and socks when in Peru…it is the softest, warmest wool. Love it. Yes, I would splurge on 30 socks, but to stay warm in winter, cost is secondary. I freeeze!
1 Like
[QUOTE=deltawave;5178736]
That’s interesting. I breathe with my lungs, not my feet. :)[/QUOTE]
OkeyDokey then, remind me not to come near you when you are removing your boots from your non-breathing feet! :lol:
I bought some alpaca socks at an Alpaca farm near Pleasant Lake in New Hampshire at the end of this summer. They were only $10 and look wonderful. I haven’t worn them yet as it isn’t cold yet but I expect to get good use out of them when I get my LLBean boots out for the winter. If I love the socks, I’m getting more.
I knit and I am learning to spin (in addition to riding etc). At the fiber festival in Asheville last weekend there was a llamma, alpaca show. Some of the sales prices on these critters were amazing-you could never recoup the cost in wool out of them, so it must be the breeding and selling where you make the money. No wonder people are paying $20.00 plus for 4 oz of the wool (and I am a spinning newbie, so if it is called something other than “wool”, I am sorry for the gaff).
