Because each and every one of them is unique we will do the
“you buy them we’ll pick them” game (a favorite of mine!)
you get to choose between arcrylic…

or cotton (not very many cotton I’m afraid)…

you can tell us your preferred colors, give us about three options so we can pick from what we have. Some have bits, bobbles or fringe… regardless of what we send you we think you’ll love them. These Chimera Warmers were made right here in Portland by a friend of the one & only Tie Dye Eric, the woman’s daughter is a customer & fan and though she brought these to us before summer we’ve been drooling near them for months awaiting the perfect time to offer them up to our many friends with chilly hands!

I am 5’6.5”, 225lbs, 31-32 inch inseam,
hips 49in, 29in thigh, 19in calf, size 8.5 shoe.

So now we have them, and they fit me pretty dang good. They have more room in the waist than the regular size helping the waistband lay nice and flat.

Foot Traffic seems to have reinforced the weave from waist to about mid thigh and I’m thinking that will make them last longer. They are still nice and soft and stretchy. They fit my size and shape quite well. I would guess that a size or two above me would do well with them too depending on your shape and leg length.

The leggings fit me a bit differently than the tights. The leggings seem to me a bit smaller, not a ton, but a bit. The plus size legging also has the reinforced thigh and panty area as the tights but here it seems to effect the sideways stretch some and cause a slight dent in my thigh. But the waist band is great on these as well.

Charcoal is one of my favorite colors and am already planning out some nice fall skirt, sock, and legging/tights combos. I can’t wait for even more colors!

Another high end treat:
Orkney Angora leg warmers…

For years I ordered their anklets, knee highs & thigh high angora socks as well, but as they and they’re staff get older they have decided not to make those by hand anymore. Happily, they are still making us the wrist and leg warmers, though for how much longer I am uncertain. If there is still a strong enough market for $60 fuzzy warmth this winter I may bring in more colors, for now I stuck with the classics: black, brown, charcoal and olive…
Stay warm with us, and we’ll keep the comfy socks & warmers coming!

If you’re looking for a warm wool sock to keep your feet and legs warm this winter, get the Lambswool Turncuff OTK. These are a thick knit sock, reminiscent of old socks that your granny would knit by hand for you. At first they are a bit itchy and tight to get on, just as their page mentions, and they weren’t quite long enough for me to turn a cuff down. I don’t usually pull my socks up very tight, but in writing this review I realized they should be able to have a cuff turned over, so I tried to pull them up much higher and what a nice surprise! I got at least an extra 2-3 inches in height. Which I promtly turned into a cuff. Once I pulled them tight they easily came over 4 inches above my knee. I guess the fibers needed to *warm up* to become more agreeable. Amazing what happens when you pull your socks up isn’t it? ;)

Made from 72% wool and 28% nylon, I was a little worried about itchiness before I got them on. For testing I put one sock over a nylon to try and reduce the itch, while the other sock was worn on bare skin. The one on bare skin *warmed up* better and I was able to pull it higher than the other sock. Interestingly, the sock on bare skin stopped itching completely so the nylon under the other sock became unnecessary. In fact, it became uncomfortable as the toes on that foot got colder. Wool has the amazing ability to retain body heat. So, hey, let’s learn some about wool shall we? :)

edited from wikipedia.org:

Fibers with a fine crimp have many bends and usually have a small diameter. The number of bends per unit length along the wool fiber approximately indicates spinning capacity of the wool.

Because of the crimp, wool fabrics have a greater bulk than other textiles and retain air, which causes the product to retain heat. The amount of crimp corresponds to the thickness of the wool fibers. A fine wool like merino may have up to a hundred crimps per inch, while the coarser wools like karakul (a corser wool used mainly in Asia for rugs) may have as few as one to two crimps per inch. Wool possesses much greater ability to return to its natural length after being stretched than any artificial fiber.

~In water or steam, wool can stretch to about twice its length without breaking.
~It is difficult to ignite and has low flame spread and heat release properties. (A woollen rug has protected a horse from severe burns when his trailer caught on fire.)
~Wool has the power to readily absorb and give off moisture. It can for instance, absorb moisture up to one-third of its own weight. Synthetic fibers can only absorb 2-3 per cent of moisture before they begin to feel wet.
~Wool absorbs sound and reduces noise level considerably making it an ideal material to use in such places as concert halls to attain the best acoustics possible.
~The retention of moisture within the fabric prevents a build-up of static electricity.
~The tensile strength of wool gives it a very high resistance to flexing stresses. This feature enables wool to pass through severe processing without undue waste, and allows the manufacture of a durable fabric.
~Wool does not conduct heat, but acts as insulator to keep the body at an even temperature.
~Wool and sheep have not undergone any genetic modification. (Except Dolly the cloned sheep)
~Wool is generally a creamy white color, although some breeds of sheep produce natural colors such as black, brown, silver and random mixes.

So, wool is the perfect fiber for warm winter socks! I think the Lambswool Turncuff OTK are a fabulous sock! They’re long, beautifull and comfy cozy. I can see both men and women enjoying these socks. The marling is just gorgeous & the black has alot of blue in it. It’s quite beautifull. The feet fit my 6.5 feet just a touch loosely in the toes, so I’m thinking they’d fit a size 7-8ish perfectly. There’s big thick ribbing all the way down to the toes, yet the soles of the feet are a smooth knit, so you’re not walking on ribbing. Which can hurt after awhile.

After a washing they got even softer and more dreamy. But beware: because they are wool, heat and movement while wet will make these shrink up, so best to let them soak & dry flat. But they should also work well with wet stretching if any of you need to do that. These also stay up well too. They’re made by Hot Sox and come in 3 colours. At $17.00 a pair, it’s a wonderfull winter sock.

Now, to start our week…
two nice letters I found in feedback this morning:

Message:
I just received a variety of your socks/thigh highs from my hubby. I love the socks & your site and have added you to my bookmarks. I sense an addiction brewing ;)

Sincerely,
Rachel

Message:
Just found your site… where have I been. Thank goodness there are others who share my passion for socks. My faves are stripy ones – there used to be a store here in my town called Socks Appeal, but they have long since closed down, so I was left to scour the shelves during Halloween mostly to try to find some comforting socks… I had almost given up hope. Thank you again – soon to be a very loyal customer! :)

Malena

and an odd one…

where can I get info on mens floppy socks

thank you

Brian

Can anyone tell me what “men’s floppy socks” are exactly?

11/28/07 update, loose socks was what he sought.

Remember when you were little and you wanted to wear that tiara to the grocery store… or the football helmet to your Aunt Celia’s wedding? Remember how that one favorite thing to wear could change the mood of every adventure you had? These favorite things seemed to take on magical powers, and we got to be someone special each time we wore them.

Armwarmers and gloves are like that for me… The moment I put them on I feel special. I end up pointing much more than necesssary (which way did you want to go, this way? that way?… oh it’s over there… etc.) I tend to make grand sweeping gestures with my hands just to catch a glimpse of how these fun accesories accent what I feel is the second most expressive part of us all (our face being the first). My large hands feel prettier, more delicate… and don’t even get me started on the funky factor of anything that gets to hang out over your wrists with folds of fabric.

They are also most excellent for “squishing tall buildings”

These are perfect for holding the hand of someone you love

Now when you take something this cute and make it in plaid, it just can’t get any better than that.

I LOVE PLAID!

The Plaid arm warmers fit my larger hands just fine, they come mid way up my forearm all the way stretched out (but I like em scrunched up at the wrist). These are the sort of thing that look even better the more you wear em.

Sure these have a function… they can certainly help to keep you warmer on brisk days…

but for me, these are just pure magic fun! (I’m even wearing them while I’m typing this up… they ummm, really help with my typing… yeah, that’s it… wearing them helps with my typing) ;o)