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.