Can someone recommend a good starter sock yarn?

[bicentennial_baby]

Yes, I'm trying *again*.

Yarns at my LYS are:

* Araucania
* Art Yarns
* Artful Yarns
* Bernat
* Berroco
* Blue Heron
* Blue Sky Alpaca
* Brown Sheep
* Cascade
* Catalina Yarns
* Cherry Tree Hill
* Collinette
* Color & Weave
* Crystal Palace
* Debbie Bliss
* Fiesta
* Filatura di Crosa
* Harrisville
* Himalaya Yarn
* Indiecita
* Interlacements
* Jaegar
* Jo Sharpe
* K1C2
* Karabella
* Lana Grossa
* Lang
* Lion Brand
* Luisa Harding
* Malabrigo
* Mango Moon
* Manos del Uruguay
* Mission Falls
* Misti Alpaca
* Mountain Colors
* Nashua Hand Knits
* Noro
* Norwegian Spirit
* Plymouth
* Red Heart
* Reynolds
* Rowan
* Sirdar
* Steadfast Fibers
* Tahki Stacy Charles
* Trendsetter

[Warpy]

1. I spin my own

but for durability's sake, you'll want a tightly spun light weight yarn. That baby weight stuff isn't going to do it, and the worsted sweater yarn will feel lumpy to your feet, and both will wear very poorly.

I usually over twist yarn I use for socks. It makes it a little lot more difficult to work with, but the tighter spin also helps them wear a little longer.

Should I say I absolutely loathe darning socks?

If you can find a wool-nylon blend with a firm twist, that probably will do about the best.

[Greybnk48]

2. I started with Bernat because it was inexpensive

and I assumed I was going to have problems. I still use it for some baby socks since it goes into the washer and dryer (something my daughter insists on with a newborn). The nicer socks are for when they're older. I also like Lana Grosso and Jeager, but they're pretty expensive to be learning on IMO.
Have fun!! I love knitting socks.

[China_cat]

3. I'd look more for the fiber content than the brand.

As said elsewhere, a wool/nylon blend...superwash wool, wool/nylon/elastic blends (these are especially super, they feel good and you can have a bit more fiddle room in the size)

[eridani]

5. Wool scares me off. It itches like crazy

Non-itch stuff seems to have durability problems, though.

[KatyaR]

4. Cherry Tree HIll, Interlacements, and Mountain Colors make very good sock yarn.

Lion Brand has some new sock yarn that is really nice, but I haven't seen it in the stores yet--I ordered mine online from their website. It's around $10 a skein (enough for a pair), so it's a great value compared to the higher-end yarns.

My first socks were made of Lion Brand Woolese with size 6(?) needles. The larger yarn was good to work with as a beginner.

Handmade socks are the best! I consider them tiny works of art.

[knitter4democracy]

6. For a starter pair, get a DK or sportweight yarn.

Wool's your best option, but go by feel, as these will be slipper/boot socks to learn on. Use size 3 or 4 needles with the yarn so you can see what you're doing and figure out the heel and such better with fewer but bigger stitches to make it easier. I've done this when teaching a socks class, and it seems to work best. Once you have a pair in DK weight down, the smaller needles and lighter-weight yarns will be easier to deal with.

Which methods have you tried? Which heels? If you want, I can write up a pattern for you or just send you my free one. I also highly recommend Ann Budd's Knitters Handy Book of Patterns and that Sensational Socks book so that you can make sure they fit at any gauge.

[CraftyGal]

7. My favorites are

Regia (need 2 skeins for a pair of socks)

Cascade Cotton Fixations (DCScripts)

Socks that Rock (DCScripts)

CraftyGal

[murphymom]

8. Another tip

For your first pair, try picking a yarn in a light or bright color rather than something really dark. It's a lot easier to see what you are doing.