Barbara Kelly-Landry's Ultimate Icelandic Hiking Socks are thoughtfully designed for comfort and durability. Photos by Matt Graves
The Spin Off editorial staff is pleased to offer a special end-of-year surprise for our subscribers—a strong yet soft pair of knitted socks to keep your toes toasty on even the coldest of days. We are grateful for you, dear reader, and we hope you’ll find joy in the act of spinning and knitting as the calendar turns over to a new year!
Spin Off subscribers can find the full pattern by following the link at the bottom of the page.
—Editors
As someone who became a knitter before I started spinning, I have a drawer full of handknit socks. Yet, I’ve only made one pair of handspun socks. It’s not about the time invested. I don’t think anything of spending sixteen hours (or more!) knitting a pair of socks, and almost always have a pair on the needles. It might be about the wear and tear—out of all my knit garments, socks are the ones that wear out the fastest!
Barbara Kelly-Landry’s Ultimate Icelandic Hiking Socks have the answer. Kelly-Landry takes advantage of the dual coat of Icelandic sheep by separating the two types of fibers and using each to its greatest advantage. The tog, or outercoat, is long and strong–perfect for those areas of socks that tend to show wear more quickly, like the toe and heel. The thel, or innercoat, is soft and warm—perfect for the rest of the foot.
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The Spin Off editorial staff is pleased to offer a special end-of-year surprise for our subscribers—a strong yet soft pair of knitted socks to keep your toes toasty on even the coldest of days. We are grateful for you, dear reader, and we hope you’ll find joy in the act of spinning and knitting as the calendar turns over to a new year!
Spin Off subscribers can find the full pattern by following the link at the bottom of the page.
—Editors
As someone who became a knitter before I started spinning, I have a drawer full of handknit socks. Yet, I’ve only made one pair of handspun socks. It’s not about the time invested. I don’t think anything of spending sixteen hours (or more!) knitting a pair of socks, and almost always have a pair on the needles. It might be about the wear and tear—out of all my knit garments, socks are the ones that wear out the fastest!
Barbara Kelly-Landry’s Ultimate Icelandic Hiking Socks have the answer. Kelly-Landry takes advantage of the dual coat of Icelandic sheep by separating the two types of fibers and using each to its greatest advantage. The tog, or outercoat, is long and strong–perfect for those areas of socks that tend to show wear more quickly, like the toe and heel. The thel, or innercoat, is soft and warm—perfect for the rest of the foot. [PAYWALL]
An Icelandic lock (left) can be easily pulled from each end to separate the longer hair (center) from the shorter, softer undercoat (right).
Luckily, these two types of fiber are easy to separate in an Icelandic fleece. Simply grasp each end of a lock in your hand, and tug. The long tog will easily separate from the short thel. You can also place the shorn edge of the lock on the teeth of a handcard or flicker and tug the tog away. The thel will remain on the carding cloth.
For this project, you don’t need to be concerned with dividing the fibers precisely. As Kelly-Landry notes: “you end up with tog that has some remaining thel, and vice versa, but we were satisfied that each batch of fiber was dominant in the characteristics we wanted for each yarn.”
Icelandic wool fiber, yarn, and knit swatches. The darker fibers are the tog, while the lighter fibers are the thel.
For maximum strength and durability, the tog is spun as a three-ply yarn, while the thel is spun as a two-ply for maximum comfort. The pattern is written so that it is easy to unpick the heel section and re-knit it once it shows signs of wear—no darning needed! And according to the author, the Latvian braid was a
decorative addition with a practical application: The braid provides a slight tightening at the top of the sock to aid the ribbing in keeping the sock from slipping
down the leg.
While it may look complicated, the Latvian braid is simple to do. Learn the steps in less than a minute with this video!
Video by Pamela K. Schultz
Ultimate Icelandic Socks pattern and spinning notes PDF
These thick and comfortable socks promise to be the perfect hiking companion, and will be a staple of your handspun, handknit sock drawer for years to come. Head to the Library for the Ultimate Icelandic Socks pattern and spinning notes.
Resources
To learn more about double-coated sheep, be sure to check out Dr. Annamarie Hatcher's Spin OffWinter 2025 article, "Wool or Hair: Should Handspinners Care?"
Pamela K. Schultz is the content editor for Spin Off. She spins, weaves, knits, and gardens in coastal North Carolina.
An Icelandic lock (left) can be easily pulled from each end to separate the longer hair (center) from the shorter, softer undercoat (right).
Icelandic wool fiber, yarn, and knit swatches. The darker fibers are the tog, while the lighter fibers are the thel. 