NEW: This yarn is slightly different than the original Ontario Sock yarn; it is finer and more tightly plied, and with different yardage. Please read on for details.

Ready to ship; please allow 4 business days for shipping.

Ontario Sock is an all-purpose fingering weight yarn that is produced entirely in Ontario*--exclusively for Alley Cat Yarns--using 75% single-flock Dorset sheep, and 25% adult mohair. It is tightly-spun of three plies for durability and for roundness to show off textured stitches.

Full Skein: 80 grams and 325 yards. This enough yarn to make a pair of socks at approximately 64 stitches on size 2.5mm needles for women's size 9.5 medium width (EU40-41), with a tall leg of 60 rows. This of course will vary based on gauge. If you think you need more yarn than 80 grams and 325 yards for your project, please purchase a second skein, or add a mini skein for matching or contrasting heels and toes.

Mini Skein (as available; check regular skein listings for this option): 20 grams and 90 yards. One mini skein makes heels and toes for one pair of socks. 

The Details:

• YES, this yarn is strong enough for socks! In fact, it's more durable than most commercially available sock yarns. Adult mohair replaces nylon for strength in this all-natural yarn.
  
• Dorset is a breed of sheep that has down type wool. This means the wool in this yarn is naturally resilient, elastic, durable, and felt-resistant. It's ideal for hard-wearing knits of all kinds, and is sometimes called "nature's superwash".
• Untreated, natural wool has all kinds of benefits. Wool is naturally:
  • dirt-resistant
  • anti-microbial
  • insulating
  • moisture-regulating
  • breathable
  • biodegradable
  • renewable
• Knitters and crocheters will appreciate that this yarn holds its shape; it has elasticity and memory so your projects don't stretch out.
• Caring for wool is easier than you think! Since wool is naturally dirt-resistant and anti-microbial, it only needs occasional cleaning. When cleaning is required, simply soak your item in tepid water with a wool-safe wash, roll or squeeze out excess moisture, and hang or lay flat to dry.

All of our yarns are carefully dyed with professional wash-fast, and light-fast wool dyes. Dyes are fully set and rinsed clear of the dye bath before yarn is dried and skeined. You may notice some light colour in the water when you soak your projects, and this can be due to differences in water pH or mineral content between your water source and ours, or from small amounts of dye shedding from wool scales in the case of untreated wool. This colour should be so minimal that it does not transfer in colourwork projects. Use cool water and vinegar in your first wash for best results, and never soak your projects in hot water.

If you plan to use very dark and very light colours together in the same project, make a swatch and wash it to test colourfastness --we will both sleep better at night if you do.

*Traceability: Dorset fibre from Revolution Wool Company in Wallenstein, Ontario; mohair fibre from Les Belles Bouclettes in Vankleek Hill, Ontario; milled at Wave Fibre Mill in Parry Sound, Ontario. Supplementary mohair from Mohair plus in Western Quebec was included for the first batch.