LOCAL MERINO

Our Tablelands Collection socks, accessories and apparel are made from great quality, locally-grown fine merino fleece.  

WoolConnect growers selectively breed their sheep and carefully class each fleece at shearing to produce wool of a consistent quality and to suitable specifications. 

The finer micron and merino characteristics give these socks an even softer next-to-skin feel than our Heritage Collection. At a fiber diameter of 18.5 micron, this yarn is about as fine as you would go in making a product like socks, as they must retain their durability. 

A low percentage of nylon is also added to provide strength to our Tablelands Collection socks.

MERINO WOOL

Our Heritage Range socks include merino wool, sourced from Victoria, Australia. The wool maintains a high comfort factor, while still being very hard-wearing. 

These socks are knitted from yarn made up of medium merino fibers to an average of 22.5 micron, with a slightly higher percentage of nylon added for strength than in our Heritage and Luxury Collections.

LOCAL ALPACA

The Alpaca yarn used in our Luxury Range is sourced from Alapca Ultimate in southern NSW, Australia.

Alpaca fiber is similar in structure to wool from sheep, however due to the lower profile of the scales on each individual fiber, alpaca fiber tends to have a much softer feel than sheep wool fibers of a comparable micron.

Alpaca has great insulating qualities. In certain breeds of alpaca, the fibers possess a natural crimp like sheep wool. This has the effect of creating tiny air pockets within the spun yarn and the knitted garment which insulates the wearer. Alpaca is a hollow, or partly hollow, fiber. This not only increases its insulating capacity, but also means it is good at wicking moisture and makes it very light weight when compared to sheep wool. 

The low-profile scales on the outer surface of alpaca fibers can mean that it doesn’t interlock with other fibers as well as sheep wool when spun into yarn. This can mean it is slightly more prone to wear than our sheep wool products, however we balance that by blending it with merino wool and silk, and it is more than made up for, in warmth and softness.

COTTON

In addition to merino wool socks, our Heritage Collection also includes cotton socks. 

Cotton is grown both as a cellulose fiber and a food crop, with cottonseed oil being used in cooking, soaps and cosmetics, and many stock feeds utilising the cottonseed meal as a high protein ingredient for animals. 

As a clothing fiber, cotton has many favourable properties. It is soft to feel, breathable, renewable, has good strength and absorbency. Cotton can absorb up to 27 times its own weight in water and becomes 20% stronger when wet. Cotton garments will feel wet, however, unlike woollen garments. 

Many people are familiar with wearing cotton socks. They have been a favourite for decades for many reasons such as the soft next-to-skin feel and ease of care. They are certainly more common on the market than wool or alpaca socks as cotton is relatively inexpensive to grow and process. This difference in cost can be balanced by the fact that cotton socks will usually wear out faster than woollen socks.

NYLON

Nylon is a polyamide fiber, first created in 1938 and utilised initially in the hosiery industry as a strong and inexpensive alternative to silk. 

In socks, nylon’s abrasion resistance is a particularly important attribute. Adding a small amount of nylon can significantly prolong the life of a pair of socks, which means far less waste is generated. 

At Lindner Socks, we aim to keep the nylon content in good balance with the natural fiber, so that the benefits of both are maximised and we can deliver comfortable, long-lasting socks to our customers. 

Nylon remains a common synthetic fiber in the clothing industry today, and using it in conjunction with natural fibers can add strength and elasticity to a garment whilst maintaining all of the great properties of the natural fiber. 

Some characteristics of nylon that make it so useful include exceptional strength, elasticity, abrasion resistance, lustre, ease of washing, resistance to damage from oils and chemicals, ability to take dye, resilience, lightweight and low moisture absorbency.

HEMP

We have added a small percentage of hemp fiber to our Merino + Hemp socks, for added strength, as an alternative to nylon.

This means that once the socks are no longer repairable they can be composted, without leaving a trace of microplastics.

Hemp is a strong and durable natural fiber, which has thermoregulating and antimicrobial properties.

Our hemp sliver is sourced from Fibre Arts Shed in Jilliby, NSW, Australia.