Woolen Socks

Dutch "Goat Wool" Socks.

When wearing clogs it is wise to do this in combination with thick woolen socks. The woolen socks provide a soft padding and enhance the insulating effect of the clog. The traditional name of the Dutch woolen socks is "goat wool socks". This is strange, because the socks are not made of goat wool. Goats have short hairs that grow slowly, this is too expensive to make socks out of. The "goat wool" socks are mainly made of sheep and alpaca wool.

History of Dutch Woolen Socks.

The goat wool socks were often knitted by rural women in the countryside. Not all farmers had sheep. This was not a problem, because the farmer's wife could easily buy the raw wool herself. When there was no money available for socks, than a handful of straw was a reasonable substitute of a wool sock.

Goat Wool Sock "types"

Goat wool socks are not only associated with farmers in the Netherlands. There is even talk of "goat wool socks types". These are left-wing environmentally conscious ecological people. Since it is becoming more and more normal to be sustainable, the goat wool sock slowly loses its dusty image. It is actually strange that the woolen sock is seen as a symbol of sustainability, because producing wool is actually not that sustainable at all. First of all, the sheep need space to graze, they produce methane through farts. And a lot of water is used in the processing of the raw wool. A good quality woolen sock can last much longer than a normal sock. A goat wool sock can often last for years. For this reason you could say that it is a sustainable product since you will wear several pairs of cotton socks in the same time.