Not a specific yarn for argyle as far as I know, but there are several makes of wool dyed specifically for socks that give an imitation fairisle or stripes. Sirdar Town and Country (not sure if you can get this in the States), Regia (German I think, but available in the US), and Opal (also available in the US) come to mind. I also have an American book, "Yarns to Dye For" by Kathleen Taylor which tells you how to make your own self patterning yarns. The problem I can see with a yarn for argyle checks is that it would only work properly if your tension was exactly right so that the colour change came on exactly the correct stitch each time.
The reason I know this is that the other half of my life is involved with vintage and antique (yes, over 100 years old) circular sock knitting machines. At the moment we are organising the first UK convention for people who have or are interested in these machines, to be held in Bournemouth in November, but there has been an annual convention in the States for several years and also lots of local 'meets'. The yarns mentioned above make socks which appear to be rows of fairisle with plain colour stripes between, or all stripes, with no wool changing needed. I can now do a sock in an hour but should be able to get to a pair in less than an hour. I can also do argyle socks on these machines without special yarn, but this is slow as there is a lot of short row work instead of being able to crank round and round doing two or more rows a second. Still a lot quicker than hand knitting them though. Lace content so it's not OT anymore - I can also do simple lace patterns on them by transferring stitches between needles. If anyone is interested in knowing more about these machines I can bore you for hours! And if anyone knows anything about them, or has any vague memories of them, I'd love to hear from you. Jacquie in Lincolnshire - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
