Socko (recycled yarn socks from Leicestershire)

Socko is a Leicestershire brand of socks that blends recycled cotton with a few synthetics (from recycled plastic bottles and recycled fishing waste).

These socks are hand-finished and inspected for quality, sold in cardboard packaging. Choose from teal, coral or graphite (or mixed sets) or stripey or two-tone socks.

Nearly all socks contain a little elastane for stretch, so launder in a microfiber filter. If you don’t mind less stretch, buy 100% natural cotton socks.

Babies should not wear socks in warmer temperatures (including in cars), to help reduce risk of SIDS (same with hats). Read more at The Lullaby Trust.

Keep socks away from pets. They smell lovely to animal friends, but could cause constipation, choking or intestinal blockage.  Signs of sock ingestion are lethargy, vomiting, loss of appetite, a tender abdomen and difficulty pooping.

Each pair includes instructions (with colour-matched yarn) on how to darn socks in 10 minutes, to help stop the thousands of pairs of socks thrown away.

Socko socks are sold in three unisex sizes:

• Small (shoe size 4 to 6)
• Medium (shoe size 7 to 9)
• Large (shoe size 10 to 12)

If you are in between sizes, the founder recommends choosing the smaller size.

Sometimes you may find a bit of thread hanging out the top, this is typical in traditional sock production. Don’t pull it – just snip it off. This brand sometimes uses reclaimed wool, but there are visual symbols, to easily see which ones are vegan-friendly.