Wool socks are great for keeping you warm, and they continue to insulate quite well, even when wet. They’re a hiking staple.
But there are two issues:
- I'm sensitive to the itch and
- I don’t want to own/wash (and carefully air dry) a dozen pairs of wool socks
Turns out that you can get most of the benefit without actually having them directly on your feet, which solves both problems.
You can first put a pair of thin liners on if you’re on a hike (it’s nice to be able to wash and dry them easily and they’re great for blister prevention), but for normal winter-wear, I just slip my winter socks on over my usual cotton-blend socks (more info at Advice: Have all your socks be the same).
The good news is that for this, you don't have to worry very much about brand or quality, as long as they're mostly wool. They won’t wear out as quickly and their degree of scratchiness becomes a minor point.
Essentially they're working more as an extra layer of insulation in your shoe or as a not-very-sophisticated slipper.
Note: I actually have a wishlist item related to this, which is that I don’t see why most winter socks are generally tall and tight. My #1 most visited page is Socks that don't leave marks on your ankles/calves (who would’ve guessed that I’d have so many strong opinions about socks?!) so I know I’m not alone in being bothered when my ankles are restricted.
But one nice thing about layering socks like this is that they don’t have to fit particularly well, and they since they need to be large enough to comfortably slip over your liners or regular socks, I usually get wool socks that are at least one size too big, and I get them in “quarter” height, which ends up being just fine. These are a favorite:
I also have a recommendation for glorified slipper-socks that I wear indoors all winter, especially when traveling: Best Slippers (for lounging & travel)