We recommend you wash Capricorn Mohair Socks on a warm wash cycle in a washing machine at 40 degrees Celsius, or hand wash. Do NOT tumble dry.

A few simple habits will keep your socks in good shape for years. Turning them inside out before washing helps clear away the grit and dead skin that collects on the inside after a long day on the hills. It's the trapped debris, more than the walking itself, that wears socks out. Wash them with similar colours, and use a mild, non-biological detergent. Biological powders contain enzymes designed to break down protein, and because mohair is a natural protein fibre, over time those enzymes can do the same to your socks.


To dry them, reshape gently and lay them flat or hang them somewhere airy, away from direct heat. Avoid draping them over a radiator or popping them near the fire to speed things up. The reason we say no to tumble drying is the same reason we'd steer you away from radiators as mohair doesn't like high heat combined with agitation. That combination causes the fibres to shrink and felt together, and once that's happened there's no undoing it. A little patience at the drying stage is what keeps a good pair of mohair socks going for season after season.

It's very unlikely, but as a precaution we'd suggest washing your socks separately for the first few washes, just in case. After that they're fine to go in with everything else.

Our socks are knitted in Leicester and dyed in Leeds, with the colour fixed firmly into the fibre, so colour run is rare. That said, natural fibres like mohair can release a little surplus dye in the first wash or two. It's normal for quality dyed wool and mohair, not a sign anything's wrong. To be safe, wash new socks separately, or with similar dark colours, for the first few washes. After that, pop them in with the rest of your load without a second thought. Worth knowing: the biggest cause of colour fading isn't run at all, it's washing too hot and drying on a radiator. A 40 degree wash and drying flat keeps the colour richer for longer.

Not normally. Follow the washing instructions, a 40 degree wash and NO TUMBLE DRYING and your mohair socks will hold their shape and size wash after wash.

Mohair socks only tend to shrink when they're exposed to the two things natural fibres dislike most, high heat and heavy agitation. Get those wrong and the fibres can felt together and tighten up, which is what people usually mean when they say wool or mohair has shrunk.

To dry, reshape gently and lay them flat or hang them somewhere airy, away from radiators and direct heat.

Capricorn mohair socks will keep their fit and feel for years. One of the advantages of a quality UK-made sock over cheaper synthetic ones.

Don't panic, simply soak them in hair conditioner. It relaxes the fibres and lets you gently reshape the socks back towards their original size. Any cheap conditioner will do the job.

Fill a bowl or sink with lukewarm water, stir in a generous squeeze of hair conditioner, and pop the socks in to soak for around 30 minutes. There's a bit of science behind it. Mohair, like your own hair, is a natural protein fibre, and the conditioner coats the fibres and relaxes them, easing apart the scales that have tightened up in the heat.

Once they've soaked, lift them out without rinsing too aggressively, and gently ease and stretch them back into shape while they're still damp. Then lay them flat to dry, away from radiators and direct heat.

As a former shepherd, this is a hard one for me to answer honestly, because I've a lot of time for a good fleece. But the key thing to understand is that mohair isn't actually a wool at all, it's a hair taken from the Angora goat, and that difference is where its advantages come from.

Being a hair, mohair is a straight fibre, whereas wool is naturally crimped and wavy. That straightness matters more than you'd think. It means mohair holds very little moisture, so it wicks sweat away from the skin and dries quickly rather than staying damp against your foot.

It's also remarkably hard-wearing; mohair is famously strong for its weight, with some people claiming a fibre is stronger than steel of the same diameter, which gives your socks real longevity. On top of that it's naturally soft against the skin and genuinely breathable, staying comfortable across a wide range of temperatures.

The itch people associate with wool comes largely from coarse, crimped fibres and their tendency to prickle against the skin. Mohair is different. As a smooth, straight hair rather than a wool, it sits more softly against the foot, which is why most people find mohair socks comfortable to wear next to the skin and why the fibre carries such a luxurious reputation.

Here's something worth knowing from experience. When there is a reaction, it's often not the fibre at all, it's the dye. If you know you've sensitive feet or react to certain fabrics, we'd point you towards our cream socks, which are left completely undyed. With the dye taken out of the equation, they're about as kind to sensitive skin as a sock can be, while still giving you all the moisture-wicking and durability that makes mohair so good underfoot.

Mohair is one of the most durable natural fibres you can put on your feet. As a straight, smooth hair it's remarkably strong for its weight and resists the wear and abrasion that quickly thins out cheaper socks, so a well-looked-after pair will happily last a number of years rather than a single season. That durability is a big part of why mohair socks work out better value than they first appear, as you purchase far fewer pairs over time.

How long yours last comes down partly to how you treat them. The socks that wear out early are almost always the ones washed too hot, tumble dried or dried on a radiator, all of which are hard on natural fibres. Stick to a 40 degree wash, dry them flat away from direct heat, and turn them inside out before washing to clear the grit that grinds away at the fibres from the inside. Do that and there's every chance you'll be walking in the same pair years from now.

It's a fair question, and one we see raised online now and then, so we're always happy to answer it honestly. The biggest single reason is that our socks are made in the UK. That means the people who knit and finish them earn a decent, honest wage for a hard day's work, and that's something we'll support until the end of time. UK manufacturing also comes with legislation that protects those workers, and if doing right by people nudges the price of production up, that's a trade-off we're wholeheartedly behind.

We've all seen the images and videos of how some clothing is made overseas, and frankly, we want no part of that at Capricorn. We'd rather charge a fair price for something we're proud of than shave a few pounds off by cutting corners we couldn't live with.


Then there's the fibre itself. Mohair is a premium natural material that costs more than the synthetics and cheaper wools used in budget socks, but it earns its keep, it wicks moisture, resists wear and stays comfortable across the seasons. Add in genuine durability, and the value equation shifts: a pair that lasts several years works out cheaper over time than repeatedly replacing worn-out socks bought by the multipack.

So while they're not the cheapest socks on the shelf, we'd argue they're some of the best value once you look past the initial price.

Mohair is also naturally breathable and, in a lighter sock, pleasantly cool to wear. That combination of moisture management, breathability and odour resistance is why we'd happily recommend mohair for summer walking, travelling in hot climates, or simply everyday wear when the weather warms up. The same fibre that keeps you warm in winter is quietly keeping you cool in summer it's a proper all-rounder. If you're building a year-round sock drawer, our range covers everything from lighter trainer socks to heavier walking socks.

Our Skye Summer Sock was launched last year, this shorter sock is the perfect trainer sock for those warmer days.

Mohair earns its reputation because it brings together qualities you don't often find in a single fibre. The first is softness. Mohair is smooth and lustrous, without the prickle people associate with coarser wools, which is why it's so often used in high-end knitwear and premium socks. It feels good against the skin from the very first wear.

The second is durability. Unlike many fibres, mohair doesn't crush, mat or pill, so it holds its shape and surface far better over time. That resistance to wear is exactly what you want in a walking sock It means the sock keeps performing and looking good walk after walk, rather than thinning and bobbling after a few outings. It's a big part of why a good pair lasts years rather than months.

The third is that it stays fresh. Because mohair is a smooth hair with none of the scales you find on ordinary wool, it holds almost no moisture, and with no moisture soaking into the fibre, there's nothing for odour-causing bacteria to feed on. So even after a long day on your feet, mohair socks tend not to smell. Add in its natural breathability and the way it wicks sweat away to keep feet dry, and you've a fibre that's genuinely comfortable across the seasons.

No it is not.

Alpaca comes from the animal it gets its name from, where Mohair comes from Angora Goats.

Alpaca fibre is thinner, which it makes it less durable and cheaper to produce.

This is a common question, is Angora and Mohair the same?

Angora wool comes from Angora rabbits, while Mohair comes from Angora goats.

People often call Mohair Socks goat socks. This is because manufacturers make them from the fleeces of Angora goats. We have a blog article all about goats socks.

Mohair has lots of strength and resistance to abrasion, but not much elasticity – so we add a special sort of nylon which augments the nylon but doesn’t detract from it’s benefits.

The fibres of sheep’s wool have scales on them, but mohair fibres are smooth so there is nowhere for foot bacteria to hide. No bacteria = No smell

The loose top Sussex style doesn’t have an elastic top, instead, they are ribbed to make them stay up. These socks also have a ‘linked toe’ in them to so you don’t have that horrible ridge under your toes. We sell lots of these socks to diabetics and people with circulation problems.

Being a hair, you could argue that it is more natural to wear mohair than wool from sheep. We have lots of customers with sensitive skin who wear our sock without any trouble. If you do have sensitive skin, why not try a pair of our cream-coloured socks, they are not dyed so are kinder and softer on your feet.

In the video below we look at the subject of sock sizes available.

Our standard sizes are (UK) –

4 – 7 – Small
8 – 10 – Medium
11 – 13 – Large