Look Duncan, new sox!
Normally I don’t wear my handknit socks when I go out walking, because I’m very hard on socks and I can’t bear the idea of getting holes in the toes after all that work. I just keep them in the special handknit-sock basket on top of my dresser, and once in awhile I’ll pick out a pair to wear around the house, or around someone else’s house.
Handknit socks don’t make a whole lot of sense really. You spend $20 on the yarn and maybe 40 hours of your time to make something that you could buy for $3.97 at Zellers.
XUP and I talked about this one day. She couldn’t understand why anybody would do that. And on a purely logical level, I agree with her. It makes even less sense if, like me, you’re reluctant to even wear the socks because you’ve invested so much time and money in them.
But there’s just something about handknit socks. I can’t explain it. Everybody who knits socks knows what I mean. Right?
By the way, there’s a contest over at Wandering Cat Studios. You just have to pick out your favourite colourway from her succulent hand-dyed yarns, and you’ll be entered in the draw.
For a number of years, my Mother would knit everyone in the family (extended included) a pair of socks for Christmas. She no longer knits but I still wear those socks, which she is happy to mend when required. Mending – that’s something people don’t do much of anymore.
I love my hand knit socks.
Sassy, I WISH I had someone who knitted socks for me every Christmas. That’s so cool and something to look forward to. I imagine if I put a hole in one of the socks in September, I’d say to myself, “It’s okay, another pair are on the way in a couple of months!”. Zoom is working on a pair of socks for me now. She told me they won’t be ready until next winter. I CAN’T WAIT!
I am knitting myself my first pair of socks right now. It is definitely a luxury thing, since buying socks in much cheaper. But I think I will enjoy them. And wear them until they have holes in them. If I put that much work into them, they aren’t sitting in my drawer
I generally only wear my handknit socks around the house (and to bed when my feet are really cold), but that’s just because I find they bother the bottom of my feet if I do too much walking – it’s weird – maybe I have sensitive soles.
That said I’m wearing them at work right now, but that’s because I know I’ll be at my desk most of the day.
I don’t think I ever wore hand knot socks but I do rememer my gramma darning socks for my grandfather perhaps they were hand knit?
I did get new hand sweaters on a regular basis when I was young. Unfortunately wool has always made me really itchy so I did not appreciate them as much as my gramma would have liked. As I am now a crafter I do now appreciate the effort that went into these things I just wish they had been made with some other yarn.
$3.97 socks at Zellers: chances are they are synthetic fibres (made from oil), they were imported from far away, and they were made by poor workers in horrible working conditions who were paid puny wages. The way I see it, it makes perfect sense for you to make your own wool socks (bonus points if the wool is local!).
I absolutely wear my handknit socks. There is sometimes nothing better than knowing that beneath your business suit, you are wearing the most wonderful socks, and besides, they feel great!
All the work that goes into them aside, if they wear out, I can knit more. Besides, the more of them I have, the slower they will all wear out!
I am another ‘Lissa’ from the west coast. All of my knitting friends love their knitted socks. We knit a pair at a time, circular needles from the toe up, I think that is what you were doing Zoom. There truly is something about knitting a pair of socks that you actually finished. The other great thing about them is that you can keep them with you at all times and always have something to do while waiting or just relaxing. I highly recommend having at least two different pairs on needles at all time. SOCKS ROCK!!!
There is something truly sensual about wearing hand-knit socks. They hug your foot better, they fit better and they feel wonderful on your feet. My husband was not interested until I knit him a pair of socks. He wore them until they have big holes on the heel. Now he is waiting for 2 pairs to be replaced — they are the only ones he wears at home during the winter.
Many years ago (when I fell back into knitting) I thought the same about hand knitted socks. Then I made a couple of pairs to wear at work. I have not looked back!
After a few failures, I’ve come upon a recipe that works well for me – If the socks are to be worn often, make sure there is some nylon in the yarn. Use a smaller needle for the heel, bottom of the foot and toe and if I’m really nervous about those parts wearing out I also use a reinforcement thread.
Nothing beats the feeling of wearing something I made that fits and looks great!
And if you only knit a pair a year so be it! Wear them when YOU want as often as YOU want!
Totally know what you mean. There really is something special about them. I don’t think you can “get it” until you wear a pair.
Oh, and Zoom? Go put on your favorite pair. Yeah, right now. Wear them, wear them!
No one has ever knitted me socks. My life has been soooooooo depriiiiiiived…..
I love knitting and wearing hand-knit socks. I generally don’t wear cheap socks – I usually pay at least $15 for wool socks, summer and winter. It is a luxury my poor feet demand. It means that hand-make socks aren’t as much of a stretch.
I like them because I can carry them everywhere. I just keep them in my purse and haul them out in lines, etc, so they just occupy my hands while I’m doing something else, rather than become an activity all by themselves. But once I needed to get a pair done for my nephew’s birthday so they did become the activity I did all by itself and it drove me nuts. Took freaking forever.
I wear handknit socks every single day that isn’t too warm for them (with my crazy cold feet that’s July). Other socks just don’t fit my miniature ‘Fred Flintstone’ feet. Other socks don’t hug. Others socks aren’t so fun to look at.
I love handknit socks, but I also don’t wear them for walking much. I find that it makes the soles of my feet “vibrate” or something because of the thickness of the yarn, I suppose. So after a while my feet feel a bit sensitive or numb. But I love them!
I pretty much only wear handknit socks, except to the gym. For some reason, I wear sweat socks (maybe because I figure on sweating?) I love my socks. I try to make my family all socks for Christmas and birthdays and they love them. They feel good, last fairly long and are easily mendable. Darning socks is a lost art….
Absolutely, I wear my hand knit socks and I don’t care if they wear out. I save a little yarn from each pair to darn them if needed. I replenish my sock drawer every year and I knit a lot of socks for friends. Everyone I know gets a new pair on a birthday and Christmas. My husband also love his socks and wouldn’t be able to bear our winters without them…ciao
Not only do I wear them, but I want to wear nothing *but* them (except to the gym.) They’re so much more comfortable and durable than most other bought socks out there, and each pair holds the memories I knit into them.
My Mom has knit many socks for me over the years. I still have some that my grandmother made. They are the best, I wear nothing else. In the way of socks, that is.
I love to knit them and I wear them everyday. I don’t wear them during the summer, but September through June they are on my feet. When I finish a pair they are the ones I wear the next day. Love my knitted socks.
I concur – I like to wear handmade wool socks solidly as soon as the temperature goes below about 5.
I have made some bamboo ones for warmer temperatures.
(Cotton has not worked out for me so far, but will keep thinking about it.)
After about 4 years of knitting socks, now I have enough where I can rotate them well and not wear them out instantly.
enjoy your socks!
Handknit socks – the joy of making them AND the joy of wearing them!
Worth every penny…