Back in the 1978, I went with my Bob [my new fiance] into a shoe shop. He took off one shoe in order to try on a new one, and I was horrified and embarrassed - he had a HUGE hole in the heel of his sock! "Oh, they're all like this" he said blithely.
On returning to his place, I insisted on checking - and ended up darning all his socks. All TWENTY SEVEN of them!
[Mathematical Digression - Almond's Universal Law of Sock Mathematics states that "every man possesses an odd number of socks. Should he then discard an odd number, in an attempt to reduce the remaining socks into pairs, he will find that he still possesses an odd number"]
Take some wool, a needle, and a darning mushroom, and you're away! I even got a badge for darning in 1962 when I was a Brownie!
But things have changed nowadays...
Bob still buys his sox in multi-packs [easier to match up]
But they are nothing like the quality they used to be.
Instead of going into proper holes- the sort you can poke your toe/heel through, and the sort you can darn easily, now they just wear into thin patches.
Look at this one which Bob discarded last week...
I've put my hand inside so you can see it has a huge thin area, which is impossible to darn properly. So we have had to throw this one away. That is so wasteful and it irritates me. The only sox he has which are darnable are his this motorbike sox.
I am not sure why [as she was meticulous about her spellings usually] but my mother always spelled 'socks' as 'sox'
A friend of mine went back to the posh menswear shop where her husband had purchased sox the week before, only to have them go into holes almost immediately. "But your husband has obviously walked in these, Madam - and these ones are evening socks" We are still trying to work it out [did he mean 'bedsocks'?]
The whole thing is Darned Annoying!
Although my grandmother taught me to do beautiful darns....I don't do it any more. As you say, socks are almost impossible to darn..but if it was a toy to mend, I would. I have darned many a teddy in my time!
ReplyDeleteI was never any great shakes at darning, even as a Brownie, so I was glad when the throwaway sock came in!! Thankfully Mr. G is not heavy on his socks, and I have tamed them enough to huddle together in pairs in the washing machine! ;)
ReplyDeleteI rather think evening sock were meant to be worn with highly polished black leather shoes, and to take the occasional turn round a ballroom with a charming young lady, before returning her to her seat, and then propping up the bar!
I expect you do a lot of that! ;)
I can't believe you posted a photograph of my worn-out sock on the internet! Is nothing sacred? Where will it end? Holy (Wholly? Holey?) worn-out socks, Batman!
ReplyDeleteLol.
ReplyDeleteI've sewn socks like that (I'm a bit sad in a frugal way - ahem). You have to work it like tapestry! :)
Thanks for letting me know that those thin spots can't be patched! I have tried darning them before (I have a little darning egg). I didn't realize that it was just about impossible to do on this type of sock! :) Cute post title too.
ReplyDelete