Why I knit socks
Yesterday Dianne (aka Quiltova) wrote me a comment ….
Dianne Neale Says:
March 24th, 2012 at 8:31 pm edit
I’m sorry but this question has been bubbling up inside me for ages now.
I think I need you to explain to me why you (and a million other people) knit socks. I knit too, but have never been struck by the desire to knit socks. They’re all very nice, but I just don’t get it! So please, tell me why?
Which got me thinking.
Here’s why …
- 1.Handknitted socks are like chicken noodle soup. They are comfort food for your feet. I never pull on a pair of delicious bright, smooshy, soft, cosy socks and don’t think aaaaaah. They instantly improve my day, calm me down and make me feel homely and content (which may or may not be a delusion, but for the twinkling of an eye it’s a very nice feeling!)
- 2. Socks have tricky bits (well, the heels mainly) although really they only look tricky. Once you get going you can do them in your sleep – but every time I look at a newly and nicely turned heel I have a sense of achievement – a ‘wow aren’t you clever’ pat on the back. The fact that nobody else notices is neither here nor there, as I knit them for my own pleasure and sense of achievement.
- 3. Socks are small and can be whipped up in next to no time. Unlike a sweater. They are also way more interesting to knit than scarves.
- 4. Socks are the one knitted garment that you can make with gay abandonment, irrespective of the colour. When you’re in a wool shop and looking with unfulfilled longing at luminous pinks, jazzy oranges or variegated yarns that make your eyes pop – things you’d love to buy and work with, but know you’d never have the nerve because they are too out there and in your face and wouldn’t co-ordinate with your wardrobe in a month of Sundays, then think again. Socks can be as outrageous as you like and it’s okay! This is hugely liberating!
- 5. Because they are small, socks are easy on the wallet and before long sock knitters accumulate a multicoloured yarn stash, which brightens your living space no end – a little like fabric, but it fits better into baskets!
- 5. Socks are immensely portable and can be popped into your handbag – although I did manage to snap several bamboo sock needles last time I took my knitting with me as I shoved some shopping in on top of them.
- 6. Handknitted socks make the perfect gift for half the population. The other half see them as the gift from hell, so it’s important you know who you are dealing with. I never give socks unless I’m sure they will be appreciated – there’s too much work in them for that.
- 7. Amazing as it may seem, there are endless variations of socks out there – you need never get bored knitting socks.
- 8. Of course handknit socks are a bit of a lifestyle item – they work for me because I work from home, live in the country, own an AGA and would raise chickens if I could. They are probably not your thing if you wear stilettos to a smart office every day and lots of skirts. Other than on your day off, if you spend those days in old sweats or your PJs.
- 9. Once you have worn a fabulous pair of hand-knit socks I defy you to ever go back to your old ways!
Can anyone add to my list? What did I forget? Are you tempted yet Dianne?
Helen
(PS. Yes, these are your socks Lindsay! I only modelled them for a minute though, and I did have clean feet!)
March 25th, 2012 at 10:50 am
Do you make them all summer in anticipation of the colder weather?
March 25th, 2012 at 11:19 am
You have tempted me but I am utterly useless at knitting. I have tried many times but I just.can`t.get.it!! Knitting per se just leaves me using lots of very bad expletives!
March 25th, 2012 at 11:25 am
Not a knitter here either. But I like your list of reasons because Dianne’s comment made me laugh yesterday. Good rebuttal!
March 25th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
Thanks Helen, I’ve wondered for a long time, and now I know! I think I’m beginning to see the light. I can identify with most of these. I’m always wanting something small and portable, but interesting to knit, I wear socks all the time, especially bright coloured ones, I don’t wear stilettos, and I get the same warm feeling from a comfortable pair of slippers! So I’m just going to have to give it a go! All I need now is a pattern and some wool and I’m raring to go! We’ll see if you’ve got a convert.
PS. I don’t have a raeburn, but if I start knitting socks, would that be a good enough excuse to get one?
March 25th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
All those reasons and more! Absolutely!
Expensive, gorgeous yarn? You don’t need much for socks, when the amount for a sweater would be prohibitively expensive. Or an opportunity to try a type of yarn (or colour) out.
You mentioned the cost – but also the care; I quite like having a batch of socks to rinse through by hand and drape to dry (though I do like the ones that happily go through the washer and dryer, too!). There’s a certain pride in knowing you can do that thing and produce something that looks really clever, I agree, Helen.
Another reason is tradition. Sock-knitting is an age-old skill and I like to be involved in keeping a tradition alive. I love history. My great-aunt/godmother knitted socks, albeit out of acrylic, and it makes me feel good to know I’m keeping a women’s skill going and passing it on to the next generation (my eldest daughter knits and appreciates socks!).
Last but not least for the moment, every Swiss man who has heard that I knit socks will enthuse about how they always loved wearing handknit socks the most and that there’s nothing like them… much to my surprise, young and old. As some of these men are not “mine”, I can only hope to inspire their womenfolk LOL!!
March 25th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Good morning Helen (at least it is morning on this side of the ocean), As a recent sock knitter I would add one more reason to knit to your list – it is relaxing!!! Something about knitting in the round with four needles is soothing – I’ve tried with the magic loop method and took a stab at the “two at a time” but went back to the old tried and true method. Having said that I feel inspired and will head out to the wool shop as soon as the rain stops.
I agree about them being far more interesting than scarves – it took me two years to finish one and only two weeks to finish a pair of socks.
March 25th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
Thanks Helen for this great list! And thanks to Dianne for the question. I admire every pair of socks you have made, they look wonderful and very comfy. I have knit socks some 20 years ago and found they didn’t stay up, how is your experience? (Socks that gather round the ankle are a real pet peeve of mine. I won’t buy Falke sensitive socks because of that “ohne einengendes Bündchen”.) Your answer might lure me into knitting socks again… 🙂
March 25th, 2012 at 5:28 pm
I have been wanting to make socks for a while, after I finish this long suffering sweater I am knitting. I fit the profile of hand knit sock wearer so I am in. Now, what pattern shall I start with?
March 28th, 2012 at 11:42 am
Wow – that’s a lot of reasons to knit socks! I am a bit of a rubbish knitter and I always assumed that socks were tricky and needed special needles so I have always avoided them. But as you say, they are much quicker to do than a big project so maybe it is the sort of thing I should try! Do they wash well? They certainly look comfy – and funky!
March 29th, 2012 at 10:43 pm
I confess to being an addict and completely empathise with your list. I agree with Mel and Carla’s additions too! I’ve got – let me count – 5 pairs on the go at the moment, different levels of complexity from vanilla to multi-cable, and all at varying stages, so there’s something to suit any mood and amount of knitting time available. Some will take much longer than others, and that’s perfectly ok. Oh, and in case you’re wondering where I’ll keep them all, they aren’t all for me! As Mel points out, once people have worn hand-knitted socks, they quickly put themselves on the list for more 😀
March 30th, 2012 at 2:50 am
I agree with 99% of what you said above, but here’s why I (sadly) stopped knitting socks:
1. Washing them is a pain. Usually they sit around in a dirty pile forever before I get around to washing them.
2. I don’t really enjoy wearing them. I crush on Smartwool socks, but for some reason never really enjoyed wearing the ones I’d knit. They were always slouchy–maybe I just need more sizing practice.
I love love love knitting them though. Can I justify doing so if I never wear them?
March 30th, 2012 at 11:58 am
[…] (My comment states) Why I sadly no longer knit socks http://www.runquiltknitwrite.com/?p=3479 […]
March 31st, 2012 at 10:53 am
I love my socks thank you!
April 4th, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Love the socks! Can you tell me the pattern? Thanks.