It always pains me when I have to throw away a pair of socks because of wear. I usually gets holes by my toes for whatever reason. I have all kinds of socks that are all unique so it’s a little rough. I guess I’m weird.
@ninjaemilee@Kidsandliz My socks are how I show my personality (it peeks out and surprises you) and I do darn them unless the hole is on the sole of the sock and would create an uncomfortable lump. I’ve even tried to use a patch just to try to keep them - but same issue - not comfortable. It pains me to throw away the unblemished sock but since they’re a pair I try to think of uses for the second one. It becomes a dust rag (slip your hand inside and go to town) or put some in the car in case there’s a spill and we don’t have napkins in the glove compartment and other variations. So, yeah, I have issues. I’m working on them .
@WTFsunshine Buy two pairs of each sock you like. Then when one bites the dust you still have three left, then two left, then and finally only then a sock puppet or dust rag left.
@ninjaemilee i’m the same way i always get holes on the bottom - ball of the foot beneath the big toe or the heel.
i almost never buy more than one of something at a time because i won’t know how much i’ll like it until later. or, because i can’t afford to, or because i’d rather buy three different pairs i can’t decide between. the annoying thing about clothes i buy is that i usually buy within the same brand and style, just switching up the color or pattern and still some are ‘better’ than others. sometimes even with the exact same item bought two or five times one is better than the rest.
Well before I throw a sock away, I put it on my hand like a sock puppet, and we have a little talk, so they understand what’s happening and why things aren’t going to be like they used to. Is that what you mean?
/image sock puppet
@sammydog01 Yeah I usually try to buy 2 identical pairs so that if the washing machine eats one or something else bad happens to them I still have a pair left.
@sammydog01 I can’t decide what is the best approach:
Get a butt-load of identical socks, so I never have to worry about mismatches.
Buy very distinctive pairs of socks, so the mates are easy to identify.
The former sounds great, but whenever I do the laundry I feel compelled to match them up such that a pair consists of two socks with the same “mileage”. Otherwise, they they feel “off” when I wear them. This is made all the harder to do since the styles are identical.
@DrWorm all my socks are unique pairs but that is exactly what i do with my partner’s socks. brand new sock does not go with old sock. i wait till two have holes then they can get tossed together and i make a new pair. (he has tons of socks and will still actively choose a pair with holes over non-holey ones so i don’t dispose of them immediately.)
@DrWorm I’ve never had that problem since I’ll buy around twenty pairs at the same time and they get randomly matched together when doing laundry. They all wear about the same rate.
@RiotDemon@sammydog01@DrWorm I own 2 kinds of socks…white quarter length (Puma from Costco) and black full length (Puma from Costco). I never match them/ball them up, so the elastic lasts much longer and if one develops a hole I throw it away. I buy 12+ pairs of each color and they never seem to wear out. I can get dressed in the dark and never mis-match and always have the appropriate color on (Black with Sandals of course…)
@phendrick Better check the washer too as I am not sure in that photo if it is a front loading washer or a dryer. I saw some other, less dramatic, photos where the washer was the kidnapper provided the hiding place.
@Kidsandliz I’ve always thought that socks used the washer/dryer as an escape from life on sweaty, stinky feet. I have a mental picture of one sock saying to his mate: “I’m sorry Marsha, but Sock Heaven or Death!” as he climbed over the side of the washer tub to face the unknown, leaving behind a mate to face a lonely life of cleaning windows or being a dog chew until dumped in the trash.
I have boxes and drawers of unopened/unused socks just waiting their turn to be used. I’ll throw pairs away when they get worn and I’ll only replace them when it’s before laundry day and I’m short on socks. I’ll open a new package at that time. Same situation with the underwear.
I recently bought two pairs of “Darn Tough” socks off Amazon, at the urging of the BuyItForLife nerds on Reddit. They actually have a lifetime warranty, and I’m still wrapping my mind around that.
The socks I’ve been wearing are by Feetures, they also come from Amazon, and they’re snugly wonderful…but after 2-3 years of steady wear, they are clearly less cushiony than they were, greyed out and dingy (they were white), and I wouldn’t be at all disappointed if one developed a hole.
Still, the Darn Toughs are less than twice as expensive, and the scientist in me is fascinated by the idea of socks that last forever.
NGL, i absolutely do personify and/or form sentimental bonds with inanimate objects all the time. but socks…eh…i do keep socks (and shoes, and other clothing) long past its ‘wear by date’ but it’s usually because i’m just upset i can’t get a replacement. if i can buy more, i have no trouble throwing the hole-y stuff in the trash. and it’s not like i wear them (or put them in a shrine or whatever), i just hang onto it a bit longer. been this way since forever. (my mom once offered to bronze a particular pair of sneakers i refused to let go of. i think i got them in eighth grade and i still periodically search the internet for them. i’d at least like confirmation anyone else had them at all.)
i’ve also started trying to wear mismatched socks on occasion to make use of my favorite single socks who’ve lost a partner to the laundromat, but it kind of just makes me all the more annoyed that i lost one to begin with, heh. not to mention clever people saying ‘hey, you’ve got on two different socks there.’
@RiotDemon they were vans, but around that time vans made really unique sneakers. (not just the plain ones they have now.) this particular pair were pastel green vinyl (or pleather or something, it was shiny) on the toes and the back, and then the sides had a panel that was optical illusion based. it was greenish in color and like a hazy sheet of plastic, and had sort of an oil slick/rainbow effect when you pressed on it. they also came in bright purple and royal blue. i wore those things until the sides ripped and there were holes in the soles. my mom might even still have them somewhere. i remember begging her for them every time we passed them in the emerald square mall, but she balked at the price ($60). finally i got her to agree by saving up my money and splitting the cost with her. would have been around the mid 90s.
i also had another pair (also vans) at that time that were a slightly different style and black and white, and the side panel was sort of like a honeycomb, again having an optical illusion effect when you pressed on it.
(the green pair i’m sure most people would find absolutely hideous, but the black & white pair would still be really cool, imho. the green pair would actually probably go over well with the ‘i’m into 90s things’ Kids These Days, tho now that i think about it. esp for pastel goth or the alien/holographic set.)
@jerk_nugget those sound really fun. I wish it was easier to find pictures of old shoes. You think the manufacturer would have photos of everything they made in some kind of archive that we could search.
I had a pair of Airwalks that were shiny silver and black. My ex absolutely hated them which made me want to wear them more. Eventually I gave them up when they started to crack where they bent above the toes from walking. The silver also faded a lot to eventually just look kinda grey and dingy.
@RiotDemon those sound awesome! and yeah, especially with sneaker collectors out there, you’d think there’d be some kind of preserved catalog from someone, somehow. i guess because google has become this all encompassing Thing, when you can’t find something on there that you’re absolutely certain existed, it’s like an itch you can’t scratch. i’ve even emailed vans a few times over the years but never heard anything back.
and what is it about certain people hating things that makes you want to wear them more…i’m like that, too. (despite being a rather shy and sensitive person.)
@jerk_nugget my ex’s mom also told him that I couldn’t wear skull t-shirts to her house because they offended her. So I just wore my shoes with skulls on them every time I went there.
@RiotDemon that is really weird. i can’t imagine any partner’s mom telling me what i could or couldn’t wear! although…maybe that’s a smidge better than my ex’s mom who actually never spoke directly to me at all, ever. it wasn’t even that she didn’t like me (or so i was told) but it was just intensely awkward/weird. (rather than speak directly to me, she would ask my ex something like “what is that she’s drinking?”)
@jerk_nugget wow. That’s weird as hell. Did your ex ever try to talk to her about it?
What bothered me about mine is that he didn’t stand up for me and actually told me to not wear the shirts. I should of just stopped going to her house.
@RiotDemon he would say ‘you could just ask her’ but generally no, not really. so yeah that’s definitely the rub. and it sucked because at least a few times i’d have to be alone with her (i’d spend weekends there and if he had to work…) plus she talked aloud all the time? so it’s not like she was just a quiet person. i just quickly figured out she’d rather talk to herself than me lol. god in hindsight it’s even more weird! the rest of his family was totally cool and normal tho. go figure.
@WTFsunshine i appreciate that! unfortunately even the base shoes are nothing like what i had. i keep thinking maybe one day i’ll stumble across a beat up pair on ebay or something. hey, i’ve got time…
Stress relief toy: Put Play Doh in a plastic bag and seal it. Put it in the toe of the sock and fold the sock over numerous times until you can’t anymore. Instant hand stress relief ball.
Soft feet: Use two different mismatched socks to put on your feet after putting on lotion and get softer feet while sleeping.
Cat toy: Use a looser weave sock and put catnip into the toe area and knot it shut or use a string to tie shut for an extra thing to play with then untie and refill as needed.
Gardening: Cut into strips and use to tie the stem of the plant to a stake to give added support and to help keep it upright.
Draft stopper: With longer socks cut off at the area right above the heel and turn inside out and sew one end shut then stitch around the two openings of turned inside out socks to join together. Continue until it is the length you like then fill with used dryer sheets, other way-past-gone socks and/or other rags and sew shut. Use to stop drafts coming in or out at the base of doors or window sills.
Hand warmers: using the cut off part of the socks (heel to toe area) fill with rice and sew shut. Microwave for 20-40 seconds and hold in hands (good for when kids come in from playing out in the cold) or stuff in coat pockets if working outdoors or in an unheated garage to put hands in occasionally to warm them back up.
Heat therapy bag: Use same method as draft stopper but fill with enough rice to warm up (but can still lay relatively flat) and use on sore areas of the body.
Dry out wet shoes quickly: Using a remaining portion of sock (as in #7) or a childs sock and fill with clay kitty litter (not the clumping kind) and sew shut. Then place inside wet shoes. The clay will help draw out the moisture from the shoe.
Use as a cozy: Cut off right above the heel and put the length around a water, soda or beer bottle/can. If you use a thicker sock (like a sports sock) it will absorb the condensation. Can use the bottom portion to put ice packs in if someone gets hurt and is starting to swell.
Polish and wax: For furniture turn sock inside out and you can dust (and wash and reuse) or put furniture polish on one and polish and using another sock buff. Also great for cars using same method or just for washing your car and wiping it dry. If used to wash and dry can put in laundry and reuse.
Fingerless gloves: Cut off bottom and then put on and where the thumb hits make a hole in that area.
Toy: If you have sewing skills you can make a doll or even a sock monkey. (My Grandma did this for their seven children - she had skills but limited money).
Fever or migraine: Thicker socks can absorb water and retain the cold longer and if excess water is squeezed out enough it won’t drip and with a proper length it usually will stay in place.
Bean bag: Fill a children’s sock (or a cut off lower portion if from a smaller sock) fill it and kids can toss it or use as a back up for playing corn hole.
As already mentioned knot it and use as a dog toy and many other uses but I think this is long enough. So yes, I think it’s safe to say I hate losing socks. Thanks to the Great Depression my Grandma gave me a lot of these ideas and the stress relief I got off of a website a while ago to use for therapy for an injury.
Every few years I will go through a sock purge, and then restock from scratch.
Sometimes socks can just get out of hand. Too many different types floating around.
It always pains me when I have to throw away a pair of socks because of wear. I usually gets holes by my toes for whatever reason. I have all kinds of socks that are all unique so it’s a little rough. I guess I’m weird.
@ninjaemilee So darn them. I do that with my favorites.
@ninjaemilee @Kidsandliz My socks are how I show my personality (it peeks out and surprises you) and I do darn them unless the hole is on the sole of the sock and would create an uncomfortable lump. I’ve even tried to use a patch just to try to keep them - but same issue - not comfortable. It pains me to throw away the unblemished sock but since they’re a pair I try to think of uses for the second one. It becomes a dust rag (slip your hand inside and go to town) or put some in the car in case there’s a spill and we don’t have napkins in the glove compartment and other variations. So, yeah, I have issues. I’m working on them
.
@WTFsunshine Buy two pairs of each sock you like. Then when one bites the dust you still have three left, then two left, then and finally only then a sock puppet or dust rag left.
@Kidsandliz
Or tie them in knots and give them to people who own lively canines.
Tug Of War!
@ninjaemilee i’m the same way
i always get holes on the bottom - ball of the foot beneath the big toe or the heel.
i almost never buy more than one of something at a time because i won’t know how much i’ll like it until later. or, because i can’t afford to, or because i’d rather buy three different pairs i can’t decide between. the annoying thing about clothes i buy is that i usually buy within the same brand and style, just switching up the color or pattern and still some are ‘better’ than others. sometimes even with the exact same item bought two or five times one is better than the rest.
The only sock I even have a passing interest in is Glen, and even then I prefer Irk.
Well before I throw a sock away, I put it on my hand like a sock puppet, and we have a little talk, so they understand what’s happening and why things aren’t going to be like they used to. Is that what you mean?
/image sock puppet
Hey Glen, you know this guy?
My socks are all identical so I can throw them out one at a time.
@sammydog01 Yeah I usually try to buy 2 identical pairs so that if the washing machine eats one or something else bad happens to them I still have a pair left.
@sammydog01 yep. This is what I do as well.
@sammydog01 I can’t decide what is the best approach:
The former sounds great, but whenever I do the laundry I feel compelled to match them up such that a pair consists of two socks with the same “mileage”. Otherwise, they they feel “off” when I wear them. This is made all the harder to do since the styles are identical.
@DrWorm all my socks are unique pairs but that is exactly what i do with my partner’s socks. brand new sock does not go with old sock. i wait till two have holes then they can get tossed together and i make a new pair. (he has tons of socks and will still actively choose a pair with holes over non-holey ones so i don’t dispose of them immediately.)
@DrWorm I’ve never had that problem since I’ll buy around twenty pairs at the same time and they get randomly matched together when doing laundry. They all wear about the same rate.
@DrWorm I generally have a pile of socks to choose from so I pick two that are close. It’s still better than having to match.
@sammydog01
I only wear black (or heavily dark blue, though I’ve thrown almost all of those out).
Instead of matching them, because I pretty much wear just one style, I just tend to leave them in a pile.
(Had this post waiting to be submitted for over an hour… Whoops.)
@RiotDemon @sammydog01 @DrWorm I own 2 kinds of socks…white quarter length (Puma from Costco) and black full length (Puma from Costco). I never match them/ball them up, so the elastic lasts much longer and if one develops a hole I throw it away. I buy 12+ pairs of each color and they never seem to wear out. I can get dressed in the dark and never mis-match and always have the appropriate color on (Black with Sandals of course…)
I only get emotional with the ones that try to hide from me, or run away.
Otherwise, I’m not that much of a sockophiliac.
http://www.businessinsider.com/complete-list-of-burning-man-preparations-2015-8?r=UK&IR=T/#13-socks-13
@phendrick This?
@Kidsandliz Ha, ha, that’s a good one.
@cengland0 what and you didn’t star it? LOL
@Kidsandliz Good point, it’s done. Sorry.
@cengland0 grin : )
@Kidsandliz LOL. Now I don’t know if I can sleep, without going to check my dryer first!
@phendrick Better check the washer too as I am not sure in that photo if it is a front loading washer or a dryer. I saw some other, less dramatic, photos where the washer was the
kidnapperprovided the hiding place.@Kidsandliz I’ve always thought that socks used the washer/dryer as an escape from life on sweaty, stinky feet. I have a mental picture of one sock saying to his mate: “I’m sorry Marsha, but Sock Heaven or Death!” as he climbed over the side of the washer tub to face the unknown, leaving behind a mate to face a lonely life of cleaning windows or being a dog chew until dumped in the trash.
I actually love when I get good socks as a present, and I get sentimental with those.
I have boxes and drawers of unopened/unused socks just waiting their turn to be used. I’ll throw pairs away when they get worn and I’ll only replace them when it’s before laundry day and I’m short on socks. I’ll open a new package at that time. Same situation with the underwear.
I recently bought two pairs of “Darn Tough” socks off Amazon, at the urging of the BuyItForLife nerds on Reddit. They actually have a lifetime warranty, and I’m still wrapping my mind around that.
The socks I’ve been wearing are by Feetures, they also come from Amazon, and they’re snugly wonderful…but after 2-3 years of steady wear, they are clearly less cushiony than they were, greyed out and dingy (they were white), and I wouldn’t be at all disappointed if one developed a hole.
Still, the Darn Toughs are less than twice as expensive, and the scientist in me is fascinated by the idea of socks that last forever.
/giphy good God damn you are boring, vinny
Exact words that went through my head.
Nothing but Merino Wool socks for me. Year round, warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and no Stink!
I like sandals and flip flops unless those just won’t do at all.
@f00l obligatory
I form non-sentimental attachments to a decent pair of socks. It’s not always easy to get maximum cotton content in the colors I want.
NGL, i absolutely do personify and/or form sentimental bonds with inanimate objects all the time. but socks…eh…i do keep socks (and shoes, and other clothing) long past its ‘wear by date’ but it’s usually because i’m just upset i can’t get a replacement. if i can buy more, i have no trouble throwing the hole-y stuff in the trash. and it’s not like i wear them (or put them in a shrine or whatever), i just hang onto it a bit longer. been this way since forever. (my mom once offered to bronze a particular pair of sneakers i refused to let go of. i think i got them in eighth grade and i still periodically search the internet for them. i’d at least like confirmation anyone else had them at all.)
i’ve also started trying to wear mismatched socks on occasion to make use of my favorite single socks who’ve lost a partner to the laundromat, but it kind of just makes me all the more annoyed that i lost one to begin with, heh. not to mention clever people saying ‘hey, you’ve got on two different socks there.’
@jerk_nugget what were the sneakers?
@RiotDemon they were vans, but around that time vans made really unique sneakers. (not just the plain ones they have now.) this particular pair were pastel green vinyl (or pleather or something, it was shiny) on the toes and the back, and then the sides had a panel that was optical illusion based. it was greenish in color and like a hazy sheet of plastic, and had sort of an oil slick/rainbow effect when you pressed on it. they also came in bright purple and royal blue. i wore those things until the sides ripped and there were holes in the soles. my mom might even still have them somewhere. i remember begging her for them every time we passed them in the emerald square mall, but she balked at the price ($60). finally i got her to agree by saving up my money and splitting the cost with her. would have been around the mid 90s.
i also had another pair (also vans) at that time that were a slightly different style and black and white, and the side panel was sort of like a honeycomb, again having an optical illusion effect when you pressed on it.
(the green pair i’m sure most people would find absolutely hideous, but the black & white pair would still be really cool, imho. the green pair would actually probably go over well with the ‘i’m into 90s things’ Kids These Days, tho now that i think about it. esp for pastel goth or the alien/holographic set.)
@jerk_nugget those sound really fun. I wish it was easier to find pictures of old shoes. You think the manufacturer would have photos of everything they made in some kind of archive that we could search.
I had a pair of Airwalks that were shiny silver and black. My ex absolutely hated them which made me want to wear them more. Eventually I gave them up when they started to crack where they bent above the toes from walking. The silver also faded a lot to eventually just look kinda grey and dingy.
@RiotDemon those sound awesome! and yeah, especially with sneaker collectors out there, you’d think there’d be some kind of preserved catalog from someone, somehow. i guess because google has become this all encompassing Thing, when you can’t find something on there that you’re absolutely certain existed, it’s like an itch you can’t scratch. i’ve even emailed vans a few times over the years but never heard anything back.
and what is it about certain people hating things that makes you want to wear them more…i’m like that, too. (despite being a rather shy and sensitive person.)
@jerk_nugget my ex’s mom also told him that I couldn’t wear skull t-shirts to her house because they offended her. So I just wore my shoes with skulls on them every time I went there.
Who is so offended by a skull? We all have one.
@RiotDemon that is really weird. i can’t imagine any partner’s mom telling me what i could or couldn’t wear! although…maybe that’s a smidge better than my ex’s mom who actually never spoke directly to me at all, ever. it wasn’t even that she didn’t like me (or so i was told) but it was just intensely awkward/weird. (rather than speak directly to me, she would ask my ex something like “what is that she’s drinking?”)
@jerk_nugget Tell the people who point out your mismatched socks that they DO match, because you go by thickness…
@jerk_nugget wow. That’s weird as hell. Did your ex ever try to talk to her about it?
What bothered me about mine is that he didn’t stand up for me and actually told me to not wear the shirts. I should of just stopped going to her house.
@RiotDemon he would say ‘you could just ask her’ but generally no, not really. so yeah that’s definitely the rub. and it sucked because at least a few times i’d have to be alone with her (i’d spend weekends there and if he had to work…) plus she talked aloud all the time? so it’s not like she was just a quiet person. i just quickly figured out she’d rather talk to herself than me lol. god in hindsight it’s even more weird! the rest of his family was totally cool and normal tho. go figure.
Only ones that we’re given to me by people I care about. That’s not very many, but I wear them infrequently so as to avoid wearing them out.
I get attached to everything. Terrible memory, but mementos help. As a result I have a ton of stuff that I feel bad at the thought of getting rid of.
@Pantheist i love those mentos too, soooo minty
My socks. I choose one pair for the day. I leave the rest by themselves. I am sure they “do things” while alone. Time to replace dirty socks.
no, i do, however, have some undies that should have been tossed about 45 wears ago
@jerk_nugget You can go to the Vans website and create your own shoe. Maybe you can get your old pair back. Depending on the cost.
@WTFsunshine i appreciate that! unfortunately even the base shoes are nothing like what i had. i keep thinking maybe one day i’ll stumble across a beat up pair on ebay or something. hey, i’ve got time…
Uses for widowed socks:
As already mentioned knot it and use as a dog toy and many other uses but I think this is long enough. So yes, I think it’s safe to say I hate losing socks. Thanks to the Great Depression my Grandma gave me a lot of these ideas and the stress relief I got off of a website a while ago to use for therapy for an injury.
I’ve tried, but I’ve been shunned as if I’m a heel. I’ve even been toed that I have no sole.