I try to have an environmentally sustainable answer for every household conundrum.
But what to do with old socks.
I am still in California. And more than ready to get back to the farm. Especially on these days when my grandchildren are with their mother.
So I am sorting socks. A huge bag of them. Solo parents are often so focused on food and bed time and homework and then how to get a kid out of bed in the morning … matching the socks is so low on the list. I was a solo Mum so I totally understand.
And kids who know the bullying hierarchy in a modern school are very careful not to do anything to draw attention to themselves.
Bullying for any fashion individuality is a very real thing.
I cannot remember being bullied at my schools. It just did not happen. I had curly hair, glasses, boney limbs, all legs and hair, bookish, and could not catch a ball to save myself but I had a lovely group of friends and we never even knew the word. Bully.
We never had this problem with socks as kids either because we all wore (the same) school uniform. All us girls had long black wool socks. The school socks had a red band. Mum bought 3 more pairs of each at the beginning of every winter. Socks were passed down. We darned them if they got holes. I hated walking in darned socks so first up best dressed rang true in our house.
The boys had long grey woollen socks – same deal.
White socks weren’t for beach kids. And we never wore socks in the summer at all of course.
But there you are – the old days does not change the fact that I am pairing socks today. And it is an oddly comforting exercise.
Now. In a sustainable home what on earth do we do with all the odd worn out, grown out of socks that are not cotton or wool. What do you do with them? What do I do now? I cannot throw the unpaired socks away?
Are you like me and just wear odd socks?
Have a great day – talk soon!
Celi
Editors note: I have republished this as there was some kind of glitch and the post fell off after I published it an hour ago. My lap top is over heating too. We both need a rest from travel.
The Kitchen's Garden 
31 responses to “So now what? (Take 2)”
Funnily enough all my grandchildren CHOOSE to wear odd socks! It’s a funny old world. Wishing you a safe journey back to the farmy.
One week to go – actually 6 days – this overheating laptop and I are ready to be home!
Got the dreaded ‘page not found’ error message. Too bad!
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Hopefully it is better now?
Yes! Thank you!!
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That’s great – I had to fix and republish it. Thank you for letting me know!
You fixed it! And I do not throw single socks away but use them for dusting, wash and reuse.
Socks are great dusters. I have 32 mini dusters on the table so far! 😂 a life time supply. I found lots of matches though so am well pleased.
I’ve been buying black socks and pants from M&S for 40 years, but M&S decided that they were a fashion brand about 20 years ago and while they’ve had consistent good reviews in the press, the public see their brand as 40+. As a result, they have been closing stores and concentrating on expensive ready meals – they pioneered them in the UK. Meanwhile, there’s an online cotton retailer that sells the over 40 clothes for people that M&S have neglected, for a reasonable price. Sadly no shop front or changing room though.
Marks and Spencer’s have gone through many renditions even since I was there – sad they are refocusing on take away food wrapped in plastic I bet!!
So have you found your sock replacement?
They still do the required socks and pants …if you can find an M&S that sells clothes. I was given a £300 M&S gift token for Christmas and found it very hard to buy anything in the store. I have 20 year old size medium shirts that still fit me, but when I tried things on in January, their XL is too tight – that’s the fashion. Needless to say, the Gap and the online cotton trader have size large clothes that do fit. I found it very hard to find food in M&S that I wanted to buy – the meat and fish is excessively dear and I have no interest in readymeals. More or less the only things I’ve bought there in the last 8 months have been coffee beans and butter! The gift token may last until December!
300 pounds worth of butter and coffee!! What about wine? I think I remember they used to have wine.
Fitting sizes change too. I feel quite defeated by clothes sometimes.
I did look at the wine, but it’s considerably more than the Spanish wine I like from Sainsbury’s …and they do 25% off 6 bottles on regular basis. Even with free money I felt I was being over charged and it put me off! It sounds stupid, but I could buy the same quality for less, elsewhere and didn’t want to spend the money. I felt like I was being ripped off.
I incorporate them into my rag pile and use them to dust with! Slip one over your hand, rotate it a bit as you go and you get through all the furniture (mine is dark so any dust shows) and then they get washed 🙂
Socks make great dusters though these socks are teeny tiny! Maybe I can put them over my fingers ! 😂🦋 great to see you Deb. So looking forward to being back at my own desk on my own wee Farmy!!
I used to use this as an early math lesson with my children, sorting, matching, naming colors, making groups. now is do it with my kinder classes and everyone has fun!
It is a fun job for little kids and you are so right – lots of lessons with socks!
My daughter wears odd socks. Small
ones could be useful if you are doing repairs or painting and just need to wipe a bit of grease off a tool or wipe up a bit of paint. It would give them another use before thrown out. Polishing? If one were to give something silver like a bracelet a polishing or shoe polishing.
That’s a thought. Silver polishing would go well with old socks. Great thought. Mine definitely go in the rag bag. Trying to think of what my son in California would to with his. Still I got most of those ones paired and back into circulation so that was good!
Make sock monkeys!
Hilarious!!
Yep. Wear ’em and then cleaning.
If you know any weavers they often buy sock loops, basically socks cut into strips crosswise. Loop them together as you would rubber bands and weave small rugs with them.
Now there’s a good idea! I could do that myself. Do you remember those mats we used to make out of stockings? Thank you!!
the sock loops are just like the loops we used to use on pot holder looms
My granddaughters both prefer to wear odd socks as do all their classmates. Go figure. No sorting necessary, which is good because so many disappear…
Like the sock loops, I cut them into strips to make ties which are particularly helpful in the garden.
I also stuffed my homemade draught excluder with a multitude of holey socks and pants–unlike an actual cushion, the lumps don’t matter!
These are excellent ideas! I love the idea of stuffing the draft stopper!
My kids tell me that mismatched is all the rage these days. You can even purchase them mismatched.
Love it!!
We get multiple pairs of the same socks with different accents and don’t pair. They go in the drawers in a neat pile and the top two are worn next. If one gets damaged or lost it’s no biggie 😃