I do not have time to be interesting. I’ve seen several things lately that I want to read and possibly pontificate on but sewing and Christmas shopping and wrapping keep calling me. (And being disconnected all morning made it sort of difficult to catch up on any online reading even if I had wanted to take the time.) But one can always find time to rant and there are a couple of things I need to rant about.
I am a bit stressed about boxes right now. I need about half a dozen boxes of one particular size and the only gift boxes I’ve been able to find are multi-size packs that contain two of the size I need and eight of various sizes that I do not need, and single boxes or two-packs that are the wrong size. I know I could use bags but darn it I want boxes and the size I need is (or used to be) a very common size that you could get in single or two-packs.
The other thing that I’m stressed about right now (and have been for some time) is socks. The dress socks that my husband likes are no longer available. I bought some several years ago from Vermont Country Store but they don’t have the same style anymore. Before that I bought some from L. L. Bean a couple of times but they no longer have anything like them. I recently bought a couple of different styles of socks via Amazon.com and neither were as good as either the Vermont Country Store or L.L. Bean socks. Now I’m very hesitant to buy more online because I’m afraid they will all be unacceptable.
Trying to buy socks for myself is even worse. All women’s crew socks are either too thick or too thin. I love The World’s Softest Socks but they are too thick for most of my shoes. (And I just now noticed that they do make a lighter weight version.) I also have a lot of thin cotton/nylon socks that are okay for some of my shoes but I would like something just slightly thicker, preferably a wool blend. And, again, I am wary of ordering more socks because they will probably end up being wrong also. I’m sure that somewhere out there the right socks exist but I might have to order 300 different pairs before I find them. My sock drawer is already overstuffed. I wouldn’t be surprised if I have 50 pairs. I don’t think I have that many but I wouldn’t be surprised if I discovered that I do.
Another thing that greatly annoys me is my inability to find the right slipper socks. They’re all either too much or not enough. Acorn slipper socks are too much. The sole is too shoe-like. The only other easily available choice is the socks with the anti skid dots on the bottoms. That’s not enough. And then there are these. The soles appear to be just right but I don’t want a loose, baggy sock. I want a normal sock, like The World’s Softest Socks with a sole like these. Also, no way am I ever going to pay $50 for something I’m going to walk around the house in. If I pay that much for something as small as a pair of socks I’m going to hang it on the wall and look at it.
Perhaps I’m picky but, darn it, I’m not looking for anything bizarre. I just want simple, basic socks and slipper socks. And the right size gift boxes without having to also buy a lot of the wrong size boxes. Really, I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
December 3rd, 2009 - 3:10 pm
I would suggest learning to knit and making your own socks, but that suggestion would probably only annoy you
Really, I find my own handknit wool (or wool-cotton blend, for warmer weather) far superior to anything I’ve bought.
Or maybe you could bribe a knitter to make you some…
As for slipper socks, I currently am using some Acorn fleece socks that I bought from Sahalie (but DO NOT order stuff over the phone; they keep trying to upsell you on different things. I almost canceled the order out of frustration). They don’t have soles, though, so you can’t walk around outside with them and you have to be somewhat careful on hard floors.
December 3rd, 2009 - 3:49 pm
I always think of hand knit socks as being rather bulky (I haven’t seen many; that’s just the mental image I have.) but it did occur to me that to get what I want (of anything) I usually have to make my own.
I made some polar fleece slipper socks and they’re okay but they don’t have soles and I don’t like them as well as socks because they’re not as snug and stretchy. I’ve also thought of trying to sew a sole onto some good thick socks to make my own slipper socks.
December 3rd, 2009 - 3:53 pm
No, no, the fingeringweight yarns make socks just slightly heavier than thin commercial socks. Have you seen the “Smartwool” socks that Birkenstock sells? Fingeringweight socks are kind of like that. You can wear them in shoes.
I think you can buy rawhide/leather soles with pre-made holes to sew onto socks, so you can make them into slippers.
December 4th, 2009 - 8:08 am
I guess my conception of hand knit items comes from the yarn I see in the craft department at Wal-mart and it’s hard to tell exactly how thick socks are from just looking at a picture.