Solving Sock Problems

The Saga of the Single Socks
I began doing the family laundry somewhere in the vicinity of 1957. My brother, sister, father and I each wore socks. Assuming we each wore one pair a day; my Saturday laundry included 56 socks. By the time I reached my personal peak, with eight children at home, my weekly sock laundry had advanced to a staggering 140 a week. I thought for a moment that I would do the math and calculate my lifetime sock washing total – not.

For most of the years, our socks were hung on the line to dry. That may seem a reason to groan in sympathy but after giving it proper consideration; I think it might actually have been easier. Because hanging the laundry was a common practice, laundry baskets were more ‘user friendly’. They had cross-legs, like a TV tray, held a canvass basket with pockets on each end for clothespins and folded to almost nothing for storage. Hanging clothes didn’t require bending over. While hanging laundry, single socks could be draped over the edge of the basket until the proper mate surfaced and then they were hung in pairs by the toe.

Eventually, we stepped into the 20^th century and I was blessed with owning a clothes-dryer. I think that might have been the origin of my hatred for the task of sock mating. Almost immediately, there appeared a basket of clean, dry socks demanding the grueling process of mating as baskets and bags of unmated socks began to accumulate. I’m sure the dryer didn’t come with a warning that it ate socks but I am equally certain that all dryers do. The only solution to the missing mates problem seemed to be the purchase of more and more socks while waiting for lost mates to magically surface… someday.

How is your single sock supply?
This link will take you to 4 ideas for making use of old mated socks.
This link will take you to 13 creative uses for unmated socks.

I found another site with additional old sock usage ideas and a wealth of other information. You may want to check it out.