Quest for socks

I never appreciated my grandmother's knitting when I was a kid. She kept me in winter socks and mittens the whole time I was growing up. Today it would cost a fortune to have custom items knitted to fit me perfectly. She's long gone, but maybe she can still feel my gratitude.

Finding decent socks these days is nearly impossible. To be fair, my feet are size 14 and wide. There are specialty stores on-line that sell socks that might fit. However, socks are the sort of things you really want to handle first. How do they feel? Is the stretch just right? Are the proportions correct? Is the material too thick or too thing?

There are plenty of places that have off the shelf socks that claim to fit me. Here's the thing. When socks say they fit size 9 to 15 . . . they don't. Sure, it might be possible to stretch them onto your foot, but that's not a true fit. Even if you do get them on, they'll never be comfortable, plus they won't last. Socks are such a simple thing but bad socks ruin your day.

That's why, weather permitting, I wear sandals. No socks are required. In fact, it's considered a fashion disaster to wear them. (Okay, I've been informed that for many people, like diabetics, socks with sandals are doctor's orders.) For the rest of us, going without socks is normal. For casual around the house stuff and beach wear, flip flops are fine. If there's serious walking involved a good pair of hiking sandals do the job.

With winter on the way good socks are a necessity. Finally found a pair of decent boots. Now socks are required. Even tried wearing my hiking boots without socks. Not good. My feet stuck to the inserts in the boot and sucked them half out when the boots came off. In the short term, I stuck with socks that sorta kinda fit.

Maybe I'll give up on socks completely and learn how to use Russian foot wraps. If properly wrapped, they work better than socks. The Russian army only recently started to use socks . Actually, it's a skill that might be good to have.

-Sixbears