The Comfort Factor

Someone left a comment on one of the other entries in regards to how comfortable these socks are to wear.

Every pair that I’ve posted on this blog has been made for me and they all get worn. I work a twelve hour day in many cases, even when I’m not scheduled to do so, and other days I end up on my feet and/or running around much longer.

Thus far, my feet have not suffered as a result.

That being said, I believe I’ve mentioned the comfort factor in another post, but I’ll redress it here. Crochet stitches do not lie the same way as knit stitches. Knit v’s lie completely flat. Crochet stitches have more bumpiness and texture to them. You have to be selective about your stitch and the yarn. The ability to know straight off the bat what will work and what won’t comes with time and practice.

As a rule, sock yarn is softer than most other yarns because it goes on our feet. If our feet hurt, everything else about us is knocked off balance. It used to be that the bulk of crocheted sock patterns were done in worsted weight cheap old acrylic yarn. I’ve got some pattern books on my shelf that are real doozies. After making a couple of pairs of those socks, I swore off crocheted socks for year because those bad boys HURT.

So far I am really sold on Kertzer yarns. I used the Bamboo yarn for April’s sock and they’re on my feet right now. This is the second time I’ve worn them and I’m liking them. I’ve got another skein of Kertzer yarn, this one made from wool. I don’t know if they’ll be a sock of the month, but this yarn has aloe in it (other brands also make sock yarn with aloe now) to help keep feet happy. In fact, you can buy store bought socks that have been treated with moisturizers, too, now.

When making socks, choose the thinnest sock yarn you can find, with the softest texture, no matter how you are planning to make your socks. Work in the smallest gauge you can muster. Tiny stitches are always more comfortable on your feet than big clunky ones.

Some people, though, do not like homemade socks. Period. I know people who have complained that homemade socks are too bulky (whether they are knit or crochet) and that they don’t fit properly in their shoes. If someone has sensitive feet, I would probably not bother making them socks. In fact, most of the time, I give scarves as gifts. LOL. They don’t require as much effort and if the recipient does not like it, I don’t take it as personally as I might if I’d gone to the trouble of customizing something for them (like a sock!!).

What else you wear on your feet is important, too!!!

One of the things that I’ve noticed in my career as an esthetician, is that many people don’t wear properly fitted shoes. The days of going to a shoe store and having the salesperson actually fit you are almost long gone. Most of us head into gigantosaurus department stores where the teenaged staff stock shelves but don’t actually interact with customers and we fit ourselves. 99.9% of the time we are wearing footwear that is the wrong size and/or width. After twelve years of giving pedicures, I can honestly say that bad shoes do a big number on your feet.

What does this have to do with socks? If you try to jam your sock-covered foot in a shoe that already does not fit, then your bumpy crocheted sock is not going to feel so shit hot. That’s what it means.

Also, too, take into consideration the use of your sock and the use of your footwear. You aren’t going to wear wooley hiking socks in dress shoes, to go to work, are you? If you do, your nice little dress shoes are going to pinch because your socks are too thick. Likewise, silky trouser socks in a pair of cross-trainers are going to make your feet burn when you exercise because they will be slipping around and your feet will feel too small for your sneakers.

In the months to come, what I will do – and what I’ve been working on anyway – is blog patterns that are:

1. A combination of knit and crochet. When I first thought about doing a Sock blog, I’d intended (in my head, anyway) that there would be both knit and crochet patterns. I’m working on them.
2. Crochet patterns that use stitches which behave more like knit stitches. They do exist and I am developing patterns that exploit them for our benefit.