Sock sorting

Never sorted socks into pairs for years as I rarely wore socks. When DC were living at home all their washing went on their beds for them to sort out & put away or iron themselves (they were teenagers). Same for DH - let him do his own

Don't have that problem now I'm widowed & live on my own - I only own 1 pair of socks which I haven't worn for years (hot feet even in winter)

My own socks never go missing, but we have a drawer full of Dh's odd socks, so the answer lies with him.... He throws away a sock if it has a hole in it, or he considers it's thinning, and puts the good sock in the laundry bin.So the washing machine doesn't eat them after all.

He compares "radix sort" to "inefficient sort" and it is very inefficient so of course radix is the winner.
I sort them much more quickly than he does.

My DGD (3) was recently horrified to see her dad wearing one green and one blue sock, even tho they had the same smiley face pattern! She insisted he should have two the same and luckily she found the other blue one for him!

I spread them out on the bed too; most of DH's are plainish but with a small bit of colour, I can sort them very quickly.

Yes, go out more Stansgran. I used to hate darning and was never very good at it; it is in the same category as starching and ironing the collars of collar-detached shirts.

I don't sort socks any more since I bought plastic sock clips. They go into the laundry basket clipped together and wash like that. Brilliant, no more pair sorting and we have a different colour each. ? No more lost socks.

I have a shoe box in the cupboard above the washing machine. Odd sock are placed in it . On days when I have nothing better todo- waiting for the workman to call etc. I sort the odd bods. It's quite rewarding to match up. I feel abit BOGOF . DH doesn't throw socks out but I do . He has some wonderful merino ones I bought in Christchurch NZ over ten years ago( sadly in the university quad which is destroyed now) and I have never had to darn one yet. ( I find darning very soothing)
Should I get out more?

I wouldn't give him a job, he was so slow. You don't sort socks like that - I spread them out over the bed and then pairs are easy to see, but I do it at about three times the speed he did.

I am enjoying this thread especially the poems!
Thanks thatbags

We used to have an enormous bag full of odd socks when the DC were home - DH used to nag me to throw them out, but of course if you do that the other one turns up.
The mesh bag idea is good and when I remember I do put them in one.

Did you or your Mum ever make glove puppets out of odd socks? Sew on some buttons for eyes and sew a mouth - even today's sophisticated children might enjoy acting out little plays with them!

I put a coloured thread stitch at the top of my black socks. A friend laughed at this but the socks all fade at their own rate ?

I once counted over 70 odd socks in this house - that was when both dds were still at home.
They went in a big plastic bag, waiting for their other halves to turn up. IIRC they were there for a few years before I just chucked the lot out.

Funnily enough, now it's just me and dh, I hardly ever find odd socks. I think dds used to wear non matching ones anyway, and then I expect they were always leaving half a pair at someone else's house after staying the night.

When he was working I would buy dh all plain black or navy, but it didn't solve the problem since some always faded more than others - he had a lot of washing done in hotels while on business trips.
Nowadays I only buy him socks with very definite patterns, so much easier to pair up. Though for summer he has bought himself heaven knows how many identical pairs of short stretchy white ones, to wear with trainer type shoes and the shorts he lives in for months, as long as it's remotely warm enough.

Just buy the same socks all the time and then they'll match.

We suffer from the missing sock syndrome in our house too and that is in spite of DH putting his socks in a zipped net bag. Yesterday, when I took them out of the bag after washing them to hang them on the washing line there was an odd sock. I hunted high and low for it but to no avail. On reading this thread out to DH I mentioned that in spite of everything I had still seemed to have lost one and had spent ages checking everywhere. There was a short silence and DH said, "Well, I can explain that as I threw one out and kept that one in case I need it as it is the same as another pair I have" Grr!

When DS was at boarding school, sorting the sock bin was a punishment dealt out by the matron for minor transgressions. DS was very good at it by the time he left! .

Wendy Cope. The Sorrow of Socks.

Some socks are loners –
They can’t live in pairs.
On washdays they’ve shown us
They want to be loners.
They puzzle their owners,
They hide in dark lairs.
Some socks are loners –
They won’t live in pairs.
?

Last year I bought two packs of identical pink socks, 3 pairs to a pack. Sorted, I thought. Not! I'm now hard pressed to make ONE pair of exactly the same pink can't win, can I ....

Odd socks accumulate here, too. Odd that this should be posted today, however, as yesterday I was browsing craft ideas and came across a posting for 18 ways to use odd socks from making sock puppets with children to using them as handy dusters! Maybe time to get creative - but then you would never be able to find one when you needed it!

I wonder who was sorting Jordan Dunbar's socks while he was working all this out?

Granny23, like your GS's style!

Lakeland do 'things 'that hold socks in pairs for the wash Has reduced the odd sock level in this house though not eliminated It entirely I think they are all having a tea party somewhere with the teaspoons ..

While DGS's feet are the same size as mine (he's only 9yo so still growing) I have passed my bag of odd socks over to him. He is an avid 'odd socks' wearer and has started a fashion trend for this in his primary school. In a year or two I shall present him with DH's collection of odd socks.

BTW single socks make great small doll's clothes and hats for Teddies.

Oldest GD complained of her DM and younger DBs taking her socks. I bought her packs of girly pink ones, with hearts, DBs were not deterred! Then I gave her my bag of black unmatched socks and told her to put the odd socks in her sock drawer but hide her favourites elsewhere. It worked, they were all filched by her DBs, she could again wear a matching pair!
Another GD started wearing odd socks as a fashion statement which meant I could return to her my collection of single patterned socks found under beds and behind cupboards after her visits. An aunt even bought her a pack of 6 brightly patterned, deliberately unmatched, socks for Christmas.
I didn't worry as long as a 'pair' of my own socks were black and the same length. Then DD, at her house, asked me not to pair her family's socks as I wasn't marching them. Oh dear, I started looking closely at welts and have caught the bug ...

Ive been reading this thread out to OH as he thinks it's only me who loses socks. I said 'See, it happens to everyone!' His reply: 'Ah but you are the world champion!'

A widowers Lament;
How is it, when the laundry's done , I sit in some despair
I now have , is it, Nineteen socks. But Not a single PAIR
I have grey sock,black sock, red sock and even got a blue,
Cut cannot find a match for one that makes a pair of two.

I also found a yellow one. A yellow one, no less,
I never bought a pair of socks, that startle when I dress!
I blame the youth sat nest to me, at the swimming baths, one day.
I think he 'pinched' my only pair, and quickly stole away.

He'll lose his street cred, thats certain, when he meets his friends,
When he takes his shoe off, and the toes poke out the ends.
He'll have a brown one and a blue one, both with holes, I think,
I reall meant to change them. Because they ppen and ink'.

An interestin' mystery, that I will give some thought. What happens to the missing sock from several pairs I bought?
I think I have the answer to this sill, endless game.
Next time, I'll purchase 20 socks. All THE BLINKIN SAME!

friends.
When he takes his shoes off, his toes poke out the ends

If you've lost a sock, check inside your duvet cover. I've found several there when they come out of the washing machine.

Nice.job for.gch