October, my favorite month of the year, is right around the corner. Lolly (a fellow DC knitter!) hosts her annual Socktoberfest every October, so I’m going use this opportunity to make an announcement that could incite outrage in some circles:
I don’t like knitting socks.
Are there any other sock haters out there? Honestly, I’ve only knit one sock in my entire life– they just don’t appeal to me. Here are the reasons why:
1. I try to avoid knitting things that come in pairs. Once I’ve finished one, I’m ready to move on to something else!
2. I’ve done enough tedious sleeves and such that I’ve developed an aversion to knitting tubular things. A sock is basically a tube that’s closed at one end. If I feel like knitting something sock-sized, gloves are a much more interesting alternative.
3. I dislike socks in general. I’ll wear them with shoes in the winter but once the shoes come off so do the socks (either directly into the hamper or stuffed deep inside the shoes so no one can see them). Once used, socks are sweaty and smelly and can’t be worn again until they’ve been washed. Unlike a sweater, scarf, or hat, you can’t hang them up or fold them, so they’re always balled up or rolling around in a drawer somewhere. The same things could be said for underwear, but underwear at least has the advantage of being sexy. Socks, on the other hand, are about as sexy as a bowl of oatmeal.
4. Another thing I dislike about socks is that they don’t have much structure. They are always slumped or curled up on the floor or in the bed (this is a major pet peeve of mine). In the world of clothing, socks are the lazy, good-for-nothing bums that spend the entire day hanging around the house in unwashed sweatpants. Come to think of it, these are usually the types who have lots of socks strewn about their homes.
And most the most important reason why I don’t like to knit socks…
5. Why on Earth would I want to put all that work into something that’s going to end up on someones foot??
