When I was just a kid, I always seemed to get socks and underwear for a Christmas present.  As these are rather utilitarian and mundane objects, it did not seem like it was much of a present to receive.  And then there was the pressure of getting days-of-the week underwear, what if you were wearing the wrong day?  But now that I am old, these things don’t have the same meanings.   Socks and gloves are what one buys when it snows or the weather turns cold, undies whenever the old ones get ratty.   I have been learning to knit socks, a complicated process and somewhat useless skill.

These were the first socks I knitted, and since they are not perfect, I made them for myself.

Once I knew a bit of what I was doing, I made these for my brother, as a present, but not a Christmas present.   Then his wife told me that he loves socks, so she is wrapping them up and putting them under the tree.

I made these ones for her, and she told me that she had gotten socks and underwear for Christmas as a child too.  But she actually liked getting them, so I suspect she may wrap them up for herself.

So here’s a pair in process, they are knit on five knitting needles and it is a bit like wrestling an octopus.   But eventually the beast is tamed and a sock emerges.   As you can see in the photos, the yarn one uses makes a big difference, these are all self-striping yarns.   It would be incredibly boring to knit with a single color: not to say that it is not boring to use these 😉 .

And these are the competition, ready-made socks.   These are knit in an incredibly complicated pattern and cost $7 at the store.  The yarn I use  in hand knit socks costs more than that.   But, hand knit socks are a labor of love, and perhaps that counts for something!

And then again there is the dissenting opinion.