Socks

ByThe Skeptical Traveler

One of my quests is for the perfect socks, that are as important as the shoes while traveling. I had found the site Blacksocks* and decided to give it a try. So I had ordered 4 different types and among them 1 pair of cashmere silk socks. At $27 the price was a little bit steep but perhaps worth it I figured.

The image is a screenshot of an online shopping cart for socks. It shows four different types of socks, each with a small image of the sock, a description, size options, price, and a trash icon for removal. The items listed are: 1. 1 Trial Pair business light socks, size 7-8, priced at USD 13.00. 2. 1 Trial Pair classic wool socks black, size 7-8, priced at USD 18.00. 3. 1 Trial Pair Urban Comfort socks black, size 7-8, priced at USD 18.00. 4. 1 Trial Pair cashmere silk socks, size 7-8, priced at USD 27.00. At the bottom, it mentions that shipping costs worldwide are USD 0.00.

And the conclusion was I didn’t feel to much of a difference from the socks I already had so my wife was right again :).

There is a ‘sockscription‘ as well (kind of an interesting concept)

  • Select which item you want and how often you want them delivered (for this example, let’s order 3 pairs of calf socks to be delivered 3 times a year)
  • Press the Add to Cart button and submit your order
  • In 10-14 days, 3 pairs of high-quality black socks arrive by mail
  • 4 months later, your second delivery of 3 pairs of socks arrives by mail
  • 4 months after that, you receive your final delivery of 3 pairs of socks by mail
  • 11 months from when you placed your order, we will send you an email asking whether you would like us to renew your sockscription. One simple mouse click will let us know.
  • 12 months from your initial order, your sockscription will be renewed or not, as you decided. You choose whether to continue to live sock-worry-free.

And the latest from Blacksocks

“Want to avoid mismatches?

Alt text: "A group of three couples, dressed in formal attire, are dancing in a brightly lit room with large windows and green curtains. The women are wearing red dresses and the men are in black pants, white shirts, and black vests. To the right, there is an image of a smartphone displaying a video of a man demonstrating how to put on socks. The top left corner has the 'BLACKSOCKS' logo, and the top right corner has contact information and social media icons. A green button at the bottom right says 'I want to order!'"Our “Smarter Socks”, which must be smartest socks in the world, put a final end to sock mismatches. And sock sorting becomes the ultimate digital experience!

Every sock is fitted with a communication button which makes it uniquely identifiable when sorting. After washing, you can pair the socks up correctly using wireless technology and the BLACKSOCKS iPhone app. This puts an end to embarrassing mismatches – guaranteed!

And you can now get a sockscription for this brilliant invention:
Calf socks Plus+, 3 deliveries of 3 pairs of socks for the price of 100$ (inc. postage, Sock-Sorter not included).”

*The founder of the site was invited to go to dinner with Japanese business executives and you can read the rest of the story here.

Twitter @curbexcitement

9 Comments

  1. Knit your own socks. That is what I started doing when I couldn’t find socks that didn’t leave marks at the ankles. This way they are the perfect sock because you knit them to fit your feet!

  2. @Wendy
    What material are you knitting the socks from?
    And you are right about leaving marks at the ankles, most of the socks I have do.

  3. The current pair I have on my needles is Super Wash Wool/Nylon blend. I normally use either wool or alpaca wool with a small amount of nylon in the mix because it makes them last better. The ribbing on the socks is a knit 3 purl 1 rib because it is best for not binding if your ankles swell. My next few pair are going to knitted with scrap yarn from another project. Trying to get as much use out of the yarn as possible because good sock yarn is so expensive. It is almost 20 dollars a pair just for the yarn.

  4. Wendy, as a new knitter, how do you knit them so they fit your foot? My son has large feet (size 16/17 shoe and he would love some socks to fit him. Please email me at schwalmie@aol.com

    Sorry for hijacking your post.

  5. @Jane S.
    no problem

    @Wendy
    You could post your answer in the comments, I am sure others are interested too.

  6. I use the book Getting Started knitting socks by Jane Budd. The way I custom fit my socks are keep trying them on as I’m knitting them. To figure out the size sock to knit you measure your foot at the instep. Most womens are about 9 inches. That means that you have to cast on 64 stitches with a size 2 needle if you are using fingering weight yarn. My advice is if you haven’t made socks before if find a local yarn shop (LYS) that has a class available. That is how I learned how to knit socks. I prefer to use 2 circular needles to knit my socks but you can use double pointed needles or a single circular needle if you know how to do the magic loop cast on.

    You need to knit the socks based on your instep measurement rather than your shoe size. Because they will be really lose if you knit them based on shoe sized. I learned this the hard way and frogged (ripped out) about 3 inches of ribbing on my first sock.

  7. Have you ever tried compression socks for travelling? They help prevent swelling and discomfort in your feet during long flights. If your interested in a free pair, feel free to e-mail me or check out my website.

  8. @Brian

    Thank you. I have tried them and it didn’t seem to make any difference.

  9. Pingback: Giveaway: Compression Socks - The Skeptical Traveler

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