Photo courtesy of www.jasonmacphotography.com

 

Celebrate!

Great Sock Ideas

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Wear them on your feet (generally a great place to start!)

• During the day as part of your wardrobe.
• At night to keep feet warm.
• Around the house to keep feet warm or wear to get the mail.
• Over moisturizer at night to keep feet soft.

Wear them on your hands

• As hand warmers in a pinch.
• To add some protection to hands while working with greasy/messy substances (note hands will still get substance on them, just not as much).
• As you polish silver or do small dusting jobs (great for tight spaces).
• While you clean windows or mirrors in home, boat, or rv
• To polish a favorite pair of shoes.
• To protect a bandaged area while doing something else (better than gloves because they are so easy to keep clean).
• As a washcloth to bathe your baby's tender skin.
• Overnight on moisturized hands (or feet).

Put them on your pets

• As a "paw pad cover"
  • If your pet has an injury or worn down the small bottom pads on their feet (use packing tape to secure and change sock often).
• As a "tail bag" for your horse
  • First cut two slices about 3-4" long at the top of a long tube sock. Braid your horses tail and secure bottom with ponytail elastic, then place the tail in the sock and tie the sock ends through the top of the "ponytail" and knot.
  • Horses tend to use their ponytail bags to swing at pesky flies, especially in summer.
• For you to wear when you are with your pet
  • To lightly protect your hands while putting chemicals (flea powder, etc.) on your pet.
  • As a bath mitt to work the shampoo/conditioner onto your pet while giving them the light massage they love you for!

Place in the yard and garden

• To keep deer away fill old socks with crushed or bruised cloves of garlic and hang in shrubs or trees about three feet apart (note: the stronger the smell the better this seems to work).
• Post a sock on a pole to hold extra items in the garden.

Tape them onto your tools

• To get a tighter grip on something slippery, hot or hard to hold.
• As "ladder toppers" to cushion your walls, roof or gutters from bangs due to  the ladder pushing against it (be certain that sock is taped tightly and sock and ladder do not slip around before getting on/while you are on ladder).
• Over the end of a fly swatter or long yardstick to dust around tight spaces.
• Onto the handle of paintbrush to catch some of the drips that slide down the paintbrush toward your hand.
• Stuff a sock with some other socks to prop up something temporarily.

Use them as travel or sports buddies

• Wear peds or thick socks to keep your feet comfy on long plane or car trips.
• Use one as a washcloth if none provided.
• Hide special things in your socks.
• Stuff your socks into each shoe to minimize space while helping shoe keep its shape.
• Stuff a shoe in each sock and keep any dirt from getting on your clothes.
• Place a long tube sock over each tip of a pair of skis before placing skis in ski bag to protect the ends while traveling (note: don't use your expensive ski socks for this if your edges are rough)
• Fill a pillowcase with old socks, then sew a seam to close the open side and use it as an archery target (arrows may be easier to remove than a harder target).
• Place a sock over the end of your baseball bat before you toss the bat in the car or to identify your bat at the ball field.
• Use a sock to apply wax to your surf board before you hit the waves.

Make socks into creative craft projects

• Decorate and sew socks into puppets, dolls, and potpourri pillows.
• Turn "toe loops" into craft projects (toe loops or looper clips are the thin circular bands that come off the socks when we sew the toe seam).
  • Weave them into place mats, potholders, area rugs or soft table protectors for hot or scratchy items.
• Create golf club covers by decorating socks for your favorite golfer.
• Add beads, lace, appliqués, etc to socks and make them uniquely yours!

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"Snowman ornament made from a baby's sock. The back of his head is gathered, where his eyes are is the end of the darts that run up the sides of the heel part. His arms are sewed on, they are made of the top/rib part of the sock. My grandmother gave it to me when I was a child."

Lynn Clark, Cross Country International (Horse Holidays)