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Monday, April 4, 2011

Sock Family Reunions


In a bag that hangs on the back of my basement door, lives a group of refugees. They have lost their mates in the ravages of childhood play; some are left outside, others are stuffed into the toes of boots or down the side of the mattress. Some have lived in this bag for years. I steadfastly hope that I will someday discover their mates behind the bookshelf or in a forgotten box of toys.
Each time I do laundry, I line up the hopeful candidates. They are lonely. They've been surrounded by strangers for so long.

The reunions between long-separated partners are joyful, but unfortunately, often shortlived. I imagine that one day when my children are grown and I finally throw these orphan socks away, I'll find their mates in the one place I forgot to look, all gathered together, happy in their adoptive family.

What do you do with your lonely socks?

14 comments:

  1. LOL , I have SEVERAL of those bags- I thought I was the only one who held out hope of ever finding their mates?!
    I once heard a story that if you have lived a dreadful life here on earth, inflicting pain and suffering on your fellow human beings after you die you go to sort out all the lost socks in the universe for eternity. Enough to remind us to be gentle with each other I'd say!
    With six kids, 4 being girls I would also like to know where all the pony-tail holders go!

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  2. Love it. I have a pile of orphaned socks on top of my dresser right now, looking for attention but being ignored at the moment. Sometimes when I have an orphaned sock, I still put it in the drawer, hoping that when I find the other half of the pair, I can immediately reunite them. But while I strive to make sure that each unit becomes a pair by the time I'm done folding laundry, I have realized that most of the time, my kids take pride in wearing mismatched socks!

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  3. ah yes the lone sock dilemma... we have a big basket of unmatched socks that seems to keep growing at a steady rate! So far they sit there but perhaps soon I shall give up and make something with them ~ or pitch them.
    xo
    S.

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  4. My orphaned socks are in a little pile on the floor beside my bed. (I fold and sort on top of my bed!)
    Every once in a while, when both girls' bedrooms get cleaned out, and all laundry is done by the end the weekend, if there aren't any matches for the orphans, they are pitched.
    Lately, I have started to buy several pairs of identical socks to lessen the numbers of orphans AND, like Em, let the kids wear the others mismatched if they want to.
    It's kind of cute!

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  5. Hilarious. I have a bin in the laundry room labeled "Lonely Socks." I don't try to reunite them every time I do laundry though, more like once a month. There are some that have been in there for years!!

    Stephanie :)
    www.simplicitymom.blogspot.com

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  6. oh my. they all live in a long lost basket too.... which at this point will not be matched up until fall when we all begin regularly wearing socks again..... I ditch the loners every 2-4 years when we move.... so sad.... (haha)

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  7. Socks that are missing their significant others get introduced to others in the same boat...a single's night for socks...then they become a new pair with infinite possibilities. Good times.

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  8. Haha, Sheepish! I'm picky about pairing up singles..they have to be of the same thickness; they have to BOTH have rubber sole-dots or none at all. They have to be the same length...I think I may have to loosen up the rules soon or there might be mutiny!

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  9. We have a giant bin of these. It's called the Lonely Socks Club, and it's a very sad place.

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  10. One of my nieces starting wearing mismatched socks a while ago and now all the kids in the family like to do this as a kind of fashion statement. It has really taken care of our lonely socks issues. The socks mismatch on color and pattern but are are usually the same "cut" and fabric.

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  11. My Mom used to tell me that it was The Borrowers (amazing childrens book!) that would take the socks away and put them to use :o)

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  12. I only receive one sock, always, back from the laundry. The girls say the sock gremlin takes them, but I believe it is because they like to wear mismatched socks.

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  13. I think I found a matching set in your photo..grey, with black stripes and green heel! I just wonder how you get kids socks so clean... And what do I do with lonely socks..well, after what seems an appropriate time of hoping the "other" one will turn up, it becomes a dust cloth on my hand..fits perfectly for running over picture frames for example. A friend suggested I buy all socks the same colour/style...but what fun would that be!

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  14. Just this morning I was wondering why I keep saving these lonesome socks hoping that I'll find their mate. It seems that about 4 single socks even somehow made the move with us and I was just thinking that seems ridiculous. Why don't I just toss them like any sane person? Lovely to see that there are many other sock savers, I'm in good company. ;-)

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