Real Socks for the Real World
Heavy Duty Socks for Men and Women
Designed by Ronda Jemtegaard
Hand knitted wool socks warm enough for hunting in the woods, working on the farm, and padding around on wood floors in winter, yet soft, sturdy, and smooth-fitting inside boots.
Old-school quality, now known as "slow fashion" made to last for years and years. Custom colors, custom fit, highest quality yarns make for a frugal, yet luxurious pair of socks. Own several, your feet will thank you!
It's not too early to plan for Christmas gifts! One-of-a-kind, and made by hand in the USA.
Reinforced heel
Reinforced toe
Double strand knitting
Turning the heel
Choosing yarn
Knitting on the go
Knitting at home
Making mistakes?
Why knit socks at all? And why knit double stranded socks?
Once you have learned how to knit and purl and cast on, knitting is an easy activity that can be done on autopilot, allowing you to be productive while having a conversation, listening to TV, radio or audio books, on long or short trips on the bus or in the car (as a passenger... no knitting while driving!), in waiting rooms, etc. Most people like to keep their hands busy while at leisure.
Why socks? Socks are small and knit up fairly quickly, so you don't get bogged down carrying around a large project or spending a long time on one project.
Why double stranded socks? Sure, you can knit single stranded socks and there are plenty of patterns out there for that. I started out with just such a pattern, but discovered that I was spending quite a bit of time making thin socks that I could easily buy in a store. If I'm going to spend any of my precious hours on this earth knitting, it's going to be on something that my family needs that we can't easily purchase. Consequently, I buy our regular socks at the store, and I make our thick, warm, STURDY socks.
Every person who gets a pair of my socks treasures them. Why? Because they are warm, soft, washable, durable, fit far better than any socks we can buy, and because the recipient knows that I have spent not just money on them, but also my consideration on colors, and not least, my time.
The recommended yarn for a pair of my socks costs about $40 and I put about 20,000 stitches into a pair of these socks. No, these are not every day socks; they are special, for keeping my loved ones' feet warm when they are out in the elements. My loved ones are worth it, and I've spent my spare time on something truly valuable and appreciated. Because these socks are made to last for years, the cost-per-wear becomes quite reasonable. If soft, warm and sturdy socks are needed in your household, do the math, consider how you spend your spare time, and decide if knitting Real Socks is for you.
Copyright 2004 by Ronda Jemtegaard
More Real Socks using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn: nearly solid Pond Blue has been double stranded with Lakeview multi in the women's sock-in-progress. The men's size 10 sock was knitted with Icehouse multi and alternated with nearly solid Pine and nearly solid Pond Blue to create subtle stripes.
Real Socks are made to fit. The heel is designed to fit a heel, with special stitching for reinforcement on the wear points.
A close-up of the smooth-fitting, seam-free toes in Real Socks. These men's socks were knitted with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn; one strand of Pioneer multi and one strand of nearly solid Cedar.
© 2000 - 2010. Website design, text and photos are copyright by Ronda Jemtegaard unless otherwise noted.
Reproduction by any means, electronic or mechanical, is forbidden unless written request
is submitted to and approved by Ronda Jemtegaard of Greener Pastures Farm.
The value of knitting and "women's work":
Skilled labor is skilled labor, and hand knitting should be no less valued than carpentry, for example, which pays about $25 per hour. I'd love to be paid $25 an hour for my skilled labor! Heck, I'd love to be paid minimum wages for my skilled labor, which works out to $422.00 per pair for my custom socks. Knitters who sell their time and expertise for pennies hurt not only themselves, but the rest of us as well. It's shameful, and the world needs to realize that our labor is just as valuable as so-called men's work, and requires just as much mental activity.
The Value of Knitting Knitters discuss misinformed assumptions about the value of knitting and the time it takes to created knitted goods.
Thankfully, the President recently signed a measure requiring that women working at the same job as men receive equal pay. However, "women's work" does not yet receive equality. If large groups of men knitted, you can bet your yarn stash and entire collection of knitting needles that they would be paid a living wage, and likely have a union!
Cost Per Wear or Cost Per Use
Frugal shoppers know that the lowest price tag does not mean the best value. Do the math. For example, $10 for an item that only lasts a few months, compared to $100 for an item that lasts for many years. Yep, the $100 item is cheaper when you figure "cost per wear." For example, I bought 3 tape players last year. I didn't mean to buy 3, but I my old one broke and I needed something to listen to while I hurried to finish socks for my family before the cold weather hit. One after another, each a different brand, each with the lowest or next-to-lowest price tag came home with me. The first ate my tapes, so I bought another. The same. I hesitated before buying the third, but bought one anyway. Yep, it ate my tapes too. So... I ultimately spent the same amount of money in one year that I would have for a nicer model, and I still don't have a working tape player. The worst part is that I knew better; I know all about the frugality of considering cost per use.
