Niqkita's Sock Journal

or…
where was it made and why does it matter?

Try as we might, most of us end up with stuff carrying this tag. As a buyer I’ve tried to avoid it, but sometimes even items I’m familiar with that didn’t use to come from China show up with the tag, if I ask I am often assured there isn’t a change over and it was just a temporary source. Add to this the idea that not everything that comes from other countries is made under questionable conditions. We tend to think highly of European items and Japan has risen to be thought of as a reputable source.
At one point I started discontinuing anything that I found a China tag on…
now I’m not certain that is a solution in itself having talked to a lot of people about the good and the bad of it and will continue to carry items made all over the world.
It seems almost all “costume items” (non-stocking-type things like gloves and petticoats) are only mass produced in China, causing even conscientious suppliers to send us Chinese items because they just can’t get them elsewhere.

So what’s a girl to do? I make an effort to add where its made to all new items, usually after the fiber content if it isn’t in the main description copy (for anything we’ve missed feel free to email us and we’ll check for you). We try hard to keep an eye out for changes in the warehouse & update the descriptions as needed
…not as easy as it sounds but we still try.

Any item that carries the Sock Dreams label absolutely must be made in the US or we won’t sell it. While I definitely favor US made socks and such there are a lot of great styles out there to be had so do your own research and make your own conclusions about what you do and do not want to purchase, here, there and everywhere…
whenever possible buy handmade & locally produced items
and buy as many socks from Sock Dreams as possible!

EG Smith is one of our original suppliers and still among my personal favorites…
so when I was told Eric was creating a “green line” I was ecstatic. I thought it would just be a handful of environmentally friendly styles like our beloved Two Brothers Organics. Instead it is 40+ items! So I’ve been ordering them in small batches to get us started, beginning with the ones I found most appealing…

These Slinky Knees were most certainly the first one I wanted to try…

But first, just what was recycled and where did it come from?
I asked our rep Frank and he spoke with the resident yarn expert for the company in charge of EG Smith and it turns out that our recycled yarns are actually regenerated yarns. The mill takes the scraps from cotton jersey manufacturers such as HANES, and breaks them down, reweaves them and produces new product, it is recycling waste, but it comes from products never worn and cleans up the end result of “scraps” which in the old days would have made the rag bag or the dump. Also on the information highway, the uncertified cotton they are using as blends in the ECO socks comes from Poland and China and is reported to be Organic (they are working on Certification), which gives us an even better Green Product. They are also starting to blend in ECOFIL yarns (plastic water bottles recycled into polyester fill yarns). So they are recycled, regenerated, and still PURE enough to satisfy even the most ardent organic mavens.
So there you have it, the official explanation of the origins of our lovely new socks. More of these will be added this week, and over the coming weeks and months…
They are all pretty awesome!

This has been my absolute favorite pair of socks since they arrived as a sample pair a couple of years ago. Knowing you’d all want them in thigh highs we started ordering them. And while I love those too, these have remained my one truly dreamiest sock, just over my knees, often hanging out just under them. They get softer and softer every time I pull them out of the dryer.
Now this great length is here for everyone to enjoy.
Many of the days since they arrived you can find at least a couple of pairs being worn around Sock Dreams so it seems they are well loved by many already.

I was super happy when the timing worked out perfectly for taking them up on my little sock getaway in Seattle with Raubynn last weekend…

We had lots of fun running around town taking pictures in our socks.

Surely some people thought us mad

I was mesmerized by the hibiscus, such pretty colors!

When I came home I found out the last couple of colors were in so I put them on

and climbed my favorite tree…

We also got this new color that we happily ordered in both lengths…

some said they looked like patina, some preferred antique. In honor of Amanda officially taking over the Dream Stocking section I gave her the final say…
antique it is, and gorgeous too!
~~~{:::=:::}~~~
I nearly forgot to add this one from before my trip…

These are indeed dreamy as a knee high on fuller legs!

Made in the USA, to our specifications…

Traditionally a men’s sock garter, we think they are equally practical for girls…

downright sexy on ladies…

…and just plain fun!

They haven’t been the easiest item to find…
at long last we have secured a source for classic sock garters!
with stripes & without stripes
Thanks to my determined crew we’ve received, tested, photographed & labeled a slew of these for you and will be adding variations in the future (more colors and hardware options including clips and faux-leather!!!).

We even made one a few inches longer in case you have extra large calves or want to wear them at your thighs…

Lots more Dreamy news to come!

This isn’t even all of it…

We have among our latest arrivals being tested & shot this week:
E.G. Smith Eco line of Green Socks
…made of recycled & organic yarns
Strange Monster Arm Cozies
…snug and oh-so-lovely!
K. Bell’s Soft & Dreamy socks
…with a name like that we better be selling them!
but do they live up to it? yeah, they’re pretty scrumptious.
These will start showing up on the site Monday…

and what you don’t see above are…
Classic Men’s Sock Garters

and an in-store exclusive of Betsey Johnson:

Don’t worry though, we’ll definitely offer our favorites online soon too!
But in store exclusives aren’t a bad idea either…

Light, bright, colorful and pretty, it’s all I see when I look around
right down to our newest Dream Stockings
a paired down Vertically Inlined in white
…knee high!!!

as pretty as these are, I’ve always secretly wished for a shorter version
and these pretty spring colors are too sweet to resist.
Upon my first wearing I wasn’t convinced though
too loose around the ankles and frequently creeping down my legs.
I’m happy to report that a warm machine wash & dry made them perfect!
These past two days they fit and stayed up fantastically.
Everyone around here has liked them so far, loved them even.
Hurray for spring!!!

one of the first socks I bought and sold were the Pippy Longstockings.
Always a favorite, they are the ultimate comfort sock.
But even early on availability was sporadic at best with at least a couple of dry years when no amount of begging the folks responsible for EG Smith seemed to help. Then it did and they became plentiful, once again, sporadically. And all the while it has been my quest, to have them made in greater variety, longer, different patterns, textures, but no one, but one, seems able to do these just as they are, let alone better…
longer, better top stretch, colors? We have obtained and distributed an amazing variety of really cool socks, some of them pretty darned close…
but these remain just out of reach.

Last spring I was offered the real thing, made for us, longer, under our label and I jumped at it, along with the original length, leg warmers, stockings & tights.
The labels are gorgeous, by the way, wait til you see them.
As some of the most promising things in life go, we never did get that one item I wanted, the one sock that I made the whole deal in hopes of obtaining never showed up in a big box too heavy to lift. Lots of these did though, and leg warmers, OTK stockings (soon to be added) & Lemonade Stockings (we still need to cut those lemons & mix in the sugar, but the first batch will be up & ready for a picnic soon enough).
As of this past week I found out that we could not get the longer version afterall, the sample of the replacement version was not at all the same sock so I rejected it based on quality and cost. But this quest, and many other sock dreams, are far from over.
and now, a little flash back…

It was a gorgeous day today…
dense fog in the morning, followed by a day of sunshine.
I was doing some work in the warehouse when I heard footsteps overhead.
I snuck up the ladder and peeked out over the roof…

and there I spied Liz
with two of our coworkers posing in socks.
You see, we have new Dream Stockings
and Liz, leader of the Dream Stocking section
is getting pictures of them for you…
what you don’t see is that Sixten is off to the side
in the new & improved M Squareds
and sock garters, because Lily, our resident sewing ninja
is sewing up oodles of sock garters so we may finally stay in stock
and we need pictures, lots and lots of pictures.
More on these latest items in the days ahead.

Sock Inspector Lola says: Get down from there at once!
…surely being so far from the ground is a safety hazard.

The choreographer/director of the dance video in the last post sent me this still image this weekend. I love that they are all wearing our striped Dream Stockings!
I don’t get a chance to post every worthy picture people send us.
…but some are just so charming I can’t resist.

Now, to start our week…
two nice letters I found in feedback this morning:

Message:
I just received a variety of your socks/thigh highs from my hubby. I love the socks & your site and have added you to my bookmarks. I sense an addiction brewing ;)

Sincerely,
Rachel

Message:
Just found your site… where have I been. Thank goodness there are others who share my passion for socks. My faves are stripy ones – there used to be a store here in my town called Socks Appeal, but they have long since closed down, so I was left to scour the shelves during Halloween mostly to try to find some comforting socks… I had almost given up hope. Thank you again – soon to be a very loyal customer! :)

Malena

and an odd one…

where can I get info on mens floppy socks

thank you

Brian

Can anyone tell me what “men’s floppy socks” are exactly?

11/28/07 update, loose socks was what he sought.