Niqkita's Sock Journal

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Archive for the ‘summer’ Category

Rainbows & Sunshine


I don’t usually take sock shots in the sunlight, but when I woke up two Sundays ago to a bright sunny morning I decided to give these pretty new knee highs a shot in the sun. We’ve been getting some really pretty stripes lately and I can never pick favorites so I wore one of each of these with one of each of the new Dreamy Knees

it made me happy all day

That afternoon, after staying up late the night before finishing a batch of Strange Monster arm cozies for us Rene & her partner Cameron dropped off what would become our last batch of these beloved cozies.

a few days later we learned she passed away the very next day.
A sadness fell over us that was hard to shake. I’d barely gotten to know her in the past few months since we’d met as we mostly exchanged emails and talked briefly during her drop offs. We were about the same age and I loved that she wore pigtails too.

If you own a pair of her cozies treasure them forever because she really did make each and every one of them herself. If you don’t own a pair you best grab some while we still have some. Today it’s grey and we’re finally going to get some rain…
so here’s to the rainbows and sunshine to come.

Summer Walks


I have been obsessed with wearing flip flops for the first time in years and these toesocks are part of the reason. They are one of two new ToeToe toe socks specifically designed for walking (the other is actually a reintroduction of the terry looped wool version, with more colors ). Better than bare toes in flip flops because feet stay cleaner and sweat is absorbed, plus feet are cushioned and protected. I’ve barely been seen out of these since they first arrived (I have all 3 colors=) and they’ve got competition with all the other great styles we’ve added lately, not to mention all my old fav’s.
I scrunch ‘em down around my ankles if my legs get too warm
…and I pull them up near my knees when the sun goes away.
Convertible & comfy, plus they’re made with COOLMAX® to keep your feet cool!

Recycled from what?

Recycled yarn makes comfy crew socks
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…
Earthy & stylish all at once!
These Slinky Knees were most certainly the first one I wanted to try…
Above your knees or below them, these are slinky good fun!
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!

Manly socks for chilly mornings

Argyle and Lola
We’ve been blessed with beautifully cool mornings here in the pacific northwest. Some mornings & evenings have even been nearly chilly making socks and extra covers ever inviting so we gave a few of our newest men’s socks a test run, or test walk to be more accurate. All three of these have varying amounts of virgin wool, nylon, viscose, cashmere & angora. Virgin wool is wool that has been spun for the first time, as opposed to recycled fibers. Viscose fascinates me because it is what they make rayon and cellophane from and according to Wikipedia Rayon is a very versatile fiber and has the same comfort properties as other natural fibers and can imitate the feel and texture of silk, wool, cotton and linen. The bad thing about rayon is that it isn’t usually machine washable but these are, though gentle handling is recommended. The Giacomo argyles were my favorite to look at…
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Since they are “men’s” socks they fit men’s shoe sizes 8-13 so any of you ladies who have trouble with the usual girl sized sock will find a friend in these since that would cover women’s shoe sizes 10-15 with generous ankle/calf room.
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These were my sweetie’s favorites…
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They were the first pair he picked out when shown the selection and have the loosest tops as you can see they don’t have the the turned welt cuff like the other two, though all will fit muscular calves just fine. Almost itchy before being washed, extra sensitive people beware, they do soften with gentle washings as the fibers fluff up, cotton socks worn under is also a good solution for sensitive feets, I thought they were very comfy for wool socks, I love that about Biella socks!

Seasonal Disregard

These super soft sockies can easily be slouched and layered!!

Sometimes I want to eat dessert before dinner

(maybe I’m a freak, but sweet stuff makes me hungry for a main meal)

Sometimes I like white after labor day

(especially when it FEELS like summer well into November)

Sometimes I wear inappropriate shoes

(I once wore combat boots with a gown to a ball, yes an actual “ball”…

and even though “Muffy” stole my jacket that night, I had a blast)

Sometimes red and green are not just for the holidaze

(despite occasionally rude commentary from confused people when I wear my red/green mstripes year round. hey, remember that old Crazy Eddy commercial guy… “it’s Christmas in July”!!)

Sometimes I put on ankle length leggings or long socks even though it’s hot as an oven outside

(They are my legs and I’ll dress them as I please when I please, thank you… and hey, didn’t those old fashioned bathing beauties actually wear long wool socks or sometimes even tights with their cool bathing suits?)

These sock staples are a good pick for ANY season!

Today it’s nearly 100 degrees outside and I’m sitting here in the lovely AC, wearing boxer shorts, sipping cinnamon tea, and wearing my brownie brown (that’s what I call them) Cronert Cotton Overknee socks. Am I breaking some sort of summer rule? Am I tempting the fashion police with my seasonal disregard? Who cares! I’m comfy, cozy and cool just the way I am.

The Cronert Cotton Overknee are an excellent light weight OTK in rich deep colors. In my dreams (my sock dreams that is), I have always wanted a pair of basic black OTK in a lighter thin knit, with no shine, soft flat matte or brushed texture, that of course would fit my feet and go well over my knees. I once had a pair (way back when) that was PERFECT and fit my specifications to a “T”. Then for years I could not find any.

When I first sought out our sock Goddess, this dream sock was what I was looking for. She led me to the E.G. Smith Solid Over the Knee Stockings, Though close enough to my dream to become a sock wardrobe staple for me, they still left a little to be desired in size and length. I’m happy to say that these Cronerts (though pricier than the EG Smiths) do come just a bit closer to my dream size wise, and texture wise these have a lovely almost brushed texture, but do have a little shine when pulled taught over a larger calf.

From previous experience with the Cronert spring striped anklets, I had anticipated these to be much friendlier to the larger footed. Though slightly more forgiving than the EG Smith’s, these still come out a bit snug on my toes when the heel is properly lined up (and surprisingly, the larges don’t seem to me to be significantly larger in the feet than the small, but they do seem slightly longer in length). And although they do make it over my knee, it is not by much, yet still a smidgeon more than the EG’s. If I had to choose between the two, I think I would choose the Cronerts for size and the Smiths for price. But luckily, here at SD I can have a pair (or three) of each :O)

The brushed softness of these is nearly as cuddly as Vel ;o)

The Cronert Cotton Overknees stay up mostly well, though they are prone to do that rolly thingy. If you have enough length you can try folding over a cuff on top as that seems to help them not roll, but if (like me) you don’t have enough over the knee length to do that, I recommend a garter to keep them perfectly where you want em.

All in all, I’d recommend these to anyone who’s listening… I’m pretty smitten with these.. and although I am truly enjoying them now in this nasty summer weather, I think I may just end up loving them even more in the cooler fall and winter weather.

O Lovelies Slouched

Lace like over the knee socks that slouch lovely
I love these on warm days and cool days and on weeks like this when the weather can change noticeably in less than 20 minutes they are especially nice because not only do they look ever-sO-Lovely over my knees, they are awesome slouched…
You get a totally cool casual look and feel with the greatest of ease.
casual and comfortable socks

and, of course, the really good news today is that the small footed are in!!!

My Fair Lovelies

romantic pastel shades in soft sockies that are wonderfully touchable

(To the tune of “Wouldn’t it be lovely” from the musical ‘My Fair Lady’.)

All I want is a sock to wear,
Feet that fit with some room to spare.
In lengths that go up to “
there”,

Ohhhh, wouldn’t it be Lovelies?

Lots of colors would be a treat,
Lots of sizes for lots of feet.
Comfy even in summer’s heat,

Ohhhh, wouldn’t it be Lovelies!

(tee hee)

That beautiful girl is Kaytee (my Nephew’s girlfriend who I’ve now adopted as my second niece). She came over to visit me the night I was doing an O Lovelies sock review and I was lucky to have her pose for me.

Lovely Lovelies in blush pink

The O Lovelies fit her gorgeous legs perfectly and went well over her knees, the feet however on Kaytee were pretty loose (as where my pink shoes… She wears a size 7). She is also wearing one SD sock garter, the O Lovelies do seem to stay up decently… but as always, if they absolutely, positively must stay in place, best to grab a sock garter to be sure!

THE FEET!! These feet make me sooo HAPPY! I think they fit my size 11’s brilliantly! Prior to washing they seemed to have a tiny bit more room and I loved them like that too (and now, I know these aren’t supposed to shrink, but I swear they seem to now fit my feet perfectly after thier first bath).

Pretty on larger longer legs even if more of a knee high

I know that my Sock wishes in the future will be that O Lovelies will come in Lots of fun colors. But mostly right now I wish for a few more inches in length on the larger footed ones. On my larger and longer legs, these just barely make it past my knees (and that’s pulling on them). The difference in knit on the top band actually starts mid knee.

I’m touch obsessed with the texture of these. My memory of the sample sock was that they had felt more cottony. But my pretty pair of blush pink feels soft with an almost spongelike fluff. I can’t stop touching them! I think it may just be that sponge quality that allows them to breathe so well and be hot weather friendly. They are light and cool and look-wise Ideal for that school girl look. Oh and have I mentioned how perfectly sweet they look scrunched down around the ankles? Well, they’re adorable like that too!

And don’t even get me started on how pretty the textured vertical rib like pattern is… almost like a lacy crochet and soft like a baby’s blanket.

These really are Dreamy.

O Lovelies on Raubynn

Raubynn in a pair of O Lovelies
Raubynn has sort of been an unofficial sock girl and one of my dearest friends for at least a couple of years now. She, like so many of you, often has trouble getting socks to properly fit her above average feet & stems so a pair of the robin’s egg blue O Lovelies in the large size was a must try for her. And just like us she found the large size too large for her shoe size 10 toes, and just like us she loved them anyway. When she showed me her pictures I asked if I could share her results with all of you because her shoes are so darned pretty! We have the small size on its way to us now too…
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I have to say I loved these on line from the first moment
…but then when I got them in my hands I wasn’t too sure
…and the foot was actually very large….
I just wasn’t sure…
although the look is what was in my memory from long ago
…after boiling them to shrink the feet (heehee) and actually wearing them around -
I really fell in love with them
…and they are so good with maryjanes- were not too thick at all…
loved the look and I loves the little - not too much - slouchiness of them….
very old fashioned I think….
very Brooke Shields “Pretty Baby”…

the color is so soft on these…very beautiful…and i adore the ribbing.
and both sides stayed thru all my wearing them the way i had arranged them…
one side cuffed with a bit of scrunch…the other up over my knee. A+

Cool socks, hot days

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I feel a little guilty for featuring so many non-sock styles lately when good old American made cotton socks are my true love, even on hot sweaty days. I might be tempted to skip the socks all together in this heat but they do keep my toes dryer, cleaner and more comfortable in general. I have the A Chevrons in nearly every color and often grab for them first only to find they are all in the laundry yet again.
The M Squared are another fav of mine because they are light and comfy and look just as good slouched on hot days as they do pulled up to my knees on cooler days. I was going to rave all about them on the fourth until I discovered we didn’t really have many to sell due to a wonky batch we sold off in the clearance room, we do have a fresh batch coming though so hopefully it won’t be much longer til we’re in stock.
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If we seem to be a little low in stock in general it is somewhat intentional, not only is this the absolute slowest time of year for selling socks, we are getting ready to pack up and move next week. I’ll be posting about that as we start making progress and then I’m finally going to let the rest of the sock girls show off their recent photos and reviews while I busily help set up the new location!!!

Of course…
we do still have plenty of good American made cotton choices
in the Dream Stocking room
and will only stop sending socks out for maybe three days when we move
we’ll post that info on the site before those days come…

O Lovelies, part one…

O lovelies, over or under the knees
We got one single sample sock of this style not too long ago. We passed it around, each of us trying that one sock on and cooing over how comfy & lovely it was, we knew it was a yes and naming it was easy. We asked for two sizes and sent off our first order. The larger footed version arrived first and, wow, what large feet you have my little lovelies! so big they were that our largest feet at a size 12 found them baggy! then the smaller version arrived and our size 12 could fit into them with ease, the problem was that the rest of us found them to be too large, especially on smaller feet. Here’s how they look on my size 8.5/9 feet, not bad, but not at all snug…
close up of the foot
This is a pebble, before washing, I will be washing them tonight on high heat settings because I’ve been told this shrinks the feet down without changing the tops too much so I’ll be reporting back on this later. For now, we asked for a yet smaller size so that those with size 6ish feet can enjoy them too because we think these are wonderful and will be adding more images soon. They work well both over and under the knees, they look nice cuffed and are really cute scrunched, they have that great ripple effect like those hard to find (and harder to afford) Prada socks we were asked about so much last year. The O Lovelies are a light weave so are perfect for the warm months ahead, you can cover more or less of your legs as you like and not be overheated…
Yet another great addition for us sockaholics and addicts!