I live alone, so presumably I'm responsible for the wherabouts of my clothing items, but I simply can't believe that I am so stupid that I can loose as many socks as I do. And it's never the pair you loose, is it? It's only one of the socks...

Why not make a clothes pin type thing, a little plastic thingy than can snap shut; when you take off your socks at night, snap the SockPin on the pair so they'll stay together, and then throw them in your laundry hamper.

Would sure save me a lot of money on socks, and a lot of embarassment when my co-workers notice I have different coloured socks on...

:P
-- placebo, Aug 08 2000

Sock Cryptography http://www.halfbake...Sock_20Cryptography
exploring the Sock Factor... [placebo, Aug 08 2000]

Washing Machine Cow Catcher http://www.halfbake...ine_20cow_20catcher
A HB idea for how to stop sock loss in the washer. [beauxeault, Aug 08 2000]

Baked. My grandmother once handed me a plastic mug with a bunch of safety pins inside. Pin your socks when you take them off, the side of the mug said, put the pins back when you put them on. Duh, grandma, I thought I'd leave the pins in. Of course, this really just means that instead of losing one sock at a time you lose two.

My problem is not different color socks, but different types. Over the years I have accumulated different types of white socks and they are NOT compatible.
-- centauri, Aug 08 2000


I guess I was just trying to fill a gaping hole in my soul with a product I don't really need... But then again; Screw you for judging me!

:P
-- placebo, Aug 08 2000


Wouldn't that make them hard to wash? Wadded-up socks are tough enough.
-- Uncle Nutsy, Aug 09 2000


Uncle Nusty has a point. And if you can't keep the socks together by stuffing them inside eachother, and you won't use a 'sock clip', you're sure as hell going to loose your socks in the damnable machine itself. That's where most of them disappear, you know... Only it's physically impossible for two socks (which go together) to dissapear in the washing maching at the same time, which is why it's a good idea to have a 'sock clip'; if they stay together, they're safe.

:P
-- placebo, Aug 09 2000


Can we use the fact that only one of two socks ever disappears for faster-than-lightspeed communication and cryptography without key exchange?
-- jutta, Aug 09 2000


Good grief, if you're finding it that hard to keep your socks together why don't you have the equivalent of what little kids have with their mittens? A string would run from the top of the sock up your trouser leg, over your crotch, and down to the top of the other sock. This way the socks are tied together for life and will never be separated in the laundry. A practical and elegant solution I think you'll agree. Just don't wear shorts.
-- Jim, Aug 09 2000


Just change your perspective...you are not losing a sock, you are finding one.
-- blahginger, Aug 10 2000


I am convinced that they don't get wasted in the washing machine cos the machine isn't blocked and the waste gully isn't blocked either. They must get separated somewhere else. Maybe when they go into the wash separately and get dyed a different colour (damned reds) and are probably lying beside each other right now - so near and yet so far. Anyway, I'm going to try the safety pins!
-- liam, Dec 03 2000


Such at item already exists. Little sock-hooks that keep pairs of socks together in the wash. I've seen them with my own eyes :)
-- rebekkahshiri, Dec 04 2000


In order to combat washing machine sock loss, I used to have a string bag with a zipper on it. The socks would be placed in the bag before washing, and removed again once clean. It was an excellent device, that worked perfectly. Unfortunately, I lost it.
-- Lemon, Dec 04 2000


Minimize the problem by buying 20 pairs of the same socks. That way, even if you lose, say, 10 socks to attrition, you still have 15 pairs and not 10 pairs and 10 orphans.

I know this works because I use this system. But I don't consider socks a fashion accessory-- they're just a necessary buffer between my skin and my shoe. No one even sees them because I always wear long pants and high boots. If you like to match your socks to your shirt, get a clip.
-- ejs, May 21 2001



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