Those Sneaky Symptoms

Aside from the obvious bits that are not as perky as they once were, the sneakiest thing to creep up on me in the last 2 years has been cold feet. I used to run around barefoot all year even dashing across the road, in the dead of winter, unsocked and unshod. I embraced cold feet. Really, snow is not that cold.  Hot feet make me fidgety. Imagine my shock when my pleasantly cold feet became painful. What? what? what?
Did I own socks? Ah yes, there they were in my discard bag, remnants of my work boot and factory days. Time to buy new ones. The first year, I wore them only on very cold days; now I wear them every day. This is also the first year that I have ever worn slippers. Not here, mind you, just on an unheated floor while visiting.
As in all things: when it becomes personal, it becomes interesting. Gluten intolerant? Let's google that. Bad dog? Let's google that. Socks? Hey, socks are research-able,too.

From Egypt, circa 500 AD but not true socks

This medieval hose was attached with ties to a garter belt-like thingy.

Sixteen hundred years ago there were no socks, just these long things called hose. Making hose involved lots of sewing as knitting hadn't been invented yet. So now we can segue into knitting which is incredibly modern. The first knitting guild was begun in 1527 in Paris. All knitters at that time were men! (Segue is such a cool word; two years ago, I didn't know what it meant then I saw it everywhere...segue, segue. I think words are stylish too, like midi skirts, here today and practically gone next year.)

Linen hose, tied around the legs

I am making a point, albeit in a roundabout fashion. Can you imagine figuring out knitting? Someone had the time to try and try again to loop yarn around a pair of sticks, over and over, sometimes in one direction and sometimes in the other. Talk about 10,000 hours. Maybe it was a group thing...a bunch of unemployed guys, high on mead, with their hose wrapped around their knees and freezing (because hose was separate, not joined like pants and the average person did NOT wear underwear), and they couldn't smoke because Sir Walter Raleigh hadn't been to America yet, so one of them started to fiddle around with his hose ties and a stick or two. "Hey, Gaston, I'll bet I can make more loops than you can between Nonce and Vespers." This theory can use some work of course but in the comic strip part of my mind, I am seeing it. In the dark part of my mind, I don't think  people have enough time to be truly creative. We just copy and copy again and tell ourselves that developing a video game is life-changing. I also think that I could dislike the dark part of my mind. Anyway.... 

Once knitting took off, socks became the things we wear today, except for the heels which were detachable, therefore, replaceable.  One of the small things taken so for granted but life improving, protecting us from frostbite, insect bites and foot injuries. And providing cuteness and cheer.          



One third of all this cheer is produced in a single city in China. 8 billion pairs a year!!!!!!
I now know more about socks than is necessary, so do you and if cold feet is all we have to complain about today, let us give thanks.