Month: December 2009 Page 2 of 3

I’ve tried wearing the same socks “inside out” — the stockinette surface against the skin. And you know what? It works! The abrasive qualities are gone.

I signed up to walk a half marathon in June. By announcing it here means that I can’t back out, right? And in preparation of that, I will also be doing a 5K walk on New Year’s Day.

Yesterday, I went to the Y and hopped on the treadmill to get a baseline. I wanted to find out where I am before I start training. I don’t do treadmills in general. If I want to walk, I have plenty of built-in loops around my neighborhood in 1, 2, and 3 mile segments. But I wanted to get a baseline that didn’t include stopping at intersections and waiting for traffic (or waiting for Waldo to sniff and water each blade of grass as we walked by).

What did I find? I finished a 5K in 54 minutes. That included a few slow downs to set my iPod into the treadmill, re-plug my headphone cord into the treadmill after my wild arm swings pulled it out of the socket, and general playing around with the interface.  Not too bad, but could be better.  My goal is to finish the 5K in 45 minutes. I have 3 weeks to shave 9 minutes. I should be able to do it.

Back to the title of this post. I wore one of my handknit socks. Regia Jacquard, to be specific.  It was a plain vanilla sock, top down with a heel flap, knit in plain stockinette. These socks don’t look much different from when I first knit them. And according to my project notebook, that was in July 2001. 8 year old socks that still look new.

Yup. Wears like iron. Unfortunately, they also felt like sandpaper after mile 2 (3K mark). During that last mile, I could feel every purl bump. And my feet were sensitive for a couple of hours after.

I will go through my entire sock drawer and give each sock an audition. I’ve heard that wearing the socks stockinette side in may feel better than purl side in. I’ll try that. Handspun as well as commercial. Nylon enhanced or not. Superwash or untreated wool.

So, the quest is on for a pair of perfect handknit socks that can withstand a half marathon.  Comfort, wicking ability, cushion, and just as importantly, durability.  Ideally, it would be something like the Smartwool hiking socks. But that would entail creating little terry cloth like loops on the inside for cushioning. Not in this lifetime. Life is too short. If it comes down to that, I’ll buy the darn socks. It’ll be cheaper.

Stay tuned.