My friend Kate is growing a little tired of my talking about wool things. I had already told her about the sweaters, and on the playground I was putting on my new (scratchy) wool gloves from Wal*Mart and was talking about my socks. She started singing the classic preschool ditty above, with the relevant lyric change.
So, to keep Kate happy, let me tell you about the socks. Smartwool socks are the best socks you’ll ever put on your feet. Period. However, they are pricey. At the beginning of the school year, I resolved that I would buy a new pair of wool socks every month until I had 7 pairs. (I already have 3, so this wasn’t such a giant goal.) But, laziness won out, so I waited until last week and bought myself three pair (though I forgot to include a pair in the photo).
I also bought a pair from the clearance section for Lloyd (made specifically for steel-toed boots) because I am love and sunshine rolled into one. He snickered and made some royal fun of me for a long time “You spent how much for one pair?”… until he put them on.
Lloyd: “Oh. Wow! These are really nice.”
Me: “I know. They’re made of sheep.”
Smartwool things are different from cheap wool things. As I said, my Wal*Mart gloves are made from mean, scratchy sheep, but the socks are dreamy – made from Mary’s finest. I’ve actually had a pair of socks for several years that have been wearing out at the heel, but have never broken through. I was showing them to Lloyd and guess what? They turned out to be Smartwool!
P.S. Lloyd just proofread this and said, “You never explained anything about this Smartwool stuff and why it’s special.” I laughed OUT LOUD and said, “Seriously? You want me to write MORE about wool socks and make this post LONGER?”
Ok. Let me tell you a story from my childhood. My sister Keren came home from college, where she was learning about fibers and cloth, and she taught me how to make felt. You take a bunch of wool, put a little soap on it, then wash it in HOT water to open up the fibers. As you scrub it, the little ‘hooks’ on the hairs grab on to each other and connect it into one big mass. The more hot water and agitation, the thicker and denser the mass. That’s why wool things shrink in the wash. Smartwool things are made from magic sheep. Don’t bother fact-checking that.
