On socks...

Although Project 333 excludes underwear, and I tend consider that socks fall into this category, the subject of socks has been in high on my agenda this week. When I started Project 333 I took all my old business clothes to the recycling bank, figuring there was no place for them in my new life in France. Why then did I keep all the socks? Short black socks, long black socks, knee highs and popsocks. I don’t even have a pair of black shoes to wear them with. It was time to tidy out the sock drawer.

On my last outing to the Temple of Technical that is Decathlon I bought two pairs of summer walking socks. It wasn’t until I started to wear them that I realised most of the scruffy cotton socks I had been sporting for the past year were worn out. I also noticed that I had a tendency to take the latest pair of socks off the drying rack in the bathroom every morning, so in effect the same three pairs of socks were continually being recycled. The two issues to be resolved are how many pairs of socks do I currently have and how many do I actually need?

First, I decided to count all the socks – 56 pairs! This was quickly reduced by about half by weeding out all the work-related socks. Next, it was time to carefully sort through the remaining collection and decide which ones had really reached the end of their lives. Buried in the sock drawer were several pairs of Rohan technical socks. Although these are over eight years old they are still going strong. Some long ski socks bought last in year Asda certainly kept my feet warm last winter, but the heels were worn through. Granny Ault may have taught me to darn, but I don’t think it’s come to that.

I mulled the question of socks over for a few days…it’s a quiet life here in Boissonnie… Then, I made a radical decision. I would throw away all the old, non-technical socks and buy six new pairs from Decathlon. It was a good excuse for another visit to the place that is quickly becoming one of our favourite shopping trips in Limoges. So, now I have a capsule collection of eight pairs of short socks – two blue, two purple, two pink, all from the Forclaz 100 range and a slightly thicker soled pair in grey from the 500 range. I also bought two pairs of wool-mix Arpenaz ready for when it turns really cold. I’ve still got the old Rohan socks too, as I hadn’t got the heart to throw those out!

 

The capsule sock collection is working well and, rather like the Project 333 clothes capsule, I don’t really notice that there has been any reduction in the number of socks available to wear. It leaves me wondering what other areas are over-stocked and what I will tackle next.