Sock Love in Schoeller Stahl SOCKA color 9047
Now that I’ve completed that silly Finger Quiz, I’ve noticed that indeed, I lift ye Pinkie, unconsciously, into the air any chance I get — drinking a cuppa, tying my shoes, and oh, blow-drying my hair.
I thought myself a common man but this one little flag salutes the snob in all of us, no? Yes! I watch Masterpiece Theatre and accredit it as High Culture! But tickling it was to see a scene in Bleak House where Guppy, a social climbing lawyer, raised his pinkie with purpose while drinking a cup of tea with his betters, as if that one act alone would make them live in a parallel society.
I adore Charles Dickens. I’ve been slowly working my way through his writing, which I find as fresh today as when he walked.
I suppose one had maybe, hmm, two or three pairs of socks back then, if you were fortunate — cost: 1 shilling, 10 pence (“It has been said that in 1800, not one person in fifty living in England wore socks, but by 1900 not one person in fifty was without them.”). But what DID the common man wear? I wonder if there was a street market equivalent of the Six-Pack Freeway Sock Guy in the Victorian Age; we have them, now that the weather is good, at many ramps across town. You can be stuck in traffic, get cold water, a pack of peanuts, and a six-pack of white cotton socks. I promise this is true. I promise I will get a picture of this.
Until then, you will have to go wallow here:
– Sock Timeline
– History of Socks Japenese-style
– the History of the Sock Monkey
Find us on Ravelry as *
I’ll take 3 packs please, a certain 11 year old in my house seems to always steal my socks. *sigh*
Bleak House! I didn’t know m’lady was a faithful watcher. Are you keeping up with Mrs. Beeton?
It’s too bad they don’t sell underpants on the fly. One can never have too many clean underoos.
Patrick Starfish told SpongeBob Squarepants that to be fancy and impress Sandy Squirrel, he must raise his pinky in the air. Waaaayyy high in the air.
I don’t suppose you watch SpongeBob Squarepants.
It’s very funny.
Ummm, Rachel….I’m thinkin’ that I wouldn’t want to buy my unmentionables from any of those guys under the Kennedy. I’m just sayin’.
O I with with you are this one. Bleak House is my favorite Dickens novel. Nicholas Nickleby and Great Expectionns are also great.
Lately, though I haven’t been able to tackle a big fat juicy classic, not with all this knitting !
Thanks for the sock history.
Interesting sock history! One of the reasons I love to knit socks (other than the glorious yarn, and the magic of the heel turn) is the connection to history I feel when I knit them.
Bonnie Marie I am LOVIN’ the green color of the CeCe you are workin on. Can you share what yarn and color it is and if you’re happy with the way it’s turning out.
I was reading your back entrys (catching up) and I’ve really been enjoying them. I was looking at the 2/17/07 entry with the soldier and thought what the heck, I’ll try google. I found a link to ebay and it has a blurb about a different but similar soldier, http://cgi.ebay.com/1941-1945-WWII-SOLDIER-GRASS-GROWER-MORTON-POTTERY_W0QQitemZ120124455319QQihZ002QQcategoryZ1233QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting
Thought you might like to know.
Deb in pa
Neat post! I love tidbits of history, and it’s about socks – even better!
I loved Bleak House – the names of the characters – Charles Dickens was indeed a genius. And I am a big, huge Mastepiece Theater fan. It is so high culture. It’s theater after all, says so right in the title.
I get all pinkies-out when I knit socks on teeny, tiny needles. I have gigantic hands with long fingers, and those fingers seem only to get in the way! It look a bit spidery though, and not elegant in the least.