Sock it to me

A FEW HANDY USES FOR ODD OR HOLEY SOCKS.

CLEAN YOUR HOUSE

Ready to give paper towel the old heave-ho? Run out of tatty rags? Found yourself with a surplus of slightly worn or odd socks? If you answered yes to those (many) questions, I have some good news: you’re in an excellent position to do some eco-friendly cleaning. The great thing about old socks is that they fit right over your hand, making dusting furniture, shutters and blinds, and other crevices a breeze. Whack some polish onto a particularly soft sock and you can shine and buff your shoes or car, as well. When you’re done, simply give it a rinse and throw it in the washing machine.

MAKE A PUPPET

Speaking of slipping a rogue foot-warmer over your hand: the good old sock puppet is a time-honoured, tot-pleasing classic. (It’s uncanny how some feathery eyelashes and stitched-on ears can bring an old tube sock to life – I’m looking at you, Lamb Chop.) Just gather up some crafty things like felt, wool, googly eyes or paint and start gluing and sewing your limb-bound character together. (And don’t forget the region between the sock’s heel and toe will become the mouth when your hand is shoved inside.)

PROTECT YOUR STUFF

There’s nothing worse than packing up your fragile bits to move house, then finding them scratched, tangled or – worse – in pieces at the other end. A handy technique to up their level of safety is to pop small, breakable objects inside a sock – one item per foot. This adds some padding and prevents things from clinking together in a box. (And if anything does happen to break, at least any chips will be neatly contained.) Cotton socks are also ace at protecting floors while shifting furniture around. Simply whack one onto each of your table or chair’s ‘feet’ and slide it into its new home without fear of damage. ...................

ENTERTAIN YOUR CAT

Look, your moggie is probably going to play with any socks it can find whether you like it or not, so why not reserve a partnerless foot-cover for this very purpose? Shove in something squishy like polyfill, or even some other odd socks, add a pinch of catnip, and stitch the whole thing shut. Your feline friend will be rubbing itself all up against it in no time. (Other nifty things you can make with an odd sock and some stuffing: a stress ball, a pin cushion, or if you’re really feeling the ’70s vibes, a hacky sack.) ...................

INSULATE YOUR DRINK

You may well have a woolly tea cosy that slips over your teapot to keep its contents nice and warm, but did you know you can easily make a mug cosy, too? It wraps around your cup to not only insulate the drink, but also shield your mitts from scalding drips, and all you need is a mate-free sock and a pair of scissors. Snip the toey end off the sock and slide it over the cup, doubling it over for extra protection. If you’re feeling crafty, you could even zhuzh the cosy a little with embroidery, buttons, patches or other adornments. (Side note: this also makes an ace stubby holder alternative.)

STOW SMALL BITS

We can’t say for sure how into board games you are, but we’re going to guess if you got all psyched to play a round of Monopoly with your pals, then discovered the only tokens left in the box were the iron and the thimble, you’d probably be a bit peeved. And fair enough! Everyone knows the boot is the best. With a stray sock on hand, you can avoid that predicament by using it to store loose pieces between games. Sew a zip into the opening if you’re really serious about keeping them safe.

WARM YOUR LAP

If you’ve got a bag of rice, an old sock and the ability to tie a very basic knot, you’ve got yourself a DIY heat pack, ideal for sore necks or pesky period pain. Just fill the sock with raw, dry rice (somewhere around 1.5 cups should do the trick), knot it at the top, then whack it in the microwave for one to two minutes. Be warned: you’re best off using a sock made with all-natural materials lest it wind up getting a bit burny or melty while heating.