The Best Sock Subscriptions for Fun and Useless Facts About Socks
The Best Sock Subscriptions for Fun and Useless Facts About Socks
If you love socks and just can’t get enough of them, here are some fun facts about socks that you’ll love to hear. Did you know there are socks out there that are made with gold thread? Or that socks have been found on Egyptian mummies that were more than 3,000 years old? If you like knowing about random facts about socks, check out these unique and special subscription boxes that help keep your feet looking snazzy!
What are they made of?
You’re likely most familiar with cotton socks. But nylon, spandex, acrylic, wool and even bamboo are common sock materials too. Some people prefer wool because it feels soft against their skin and doesn’t itch like other materials (like spandex) can. Spandex is usually found in athletic socks, where a snug fit matters most. While some people consider acrylic to be cheaper than its counterparts, others say it tends to produce odor when it gets wet. Wool is known to insulate your feet while they’re in use as well as keep them warm when they’re at rest—just be careful not to get them wet!
What colors mean what?
If you’re shopping in a store, socks come in a wide range of colors. They all have different meanings, right? Well...kind of. While there are plenty of random colors that don’t mean anything more than they look good, some colors are reserved by specific groups. Here are some common meanings behind color choices
How many different sock styles exist in the world?
There are over 2,000 different types of socks with between 70-100 varieties in each style. What’s even more impressive is that new styles and variations of sock designs continue to surface every year! That means you’ll never run out of new socks to try, making sock subscriptions great gifts for both men and women. So, why not give them a fun gift that will keep on giving? You can find all sorts of neat socks at places like Darn Good Socks, who offers the world's largest selection of designer colorful fun socks. If you want to dive deeper into fun facts about socks (because why wouldn't you?), check out what HowStuffWorks has in store.
Why do some socks have toes?
Did you know that socks actually have toes? The funny thing is, socks don’t really need toes. They are a useless addition (although cute). Sure, it makes them look like little animals, but many people can’t imagine their lives without toes on their socks. If you’re one of those people, then maybe some of these subscriptions are for you! Here are 13 subscription boxes that will make you smile.
How did we get rubber toes?
You may not have ever wondered how to make a sock, but did you know that people were making socks long before rubber was invented? Before rubber, socks were made of wool. But sometime in ancient times, somebody figured out how to process latex into something called solution-dyed yarn. And somewhere in Europe or Asia around 500 AD, some unknown person decided to dip a piece of cloth into a vat of raw latex. That person's invention changed clothing forever: The resulting material was soft and elastic—and it could be dyed different colors.
Where does baby sock come from?
Baby sock, in a very specific sense, comes from seersucker (and not from baby’s first pair of shoes). Seersucker is a thin cotton that’s lightweight and breathable; it was invented by Americans. But it wasn’t until Frenchmen saw how popular seersucker was in South Carolina that they began to produce it en masse.
When did you start wearing them?
Why do you wash your socks? According to a Reddit user, it’s because wet socks freeze faster than dry ones. This is also why soldiers are told to wear two pairs of socks. If they step on a mine or land on uneven ground, one sock-protected foot can get blown off while leaving their other foot intact. A little morbid, but definitely useful if you’re lost in battle! The next time you’re washing your socks or just enjoying them during an idle afternoon, look at all those fun colours! According to some people (likely sock sellers), there are about 1 million different colour variations of socks. That means you have well over 10 trillion possible combinations of sock colours—although not all will match up with your outfit choices.
Why do you wash them?
The first reason is to protect your feet. The skin on your feet is more sensitive than other parts of your body, so you want socks that don’t cause chafing or irritate itchy spots. But it’s also because socks can be breeding grounds for bacteria—even if they feel clean, they could have bacteria like staph or E. coli from being worn by other people before you wore them. And no one wants to step in a fresh puddle of bacteria-infested sock water.
How many socks can a single factory make per day?
On average, a typical sock factory can produce up to 600 pairs of socks per hour. That’s more than 3,000 socks every day. And if you take into account all of today’s factories, together they produce well over 40 billion pairs of socks each year. That’s enough to circle the Earth roughly 70 times!
What if everyone wore one less pair per week... (statistics/impact on environment?)
The market of socks is estimated to be worth $24 billion. That’s a lot of socks! Especially considering that, on average, Americans throw away 6 pounds of clothing per year (source: Earth911). Reducing sock consumption by just 10% could save about 800 million socks from ending up in landfills! On top of that, your eco-friendly consumerism will reduce your carbon footprint - you’ll save about 1.5 pounds of carbon dioxide each month if you cut back on your sock consumption (source: Environmental Defense Fund).