Famous socks we have known and loved

Ever since we were inspired by the feature on darning in our February issue, we’ve been valuing our socks just a little bit more. We’ve also been remembering the times when socks were the real stars of the show in some of our favourite books and plays.

Fox in Socks’s socks (From Fox in Socks, Dr Seuss)

Fox in Socks and his sidekick Mr Knox tongue-twist their way around a box, a pair of socks, and lots more things that rhyme. No, we don’t know what it was all about either.

Harry’s sock (given to Dobby in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, JK Rowling)

House elves are given their freedom if their master hands them clothes. Cunning Harry hides one of his socks in Tom Riddle’s diary, which he gives to baddie, Lucius Malfoy, knowing that Malfoy will fling the book at his house elf, Dobby, freeing him from Malfoy’s clutches.

Hickory Dickory Dock, Agatha Christie

In this Poirot mystery, a sock takes an unexpectedly central role in a brutal murder. We won’t spoil it for you.

Malvolio’s stockings, Twelfth Night, Shakespeare

Puritanical Malvolio is set up with a fake letter, purporting to be from the object of his desire, Olivia, begging him to wear yellow stockings and his legs ‘cross-gartered’, and his silly socks are his comeuppance.

William Brown’s socks, the Just William stories, Richmal Crompton

William Brown’s wartime socks were more usually more darning than knitted wool, famously inching down his legs beneath muddy knees at every opportunity; they took on a character all of their own.

We were always mesmerised at the amount of darning William Brown’s mother had to do and slightly jealous we didn’t know how to darn properly ourselves. So we’ve put that right with a feature in our February Thrive issue. Turn to p110 where you can learn the only two stitches you need to know to darn absolutely anything! With photographs and instructions from Darning: Repair, Make, Mend by Hikaru Noguhi and photographs by Wakana Baba and Noriaki Moritani (Quickthorn).

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