Socky Things or How to keep your tootsies warm in Winter

A few years back, I found a free pattern online to make socks with polar fleece or most any not too stretchy fabic.  Previously I would crochet myself a few socks.  Not socks that you would wear in your shoes, but really rather thick and warm socks cause my feet just get so very cold at night.  I wanted socks that I could wear that had no elastic cause my feet tend to swell (the doc calls it edema) and elastic in socks would make it worse.

Anyway, my socky things are a yearly ritual, I make for myself a couple or three pairs of these cozy warm polar fleece socks.  I try my best to find the brightest and cutest and oddest polar fleece prints.  Mostly I hunt all summer and fall at Value Village for yardage, where it is WAY WAY cheaper than at the fabic store.  This year, lovely bright red with teddy bears -- last year it was purple with yellow elephants.

One of the things though is that  I have started making these 'socky things' as gifts and it has come to pass that I get requests for repeats!  So, it turns out that I make some for myself and then another half dozen or so pairs for others!  I surely don't mind making extras and am happy to know that my dear aunties have warm toes, on those cold Winnipeg winter nights!

 I sometimes will wear my own 'socky things' when I wear my Crocs, as the weather starts to get cooler. Some people have noticed my really odd socks when I have worn them in public, so I have given a few friends the link to the free pattern online.

 I don't know if anyone else is making these as regularly as I am, but these are also great for seniors or wheelchair bound persons.  Bright colours or more somber fabric choices even, make pretty good gifts for a diabetic, because of course there is no elastic to cause problems with circulation.

So if you might like to try out really cozy and comfy socks (that can be used as slippers --just put a safety tread on the bottom) here is the link i have been using now for close onto 10 years!
http://www.cedesign.com/familyphotos/sewing/holidays/fleecebooties.pdf   the pattern is easy, with very well written instruction, even explaining the "grainline" of polar fleece and how to tell the right side from the wrong side.  The pattern has sizing from a baby size two up to a men's size twelve!  It does help if you have a colour printer as the patterns are sort of printed overtop each other using different colour lines so that you can distinquish one from another. 

Make sure to make one pair to try them out first -- I need to slightly adjust the pattern because as my mother used to say, I have legs and ankles like tree trunks, so the ankle on my personal adjustment is slightly wider than the actual pattern as printed.

I use the pattern so often now, that I have made semi-permanent templates (using cereal box cardboard) of the sizes I regularly make.

Now is that a picture of newly made 'socky things' or a picture of Pearl the dog?  Oh well, they both look pretty good, don't you think?  Warm Feet Wishes, to Everyone!