Socks are a wardrobe item that is used at any time of year. Often, quickly finding a pair of socks can be a real problem. Knowing how to fold socks can protect you from such unpleasant situations. To avoid disorder, you should allocate a separate drawer for storing socks or purchase a special organizer.
Popular folding methods
Many options have been invented for organizing convenient storage of socks. Some are very simple, they will allow you to easily neatly put things in a wardrobe or chest of drawers. There are also decorative folding techniques that are used to present socks as gifts.
Compact
The underwear is rolled into tight balls, with one sock hidden inside the other:
- The straightened socks must be placed evenly sideways, one on top of the other, so that they resemble a boomerang in shape.
- Roll the pair tightly starting from the toe.
- Pull the cuff from the outside onto the resulting roll.
The compact way is very convenient to fold the products when going on a trip. Of the disadvantages, it is worth noting that over time the elastic band can stretch.
Roll
Socks folded in this way can be placed vertically in an organizer or drawer:
- The straightened items should be placed together with the heels facing each other.
- Next, you should roll the pair into a tight roll.
- To prevent the roll from unwinding, it is secured with a regular rubber band.
The method is good for thick knitted or terry socks, as well as for knee-highs, stockings and tights.
In a ball
Ball folding is great for thin items or for baby socks:
- Place the socks one on top of the other.
- Roll a tight roll from the toe towards the cuff.
- When you reach the cuff, you should put the elastic band of one sock on the bundle to make a bag.
Socks rolled into a ball do not necessarily have to be placed in special containers or organizers; they can be stored loose in a box.
According to KonMari
Marie Kondo, a famous Japanese home organization expert and author of best-selling books on cleaning, offers her own method for arranging hosiery. It is similar to the compact method, but it is worth highlighting separately. Algorithm:
- Straighten short or children's socks so that the heels are on top, then fold them towards the elastic band.
- Place the items one on top of the other.
- First, fold the toes over the central part, and place the cuffs on top to create a square.
- Push the toes through the elastic of the top sock to secure the bundle.
- It is better to store vertically, so it is easier to choose the desired color.
This option can be applied with the same success to tights, large men's socks, knee-highs, stockings and even trousers and jeans, but the number of folds will have to be increased.
Express method
The easiest way to roll a pair of socks:
- You need to place the straightened socks one on top of the other.
- Fold the cuff of the lower sock over the upper sock.
- As a result, the elastic bands will be folded and the toes will remain free.
This method is not the most compact and neat. It is great for short socks, but classic men's socks or knee-highs cannot be folded this way, they will resemble long bunny ears.
Square (for long items)
This method is specially designed for folding long socks, even knee-highs or men's socks under trousers can be compactly placed in the closet:
- The socks should be placed on a flat surface on top of each other in the shape of a cross.
- The ends of the bottom piece are placed over the top sock towards the center, overlapping.
- The same should be done with the top sock.
- With one cuff of the bottom sock, you need to grab the entire resulting square and wrap it so that the bundle is inside.
The disadvantage of this option is that it takes quite a bit of time, and the elastic bands of the products stretch.
Back side up
A very quick way to fold items that most housewives use:
- The socks are placed one on top of the other, face up.
- After this, both products are folded in half together.
- The top sock is turned inside out, and a rectangular bundle is placed into the resulting pocket.
The purl method is not suitable for socks with patterns, since it is not always possible to understand what kind of print is on them. Also, long socks turn into oblong rolls, which is not very convenient.
Palms (for short ones)
This method is perfect if you need to fold short socks. Folding them in any other way will not be so convenient due to the lack of a full-fledged elastic cuff in these models:
- One sock, turned inside out, must be completely put on the hand.
- Take its pair with the other hand and push the palm with the sock inside. Thus, it turns out that one sock is completely inside the other.
How to wrap as a gift
Socks can be a great gift, especially if they are packaged with imagination. There are complex decorative ways to present socks, more reminiscent of origami - the Japanese art of folding paper figures. A gift decorated in such ways will undoubtedly be remembered for its originality.
Knitted bouquet
Several pairs of beautiful bright socks can be arranged into a real bouquet. Such a gift is perfect for a children's party, as a souvenir in honor of the birth of a baby in the family. A bouquet of socks will be an original gift for a man too. For self-production, you will need the following materials:
- several pairs of socks, the quantity determines how lush the bouquet will be in the end;
- plastic tape for flowers;
- wrapping paper;
- wooden skewers for shashlik;
- sewing pins;
- decorative elements (beads, cones, artificial or natural flowers or greenery).
Once all the materials are prepared, you can start making original flowers:
- Socks must be removed from packaging and paper labels.
- Roll a pair of socks into a loose roll.
- After this, the base of the future flower should be secured with a pin, and the other side of the resulting roll should be slightly straightened, shaping the petals.
- Insert a wooden skewer into the resulting bud and secure the structure with a ribbon for reliability. To do this, take a short piece of ribbon no longer than 10 cm.
- Once all the flowers are made, you can start assembling the bouquet. Beads, shells, and cones are suitable for decoration. A winter bouquet can be supplemented with spruce branches, and a summer bouquet with natural wild flowers.
Dumbbells
A funny gift for an athlete can be presented in the form of socks folded into the shape of dumbbells. To make such a gift, you will need a minimum of elements and time:
- 4 pairs of plain dark colored socks;
- food foil;
- glue;
- 2 identical cardboard tubes. You can use foil tubes.
It is better to lay out the blanks for the future craft on a flat surface so that they are all at hand:
- First, you should wrap the cardboard tubes in foil and glue it so that it does not unroll back.
- Remove the socks from the packaging and paper labels. Place the paired socks on top of each other.
- To prevent the socks from slipping off, wind them very tightly onto the ends of the tubes, forming dumbbells, and secure with pins.
- Additionally, to secure and decorate the socks, you can wrap a strip of foil in the middle of each roll.
Sushi
A delightful and complex-looking craft in the shape of a Japanese delicacy can be easily made with your own hands. For this, you will need the following parts:
- socks, 3 pairs of different colors - white, black and any bright;
- sewing pins;
- a sushi set box or a similar style black box (you can cover a shoe box with it);
- sticks;
- decorative elements.
Sock sushi is made using a simple multi-layer rolling method:
- First, roll a colored sock into a tight roll. This will be the filling of the roll. A set of 3-4 pairs of rolls with multi-colored filling (red, yellow, green, orange) looks especially impressive.
- First wrap the white (rice) over the colored one, and then the black (nori seaweed).
- Secure the ends of the socks with pins to prevent them from unraveling.
- Place the improvised rolls in the prepared box.
- You can leave one pair without decoration, stick sewing pins with red heads close to each other into two rolls so that they look like salmon caviar, and put artistically tangled thick green yarn on top of the other two to imitate chuka seaweed.
Tank
Another option for how to interestingly fold socks for a gift to a boy or a man. It is perfect for Defender of the Fatherland Day. You should take:
- 2 pairs of light and 1 pair of dark socks;
- pencil;
- pins;
- ribbon for decoration.
Step-by-step actions will take no more than 2 minutes:
- First, you need to roll 4 light socks separately into tight rolls. You will get the wheels of the tracks of the future tank.
- Smooth out one dark sock so that the heel sticking up lies in a neat fold in any direction.
- Wrap the straightened toe around the wheel to create a tank track. Tuck the toe into the elastic band and secure with a pin for reliability.
- Wrap the second dark sock around a black pencil or pen; it will serve as the barrel.
- Place the resulting tower on the base of the tank.
- Pin the pieces together discreetly with tailor's pins.
- For beauty, tie the assembled structure with a decorative ribbon.
Organizing Storage Space
In order to keep your socks in order, it is not enough to fold them in any of the suggested ways. The place for storing them should also be organized correctly:
- Ready-made solutions. Manufacturers of wardrobe systems have come up with many options for ready-made systems. These can be drawers, shelves of a special height with cells for each pair. Of course, this method of storing socks is very convenient, but it is not always possible to implement it without replacing the furniture. In addition, ready-made solutions are expensive, which is their disadvantage.
- Organizers. You can buy organizers for storing socks in hardware stores. They are a frame covered with fabric and consisting of cells. The size of the cell allows you to store a pair of socks inside it, rolled up and installed vertically.
- Dividers. A subtype of organizers are dividers. Their main difference is that the cells inside such structures are not deep squares, but elongated in length. The height of the sides can be lower. Socks in such dividers are stored laid lengthwise without rolling. This storage system is convenient because before laying out the socks, no manipulations are required, it is enough to fold them in pairs.
- Cardboard boxes. You can use regular cardboard boxes with neatly folded socks to organize the space in your closet. Their size is selected based on the number of pairs of socks that will be stored in them. It is better to choose a box with a lid.
All the described methods do not require much time, but neatness and an organized system for storing hosiery in a closet or chest of drawers will be guaranteed. And if you urgently need to present a gift, but there is no money or time to choose an expensive option, with just a little effort you can put together a bright and memorable present.
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