RIP, Sweet Sassy Socks

All things, good and bad, must end, yes? If our handknit socks lasted forever, would they be quite as dear to us?

Friends, it is with a heavy heart (foot?) that I bring to you the news of the passing of the very first socks I ever knit*, the Lorna’s Laces Sassy Stripes.

dead sock.jpg

Total heel blowout. There was no chance of saving it. The damage was just too great. It was a good sock, a warm and cozy sock. Its beloved partner, unable to face its declining years–admittedly pilling and somewhat shabby–as a single sock in a drawer full of pairs, leapt into the garbage after its dead mate. They will be missed.

In lieu of flowers, my feet ask that you do some sock knitting for yourself in memory of these dear socks.

*Wow…look at those pointy toes. I’m happy to say I’ve gotten much better at toes over the years.

68 Comments on “RIP, Sweet Sassy Socks

  1. So sad.

    They were noble socks that served you well, and will be lovingly remembered.

    I’ll knit a few rounds on a sock tonight in their honor.
    Posted by: Sarah

  2. Oh, Sassy Socks, we will miss you. You were perfect for our dear yarn-haired ragdoll…
    Posted by: jenn

  3. The first pair to go is always the hardest to face.

    Maybe the single intact sock will become a home for some furry creature.
    Posted by: Steph

  4. So sad.

    They were noble socks that served you well, and will be lovingly remembered.

    I’ll knit a few rounds on a sock tonight in their honor.
    Posted by: Sarah

  5. Oh, Sassy Socks, we will miss you. You were perfect for our dear yarn-haired ragdoll…
    Posted by: jenn

  6. The first pair to go is always the hardest to face.

    Maybe the single intact sock will become a home for some furry creature.
    Posted by: Steph

  7. RIP pretty little sock.
    Thumper is looking super cute in his knitted items.
    Lucky boy!
    Posted by: Betsy

  8. Oh, I so feel your pain. I can tell, however, that the pair were much loved during their lifetime. May they rest in peace.
    Posted by: christine

  9. Oh, dear. A sad day for the Brooklyn Sock Mafia. I’ll think of this pair of socks as I work on my current pair of Socks of Doom.

    *sniff*

    Rest easy, dudes.
    Posted by: David

  10. RIP pretty little sock.
    Thumper is looking super cute in his knitted items.
    Lucky boy!
    Posted by: Betsy

  11. Oh, I so feel your pain. I can tell, however, that the pair were much loved during their lifetime. May they rest in peace.
    Posted by: christine

  12. Oh, dear. A sad day for the Brooklyn Sock Mafia. I’ll think of this pair of socks as I work on my current pair of Socks of Doom.

    *sniff*

    Rest easy, dudes.
    Posted by: David

  13. I . . . I could have saved them. My darning egg is weeping. I could have saved them. Sniff sniff.
    Posted by: lanea

  14. so I would cut the feet off and use the tops as cuffs and just hem the cut off part…they are definitely too much work to throw away and would be styling as arm and wrist cuffs….cedar
    Posted by: cedar

  15. Oh what a beautiful post, I am crying as I type this. At least they had a long and happy life together.

    😉
    Posted by: spaazlicious

  16. I . . . I could have saved them. My darning egg is weeping. I could have saved them. Sniff sniff.
    Posted by: lanea

  17. so I would cut the feet off and use the tops as cuffs and just hem the cut off part…they are definitely too much work to throw away and would be styling as arm and wrist cuffs….cedar
    Posted by: cedar

  18. Oh what a beautiful post, I am crying as I type this. At least they had a long and happy life together.

    😉
    Posted by: spaazlicious

  19. How brave to share your pain and heartache with all of us. I shall do some socknitting in their memory.
    Posted by: Sarah

  20. How brave to share your pain and heartache with all of us. I shall do some socknitting in their memory.
    Posted by: Sarah

  21. All things must pass. I’ll give the sassy socks a 5-dpn salute when I get home.
    Posted by: Michelle

  22. The saasy socks are dead! Long live the sassy socks! I will think of them as I do the toe decreases on my Trekking XXL socks at lunch.
    Posted by: Kim P

  23. All things must pass. I’ll give the sassy socks a 5-dpn salute when I get home.
    Posted by: Michelle

  24. The saasy socks are dead! Long live the sassy socks! I will think of them as I do the toe decreases on my Trekking XXL socks at lunch.
    Posted by: Kim P

  25. So sorry for your loss. But, but, no cremation ceremony? No funeral pyre? Or maybe that is illegal in Brooklyn.

    I love the idea of cutting off the feet and making a pair of wristies. When my own beloved first pair (I think of them as My Power Socks) develops a suppurating ulcer like yours, perhaps I shall reincarnate them on my hands/arms. Hmmm. If the cuff is long enough, one could, with a few strategically-placed stitches, make them into fingerless gloves. Somehow that all makes their demise as socks easier to contemplate.
    Posted by: kmkat

  26. Dude. 🙁 But perhaps a heel transplant would work. You could have a Franken-sock. *g*
    Posted by: Romi

  27. Darn!

    I really mean it: have you tried darning, for socks almost to that level? It’s amazing and satisfying and away to extend the lives of beloved socks.

    A friend of mine also makes sewn cat-toys out of old, holey felted wool socks: just cut and stitch.

    Still, sympathies to your loss!
    Posted by: Gina

  28. Aww. Print these comments to bury with the socks. They’re all so heartfelt.

    I’m quite afraid my only pair of handknit socks will meet a similar premature death due to the lack of handknit compadres.
    Posted by: Laura

  29. That hole is not life-threatening. Maybe you can use them for darning practice?

    But as you say, its a good reason to
    1.buy more yarn
    2.knit
    Posted by: roro

  30. So sorry for your loss. But, but, no cremation ceremony? No funeral pyre? Or maybe that is illegal in Brooklyn.

    I love the idea of cutting off the feet and making a pair of wristies. When my own beloved first pair (I think of them as My Power Socks) develops a suppurating ulcer like yours, perhaps I shall reincarnate them on my hands/arms. Hmmm. If the cuff is long enough, one could, with a few strategically-placed stitches, make them into fingerless gloves. Somehow that all makes their demise as socks easier to contemplate.
    Posted by: kmkat

  31. Dude. 🙁 But perhaps a heel transplant would work. You could have a Franken-sock. *g*
    Posted by: Romi

  32. Darn!

    I really mean it: have you tried darning, for socks almost to that level? It’s amazing and satisfying and away to extend the lives of beloved socks.

    A friend of mine also makes sewn cat-toys out of old, holey felted wool socks: just cut and stitch.

    Still, sympathies to your loss!
    Posted by: Gina

  33. Aww. Print these comments to bury with the socks. They’re all so heartfelt.

    I’m quite afraid my only pair of handknit socks will meet a similar premature death due to the lack of handknit compadres.
    Posted by: Laura

  34. That hole is not life-threatening. Maybe you can use them for darning practice?

    But as you say, its a good reason to
    1.buy more yarn
    2.knit
    Posted by: roro

  35. I’m with the “re-store/re-knit/salvage” group. You may still need another pair of socks, but maybe this pair can be salvaged through darning (although it’s a pretty large area to darn), or even picking up and knitting a new heel flap. May I suggest using some of the Scholler “knitalong” nylon fibre next time for the heel, to reinforce it and extend it’s life? Finding a new use for it also appeals to me–such as wristlets, fingerless gloves, etc. They are very sassy and deserve a reincarnation. (And you deserve to knit another pair for spare or whatever!!)
    Marlyce
    Posted by: Marlyce

  36. While I know that no other socks can replace this first pair in your heart, I hope that, with time, you are able to remember the good times you had together, and perhaps smile.

    Excuse me while I get a tissue.

    (As I write this, I am wearing my first socks and shudder at the thought of the day when they go to the big sock darning drawer in the sky.)
    Posted by: Steph VW

  37. I’m with the “re-store/re-knit/salvage” group. You may still need another pair of socks, but maybe this pair can be salvaged through darning (although it’s a pretty large area to darn), or even picking up and knitting a new heel flap. May I suggest using some of the Scholler “knitalong” nylon fibre next time for the heel, to reinforce it and extend it’s life? Finding a new use for it also appeals to me–such as wristlets, fingerless gloves, etc. They are very sassy and deserve a reincarnation. (And you deserve to knit another pair for spare or whatever!!)
    Marlyce
    Posted by: Marlyce

  38. While I know that no other socks can replace this first pair in your heart, I hope that, with time, you are able to remember the good times you had together, and perhaps smile.

    Excuse me while I get a tissue.

    (As I write this, I am wearing my first socks and shudder at the thought of the day when they go to the big sock darning drawer in the sky.)
    Posted by: Steph VW

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