| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| mochyn |
Sock stretchersYou know, flat wooden shapes that you put new socks on to dress them. Anyone got a pattern for one? Easy to make from plywood, but I need to know what shape to make them for each size.And did Sally or someone equally ingenious once post a link to a sock size convertor? As usual, I can't find it. Because I'm a ninny. |
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| dpack |
draw around a few feet ? | ||||
| mochyn |
 Sadly, they're usually more a foot profile than an outline, otherwise that's an excellent plan!
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| mochyn |
Re: Sock stretchers
No I'm not: found it! And it was Nettie. |
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| dpack |
draw the profiles?
flat surface ,foot on surface ,paper on a board at 90 degrees to the surface ,pencil held horizontal on the side of a block but with vertical movement ,follow the line as you move the block to draw the contour there you go 
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| Frewen Feltmaker |
Do you mean sock size convertor as into a length measurement?
If so I'll dig mine out for you 
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| sally_in_wales |
this might be useful
http://brannock.com/cgi-bin/start.cgi/brannock/charts.html |
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| Frewen Feltmaker |
That's much better than my "hands and barleycorns" measurement chart
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| toggle |
Re: Sock stretchers
if you want help making them, google 'sock blockers' |
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| Brownbear |
How I would do it: get some socks of the sizes you want blockers for, and lay them down on some cardboard. Then either draw around them, or if you don't want to keep them, gently (gently - from about 24" away) spray some paint over the sock so you are left with an outline which you can cut around.
Then you can use the cardboard shape you've cut out as a template to make the blockers from plywood or steel. |
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| sally_in_wales |
I'm pretty sure if any of our enterprising and workshop-enabled downsizers came up with a cost effective and attractive version they'd find a ready market here, there seem to be lots of people making lovely wooden ones in the states but not so many over here.
I really loved one I saw but now can't find images for of a wooden peacock with his tail made out of about 8 different sized sock blockers on which you could both block and display socks- I fancied a dragon with wings on similar lines as a display stand for fairs 
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| Brownbear |
Will do. With a stand to hold templates of different sizes. What sizes of sock ought I to do the blockers in? |
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| sally_in_wales |
excellent People will usually order sizes they knit for regularly- because I knit to order I get called on for all sorts of sizes, but common ones are 6-10, wouldnt hurt to start a new range with those in whole sizes then add more as demand calls for it. Kids sizes will also likely be popular.
What would be utterly cunning and to the best of my knowledge not currently on the market, would be a sock blocker that worked a bit like an expandable table, you pull the toe off and you can add an extension bit to the foot on little pegs to make a range of sizes. If you put the pegs in the toe and leg part, the expanders could be simple rectangels with corresponding sockets drilled in, and the whole could go out as a kit for a given range of sizes. Trick would be getting the final item sturdy without being too thick, a bit of thickness is ok, but not too much |
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| Brownbear |
I was thinking more of a table or floor stand, with a little clamp that enable one to attach half a dozen different sized blockers as required, the whole thing as one kit. | ||||
| sally_in_wales |
That sounds good too
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| Brownbear |
The other way would be quite complicated to make, thicker, and would involve lots of fiddly bits which if lost would render the whole thing useless. | ||||
| sally_in_wales |
I really fancy something like this but as a dragon with sock wings, thing it would be fab as a stall centrepiece
http://www.knitcellaneous.com/sparkle.htm |
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| mochyn |
I've started something again, haven't I?
All I really wanted were plain 2D ones and the idea of drawing round socks seems good to me. Mounting them on a peacock is fantastic, though! |