Odd socks can be useful and shouldn’t be thrown away.

Today’s guest blogger is Hannele Lyckegård, who is in charge of, among other things, the blog Hanneles Paradis at http://hannelesparadis.blogspot.com/

For the first time I’m making one of my most precious secrets public: The pile of odd socks without a partner. How did it get this far?

Once there was a family with four athletic youngsters who changed socks more often than other people brush their teeth. The washer barely had a fair chance to spit out clean socks fast enough, but unfortunately the tumbling left them completely unsorted. This can’t have a happy ending.
The dumbest idea was when we once and bought everything in black: black mens socks, black womens socks, black childrens socks. Guaranteed to be impossible to match. The family has been solving the sock issue for a while now by buying even more new socks. The pile just keeps growing. Who wants to fill a closet with only socks?!

"Clear the clutter" and my other Feng Shui books, leave me to my fate. I read how much energy ragged socks steal. I have long suspected this very thing. Now I only have whole socks left, but all single, without a partner.

Gift suggestions are gratefully received. I have made bottle warmers, stuffed animals and cleaning rags. A sack of odd socks - can you sell that on eBay? Donate to a pre-school, so they can sew stuffed animals? Maybe I should arrange a stocking-party? A contest, where those who manage to match the most odd socks win? The prize could be more socks.

I have been feverishly looking at books on etiquette and style. They don’t give many tips about how to deal with odd socks. Have these writers never read Astrid Lindgren?

The other week I bought new socks that matched my bag and got compliments. The fashion interested son confirms this experience and tells me how important the details are. Panic grows. I thought no one saw me walking around in my odd socks. Now I'll settle this once and for all.