I hate it when you put two perfectly good socks in the washing machine and only one of them comes out. Well, maybe it’s the dryer that’s eating the socks but who really knows! What are you supposed to do with those (now mismatched) orphaned socks? I’m not sure, but I went on a search today for a few ideas. Some of the ideas I ran across were downright silly (a pet bed), some were useful (a sock exchange at a laundromat) but we did find a few good uses for those orphaned socks in our house.

We keep a small basket in Jasper’s closet where we put the orphaned socks. When we fold the laundry, we trot out the basket and see if there are any more matches – it’s kinda of a fun game to play when the sock basket is full. Today I decided that there were more socks in that basket that had been in there far too long with no matches week after week. In fact, there as a purple toddler sock in there – considering that our youngest is turning 10 next week, I am sure that one has been in there far too long!

I gathered all of the socks that were past their prime and had no mates (sounds like a game of Old Maid…) and went to dispose of them. I had  a hard time actually throwing them away, so I went on a search to find out what else I could do with these poor, lost socks.

1. Dust with them. We have been known to put a sock on our kids hands and have them dust everything they can reach. We haven’t done that in awhile – maybe we should try it again this weekend!
2. Operation Happy Sock. This was one of the more interesting uses for orphaned socks that I found. Fill the sock with a bit of fluff along with catnip, knot the sock (or sew it shut first), and let the cats play with it. This solution appeals to me because it’s something the kids can do and it can be done quickly and fairly cheaply. It can also be done in bulk and taken to a pet shelter. I like that idea because we have two birthdays coming up and that is a good group project to do for others!
3. Make a pet chew toy. This pet toy version has no catnip in it and is probably better suited for a dog. This chew toy can be made using towels, old shirts, or long socks. Cut dish towels or clothing into one inch strips and braid them together, then tie the ends using one of the strips. For more details, see the Real Simple explanation.
4. Sock Monkey. This one is the classic  brown and white sock monkey – everyone’s seen that sock monkey. This one requires a particular kind of sock to make the classic version, otherwise, your sock monkey will be a bit more creative.
5. Make Sock Puppets. Making sock puppets can be a fun, easy project with young kids or at pre-school or with an art class. You can draw on the orphaned socks, sew (or glue) on buttons, or many other things. I find it fascinating that sock puppets even has a Wikipedia entry.