Sock (Object Lessons)

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.Unraveling the sock’s history, construction, and necessity, Kim Adrian’s Sock reintroduces us to our own bodies—vulnerable, bipedal, and flawed—by examining this most common of objects, something we daily tug on and take off with hardly a thought. Sock reminds us that extraordinary secrets live in mundane material realities, and reveals how this floppy, often smelly, sometimes holey piece of clothing—whether machine made and ordered online or hand-knit and given as a gift—can also serve as an anatomy lesson, a physics primer, a love letter, a weapon, a fetish, or a fashion statement. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic. Title Page 8 Copyright Page 9 Dedication 10 Contents 12 Introduction 14 1 SOCKS and EVOLUTION 20 Of lice and needles 22 The first sock 24 A short primer on the human foot 27 Sock-as-foot-dressing 31 Necessity of socks 33 Woven foot wrappings 35 Fitted and knitted socks 37 Actually, it’s all a bit messy 42 The stocking frame 45 Fast-forward four centuries 48 81 billion socks 51 2 SOCKS and DESIRE 56 The liminal sock 59 Bataille, Freud, Tournier 62 My children’s socks 65 A little unfinished 68 Decoration’s deep roots 71 Sock fetishists 74 The psychology of partialism—a thought 78 Schiele’s feet 80 Schiele’s socks 83 The sole’s soul 86 Sparkling brainworlds 90 3 SOCKS AND INDUSTRY 96 Sock as home 98 Fast fashion 101 #Sockgame 103 Slow fashion 107 That time I made a sock 109 Craftivism 112 A concrete act 115 Kroeber’s rhythm 116 Small things 121 Plain work 123 Trimurti 125 POSTSCRIPT: INSTRUCTIONS FOR DARNING A SOCK 128 Notes 131 Chapter 1 131 Chapter 2 133 Chapter 3 135 Index 137 Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Who ponders the sock? This common object is something people tug on and take off daily with hardly a thought. Unraveling the garment's history, construction, and use, Kim Adrian's Sock reintroduces us to our own bodies- vulnerable, bipedal, and flawed. Sock reminds us that extraordinary secrets live in mundane material realities, and shows how this floppy, often smelly, sometimes holey piece of clothing, whether machine-made or hand-knit, can also serve as an anatomy lesson, a physics primer, a love letter, a weapon, a fetish, and a fashion statement. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic. Prés. de l'éd. : Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Who ponders the sock? This common object is something people tug on and take off daily with hardly a thought. Unraveling the garment's history, construction, and use, Kim Adrian's Sock reintroduces us to our own bodies- vulnerable, bipedal, and flawed. Sock reminds us that extraordinary secrets live in mundane material realities, and shows how this floppy, often smelly, sometimes holey piece of clothing, whether machine-made or hand-knit, can also serve as an anatomy lesson, a physics primer, a love letter, a weapon, a fetish, and a fashion statement A Funny, Lyrical, Illuminating Book On The Rich And Little Known History Of The Humble Sock, Its Various Incarnations Throughout The World, And On What Socks Teach Us About The Frailty And Awkwardness Of The Human Body-- Socks And Evolution -- Socks And Desire -- Socks And Industry -- Postscript : Instructions For Darning A Sock. Kim Adrian. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "A funny, lyrical, illuminating book on the rich and little known history of the humble sock, its various incarnations throughout the world, and on what socks teach us about the frailty and awkwardness of the human body"-- Provided by publisher