I have four or five pairs of boots, all pretty similar in style. However, after walking in a particular pair for about half a kilometre, my socks have worked their way down to the toes. I have to keep stopping to pull them up. What鈥檚 up with these boots?
鈥� The process of walking involves friction between a living surface 鈥� the skin 鈥� and a covering surface 鈥� the shoe, boot or slipper. Between the two is a flexible thin layer of knitted or woven wool 鈥� the sock. The shape of the foot and its relation to the shape of the shoe will determine the degree of friction between the two and the extent to which the sock moves in relation to one or the other. Mode of walking is another factor.
High-friction living surfaces 鈥� sweaty feet, for example 鈥� will tend to adhere to the flexible sock layer and drag it across the inner surface of the shoe. This produces a holey sock. But more usually the sock slides freely between the two surfaces and returns to its position after each step.
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鈥淗igh-friction live surfaces, such as sweaty feet, will tend to adhere to the flexible sock layer鈥�
When the foot or shoe surfaces or the socks carry a texture 鈥� a nap or grain that 鈥渓eans鈥� in a given direction, the friction will be greater in one direction, so there is a kind of peristalsis that pulls the sock along between the surfaces. In this case we might describe the boot as 鈥渟ockivorous鈥�.
A tendency for the sock to pull upwards is defeated by the toe end of the sock unless the holes are extremely large at that end. More usually, the motion is detected downwards producing a discomfort around the heel and then a feeling of compressed wool around the toes. Ill-fitting shoes that leave space around the foot produce the most sockivorosity. Snugger shoes are not so hungry.
Don Leech, Exmouth, Devon, UK
鈥� When one walks, there is considerable relative motion between the foot, the sock and the boot. I reckon that the socks work their way down to the toes because the inner surface of one of the pairs of boots is subtly different from the other pairs and this causes a 鈥渕icro-racheting鈥� effect similar to that which causes a mat, when walked on, to slowly work its way across the underlying carpet.
As an extension to this idea, I find that having a very smooth-surfaced inner-sole to the boot is an excellent way of reducing the likelihood of blisters.
The smooth inner-sole allows an easy sliding movement between the outer surface of the sock and the inner-sole of the boot, with the result that the inner surface of the sock and the skin of the foot stay pretty much together, minimising the rubbing between skin and sock 鈥� a key cause of blistering.
Richard Bell, Cadeleigh, Devon, UK