Fair Isle ... or Argyle

How did I end up wearing Fair Isle socks and an Argyle sweater? It could happen. Easily.

I like to build my outfit around the socks. You really can't go wrong there. Take my butterfly socks, for instance. I have these great knee-high butterfly socks that Aunt Linda got me a coupla years ago at a cute boutique on the Eastern Shore. She bought leopard print for herself and polka-dotty ones for Lizz. My butterfly socks are my best mood-enhancing accessory.

When I start with the butterfly socks, I often choose to wear all black on the rest of me. So I'm projecting dark and mysterious - but when I sit down and flash an ankle, I reveal a glimpse of my inner butterfly.

I like that there are no worries about whether or not my chosen socks are unflattering. I'm not thinking, "Ew. These make me look fat." Or, "Bleaggh. That color makes me a wee bit pasty." I wish I could wear my frog socks - the ones with the googly eyes - or the penguin socks Kelly gave me one year - to work. I think they'd do wonders for my creativity. But they're too thick to fit with most shoes. So they wait patiently for me at home.

Besides the butterfly socks (and the fuzzy critters), my favorites are any that are warm and nubbly. Comfort is the most important criterion in my selection process. 100 percent cotton is best for breathability. Although I do like the new bamboo rayon I've been finding. A bit of stretch is nice. Snug and form fitting, yet not so tight that I feel like I have a rubber band wrapped around my ankle or just below the knee. I'd say a crunchy granola-like quality (the nubbly part) is secondary to comfort. (I do like texture in my socks.)

There are days (weeks, months, years) when I would be happy as a clam at high tide puttering around in just my sock selection du jour and my ginormous blue bathrobe. I really do feel almost completely put together - except for missing a few trivial things like pants and maybe a shirt. And the requisite unmentionables of course.

I used to be more of a shoe freak, but I can now say that my sock collection is much larger than my stash of shoes. Some of the shoes are a bit neglected - scuffed, worn down, stained by ice-melt. But I wear them anyway - with a new pair of socks - and feel like everything is right with the world - at least for a little while.

So when I say I want world peace ... and maybe some fuzzy socks for Christmas ... I'm not kidding. Like prayer and meditation, socks can be a source of strength, balance and focus. And particularly when the weather outside is frightful, the right socks can be sole delightful.