How to Make Heated Socks
Chilly weather, seasonal changes, body temperature, and spending time outdoors are all conducive to cold feet, which may make it difficult to accomplish physical tasks or sleep at night. With a few easy-to-find materials you can create your own heated socks to keep the chill away from your feet. When a pair of heavy socks does not seem to help, heated socks may provide the relief you are looking for.
Things You'll Need
- Pair of knit ankle socks
- Felt, 9 inches by 12 inches
- Ruler or tape measure
- Scissors
- Hand-sewing needle
- Thread
- Rice
- 1/4 inch funnel
- Microwave
Instructions
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1
Lay the socks side-by-side and turn them inside out, with the top of the sock facing you. Wool or cotton socks are a good choice.
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2
Cut four rectangles of felt measuring 3 inches by 4 1/2 inches each. The rectangles will be used to make the rice packs, which will warm the socks. If you choose, you may make your felt rectangles larger or smaller to fit your needs.
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3
Use a whip stitch to sew the edges of the rectangles together. To do a whip stitch, thread your needle with at least 18 inches of thread and knot the end. Starting at the top left corner of the felt squares push the needle through the felt, away from you. Bring the needle up and over the felt's edge and at 1/16th inch from the knot, push the needle through the felt away from you. Continue in this manner and leave one 3-inch end open to fill the little pouch. At this step your rectangles will look like miniature pillow cases.
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4
Fill the pouches with rice by inserting the small end of the funnel into the pouch. Slowly pour the rice into the pouch and do not over-fill the pouch. Leave enough of a lip of felt to sew the open end closed. Your rice pouch should look like a small pillow and the rice should be able to move freely inside.
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5
Center the rice pack on top of the sock so that it is horizontal. You will need to stitch the pouch on the sock in six areas. Each corner of the pouch, and both sides at the center point, should be stitched to the sock to hold the pouch in place. Do not pass the needle all the way through the sock material or you will be able to see the stitching on the outside of the sock. If your thread is the same color as the sock, this may not matter.
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6
Place the socks in the microwave when you have turned them to the right side. Microwave the socks for about 15 to 20 seconds. Be sure to test the temperature of the rice pack before wearing the socks to be sure they are not too hot. Depending on your microwave's power, you may need to adjust the heating time.
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Tips & Warnings
The rice pack may be divided into halves or thirds and stitched to section the rice. Measure equal sections with your ruler and mark the sections with washable marker. Make a running stitch to sew the compartments. To create this stitch pass the needle over and under the felt, with the upper stitches in equal length of 1/16th of an inch. The stitches will look like dashes.
Wash socks by hand and drip dry to prevent damage in the washer or dryer.
Be sure to test the temperature of the rice pack before putting on the socks. Serious burns can occur from over-heating in the microwave.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit riposo image by EditStudio from Fotolia.com
