Socks of love! Mari knits wool socks for 65 wedding guests
Mari Pihlajamäki spent 700 hours knitting wool socks as guest favors for her daughter’s wedding. The project culminated when the guests wore the socks that very evening as the night grew cooler. But why did the groom’s socks have bells attached?
These are such lovely socks, and what a wonderful idea! Where did you get the inspiration to knit wool socks as gifts for all the wedding guests?
In 2019, I came across an article on the Finnish Kotona website about a bride’s mother who decided to knit wool socks for the wedding guests [in Finnish], even keeping it a secret from the couple. The idea stayed in my mind. When my daughter Anu’s wedding date was set, I asked if the couple had any thoughts about guest favors. Anu asked what I had in mind. I shared my idea, and then it was settled.
What was it like to undertake all that knitting?
I didn’t see the knitting as a chore at all, but rather as an extremely meaningful activity. I knit all the time anyway. It’s wonderfully rewarding, especially when I know what or whom I’m knitting for.
For the first pair, I timed how long it took to knit them. Based on that, I could schedule my work. I calculated that I needed to finish two pairs per week to have enough time, and that turned out to be sufficient. Knitting the socks took a total of 700 hours. On the eve of the wedding, everything was ready: ends woven in, socks steamed, and packaged.
Did you know from the beginning what kind of socks you would make?
It was immediately clear that I’d make regular wool socks. I weighed the first pair so I knew how much yarn to allocate. I made socks in two sizes: men’s size 42–43 and women’s size 38–39. For the children’s socks, I asked for their sizes separately. Luckily, the amount of yarn I had reserved was enough for all the socks since more of the same color wasn’t available. And I even had one skein left over!
How did you decide on the color of the wool socks?
The yarn was Socki Stonewash in Emerald Green. The wedding’s theme colors were green and gold, so green was an easy choice for the socks. Of course, I had my daughter approve the yarn.
Each pair of socks was beautifully packaged. How did you decide on the packaging?
Packaging the socks required some thought since there are so many options. I came up with the idea of using a 50-millimeter-wide gold-colored satin ribbon, which I attached to the package with a sticker. I ordered the stickers from Ikast Etiket. The stickers have green text on a gold background. I think the overall look turned out very well.
How did the wedding couple react to the wool socks? Did they know about them beforehand?
The couple knew about the socks from the very beginning, and as devoted wool sock wearers, they were pleased with the project. They also got their own socks. And because my son-in-law is very good at moving silently and unintentionally startling people, I sewed bells onto his socks this time.
And how did the wedding guests react after receiving the gift?
The wedding guests seemed quite surprised and thanked us profusely. The after-party was held at a lakeside villa, and many people already wore their socks there. “These saved my evening,” I heard someone say when, after a long day, they could kick off their high heels and put on the wool socks.
How long have you been knitting?
I learned to knit my first socks at around age 10, taught by my great-grandmother. Knitting became a daily hobby about ten years ago. I got excited about making wool socks from thin yarn that would fit inside shoes. Since then, I haven’t worn any other socks. I knit 50–70 pairs of socks annually, and almost all have found a wearer.
Would you undertake the project again?
Yes, absolutely!
