Folding Socks the Tweedy Way - The Zagreb Technique

Don't Be a Ball Man

This feels like a bit of an overspill from our recent Corgi Hosiery Week, (because it is), but all that recent sock talk made me think about the importance of sock care.

I don't know about you, but for many years I was a ball man. I would take my laundered socks, pair them and then roll them into balls. Wrong.

A few years back my life was turned upside down by the laundry service of a hotel in Zagreb, Croatia. I'd been gleefully balling my laundered socks up to that point, blithely unaware of any alternative. I handed over my socks to the Zagreb hotel's laundry and expected them to be returned un-paired. I picture a wise, old laundress as I think about this. Blimey, was I wrong. They were returned paired in a strange flattened tube shape. In this new pairing the socks looked neater, were easier to stow and there was no undue stretch on the fabric. I never looked back.

Vowing to learn this method, after many attempts I eventually mastered it. For those who are not familiar with the 'Zagreb technique', I demonstrate it below on a pair of Pantherellas.

Keep it Flat and Long - the Zagreb Technique

1. Take your pair of socks and bend at the heel.

2. Turn the second sock inside out and put your hand inside to the heel - to the same length as the other bent sock.

3. With the socked hand, hold the bent sock from one end and pull the sock on your hand over it.

4. You're done. Just straighten out any kinks and place in your sock drawer.

Not sure why I took off my watch and rolled up my sleeves for the photos. Maybe I was approaching it like a surgical procedure. That's how much I care about socks.

Tweedy's Thought: Perhaps you think balls are best? Or maybe socks should be handled as little as possible, like a baby-leaf salad? Feel free to share your thoughts on this burning issue.