SOCK-O-PHILE: Chrissa Syverson!

It’s that time again — time for another Sock-o-phile!  Our most recent installment features Wonder Woman – or at least someone equally as remarkable.  Inspired by her own daughter’s cerebral palsy, Chrissa Syverson dedicated her life to working with young adults with disabilities, specifically teaching them skills for independent living.  When she gets a break from her role as a Special Education Teacher’s Assistant, she loves hanging out with her daughter as they explore the zoo and play with their dogs.  She’s also a gardener of beautiful flowers (and, hopefully, vegetables soon), an avid reader of mystery books, a handyman around the house, a first-class chef, and a HUGE fan of Sock It to Me (we bet she has her eyes peeled for the announcement of the Portland Design-a-Sock winners coming at the end of the month)!  🙂

 

1) Why do you love socks?

I honestly feel like this is a very heavy question. One thing about socks is that a new pair feels so amazing that no other clothing garment can compare. Sock it to me socks keep that new sock feel for several washes. I also love how the right socks can make an outfit feel more stylish and fun. Even on days when no one sees my socks, I know they are adding a bit of flare and it can bring a little brightness to a dull setting.

2) How did you start your sock collection?

Well this is actually a bit of a sad start for me. My daughter suffered a stroke at a young age and needed to wear plastic braces on her feet. So I started “hunting” for knee high socks for her. One day I stumbled upon a pair with a flower print and they were way to big for her, but fit me. I decided to start getting all fun socks ever since. I have even had my daughter’s braces made with clear plastic so her tall socks can show through.

3) How many socks do you own? 

I am really not sure, in pairs it is not a possible amount to figure out. If we lose a sock to the dryer, dog, or big hole, we keep the good one and make a mismatch pair. As long as they are the same type of sock and feel the same we do not stress matching them too strongly anymore. I have 97 actively paired socks. My daughter has 48 pairs, her socks need to be very specifically fit so when I buy her some that do not work with her braces they become mine. The same goes for if I buy a pair for me that will work for her better, then she gets them. These numbers do not include the mismatched ones, we have 32 singles as well.

4) What is your favorite pair? 

OH, snap! I am not sure I can actually answer that one. I really love the Tighty Whiteys, but I designed those. I do bust those out for special outings, like the Huey Lewis concert. But as much as I love them I do think that my favorite socks are the ones that are gifted to me. People who buy me a pair of fancy socks as a get well gift or just to bring a surprise truly know what makes me smile and those become special socks.  My daughter loves toe socks the best, but I don’t really ‘get’ those.

5) Do you pick the outfit or the socks first? 

It varies day to day. Most days I pick the outfit first but that is based on temperature and rain. I have purchased outfits specifically to wear with certain socks, and I have gotten 4 pairs of shoes that “show off” my socks.

Chrissa was also kind enough to share this awesome sock story with us:

A few years ago, while working for Community transition center,  I was moved to a different classroom for work. During the second week of class, the teacher forgot to change out of her knee high socks from biking in before our students arrived. I, jokingly, called her out on them and she quickly turned the tables on me and demanded that I show my socks. This was a day where I happened to grab socks in the dark and figured no would see them, and there I was with completely mismatched socks.  From that day on for 2 years we did a “sock check” for all staff and students during our morning stretches. It became a quick way to make the staff and students smile by joking about who would be in boring “dude socks” and who would have the craziest pair. When you work with students that struggle with social interactions and have limited communication it was important to try and start each day with all of them smiling. Sock check brought that smile 99% of the time, we would even ambush any visitors who came in during the morning routine.

If you want to be featured as a Sock-o-phile, just e-mail just at: press {at} sock it to me {dot} com! We can’t wait to hear from you!!