The Joy of a Well-Tended Arch

As a sock knitter, it could be implied that I like my feet.  But if you actually spent time with me you would assume that I don't.  I don't moisturize, paint my nails, or do any pedi-spa type stuff.  And I certainly don't buy myself nice shoes.  My mother raised me on the principle that our feet are important.  They are what connect our bodies to the ground and carry all of our weight.  This was especially important for me to learn as a kid because I inherited my father's flat feet.  And when I say flat I mean it.  If I go barefoot or wear shoes with little to no support my arch completely disappears.  Luckily for me, my mom recognized this and made sure to send me to school or outside to play in well-made shoes.  The added benefit of this is that well-made shoes last a long time.

Exhibit A:

You may recognize these shoes from previous FO posts.  They were the first shoes I bought for myself back in high school when our lovely uniform committee decided that navy blue shoes were no longer allowed and we could only wear black or white.  I can remember going to the shoe store and trying on everything that was solid black (solid white with khakis and my crazy socks would just look stupid) and finally deciding on these, buying them with a good chunk my summer savings because I knew I would wear them every day for at least the next year.

Fast forward six years and I am still wearing them consistently.  My current job requires me to wear closed toed shoes and to frequently stand most of the day, which eliminates most of my other shoe preferences.  Mom came to visit a few weeks ago and realized that the shoes were probably passing their wearability point and so bought me a new pair as a graduation gift.

Five years on the market and Keen has only improved their offerings.  I love these shoes (Harvest MJ).  Seriously, I can't stop talking about them.  They are completely different from what I had originally wanted, but they are so much more fun.  The bright colors go well with the environment I work in and the arches only took one day to break in.  I've worn them for several days straight with no problems.  I'm not a big shoe purchaser (which is why Mom thought to buy me these as a gift, because they are not something I would splurge on myself when I have other shoes in the closet), but these are so nice I may save up for another pair to have in the rotation.

And they go well with hand knitted socks!  My size US 8.5 feet fit comfortably with enough wiggle room that I can wear the socks I make, which just adds to the color fun.  Everyone has been commenting on them.  Though that might just be a side effect of wearing the same shoes every day for six months.  In any case, I highly recommend them if anyone is looking to invest in a good wearable shoe.  There are a lot of varieties to choose from, including many more practical hues if you're not as colorful as I tend to be.