I have often referred to Meric and myself as "redneck hippies". After all we live in a trailer in Georgia. We also like to wear "minimalist" shoes. They are shoes that have a thinner sole so that you can feel the ground better. Your foot hits the ground more naturally and in my case I don't trip over my feet nearly as much.
A few weeks ago Meric had a coworker that also is into the minimalist footwear. He was wear sandals that had a very thin sole that was held to his foot with a cord. The thing about these sandals is that he made them. Of course Meric wanted some.
They are called Xero Shoes. You order them online. They have custom sandals that you can order by tracing your foot and sending it to the company. After that they send you a finished pair of sandals. They also have DIY kits. You measure your foot and then select your size. Meric and I both ordered a DIY kit.
Our order arrived and the kit consisted of the soles, laces, a hole punch and a bobby pin. First step is to place your foot on the sole and mark were you will need to punch the holes.
Meric and I both chose to place a hole between our first and second toes. (Some of the lacing options require more holes.) After we marked the place for the hole Meric punch them with the enclosed tool.
It was very easy. Next came our first knot. You need to tie the knot, heat it with a lighter and then flatten it a little. The knot rests on the bottom of the sandal between your toes.
After that we were ready for lacing. (The bobby pin was to make it easy to get the lace through the holes.) The Xero Shoes website had several links available with different lacing styles. Meric and I both started with the basic lacing style.
Once laced we both had extra cord. Meric chose to do a knot in the middle and cut off the excess. I decided to braid the extra cord back through the lacing. They turned out very different from each other and both look great.
I was a little nervous when we started that they wouldn't turn out very well but I couldn't be happier with the results. They were so easy to make and they are so comfortable. I love my homemade sandals!
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