primitive sewing demystifies

Probably to my wife's chagrin, I have just repaired my Keen Newport sandals, which a family member dubbed my "monkey slippers." I bought the narrow bungee cord stuff at Hobby Lobby for $3, and at SAS Fabrics bought for $0.49 a short length of nylon webbing and for $0.20 a yard of black ribbon. I have sewn in my signature "in your face" style using waxed dental floss, as I discovered in my teens, with white stitches on a black background. I like that this exposes and demystifies the method used, perhaps like the transparent watches that show their gears. Also, DIY repairs seemed a good way to spend part of a day off work.

Have I mentioned what is great about these shoes, when worn with the bungee cord "laces" very loose? The shoe will twist on your foot, rather than serve as a lever to amplify torque on your ankle as would a shoe that has "ankle support." For me, this has meant fewer sprained ankles. Obviously it bucks the conventional wisdom, and I think it debunks it. (Not my idea, though. The Tarahumara run for 2 days straight in something like flipflops, I read in 2009.) With these very shoes, which I think I bought in 2010, I've run headlong down rock-strewn downhill trails in Tucson.

I've worn similar Keen sandals since summer 2006, swear by them, and want to keep them around for dirty jobs even after I buy new ones, so knowing how to repair them feels like a win.