By Erin Bishop  July 1 2011

As Mother Nature socks it to Canterbury, Rural Women New Zealand has started producing some aftersocks of its own.

The aftersocks – red and black striped socks featuring an earthquake shake line – were the brainchild of two Cantabrians, Justine and Jo Ottey, who wanted to help put their city back together following the killer 6.3 magnitude earthquake of February 22.
They approached Rural Women New Zealand and together they enlisted the help of Ashburton-based company, the New Zealand Sock Company.
More than 1500 pairs of the merino blend socks sold in the first three days after they went on sale and demand continues to be high, with orders being received from all over the world.
New Zealand Sock Company New Zealand sales manager Jared Moore said up to 7000 had already been produced and the orders just kept coming.
Planning was also under way for a second range of aftersocks, predominately black with a red earthquake line.
The socks cost $20 per pair and profits will be donated to the Christchurch Mayoral Fund.
Aftersocks even have their own website, where they can be ordered, and Facebook page and they have already made it onto some special feet, with MPs donning them at Parliament and television hosts also pulling them on to show their support.

Pictured: Former Rural Women national president Jeanette Tarbotton tries some aftersocks for size.