Do you have anyone in your back pocket that makes extra-wide merino wool socks? Darn Tough are TOO NARROW. For ref: shoe size men's 12 4E. Yes, I have boats for feet. I have some Darn Tough, but they don't really like going that wide and wear quickly.
Learn to knit. There are masses of books on knitting socks. Custom sized socks are wonderful. Lots of different yarns, it doesn't have to be wool, and most sock wools are superwash and therefore less scratchy, all the little scales are gone. AND with feet that big, knit them yourself!!!
Best gifts - what the person wants. Seriously. Two of my best gifts were a stand mixer and a belt sander. Obviously the givers had asked me what I wanted, and both thought they were too practical for gifts. We were on a tight budget and I couldn't afford them, but really wanted them. I wore the sander out, and I still have the stand mixer. Great gifts.
The best gift I ever gave, remembered for many years, were Star Trek uniform jackets for my niece and nephew. Ex couldn't see why I would go to all that effort for his sister's kids, but his gift giving is very conventional. Niece had picked up an authentic pattern at a con, and I bought a pattern for nephew and modified it because it wasn't very authentic. The fabric and notions were not cheap, and they took a lot of time to make. They loved them and got raves wearing them at cons.
Practical gifts are great if you know the recipient will like them. I have given DD snow tires (the message is - I love her, I want her safe) and furniture when she was on a tight budget.
For hobbyists, really I think a gift card is best, or even better a pre-paid credit card. Then they can buy what they want where they want. For people doing home renovations, a gift card to Canadian Tire or Rona or Home Hardware (or Lowes or Home Depot) or whatever stores they are likely to use.
Seriously, if someone wants to give me a gift card, make it Canadian Tire, I just spent over $200 there. ;-) I think gift cards are fine if you specify what you want them spent on, in a general way. I gave all my nieces and nephews money for their honeymoon, to be spent on a fun activity they would not otherwise have done. They all told me what the money was spent on, it gave them lots of fun.
But mostly in our family we are at the point we only do gifts for close relatives under 18.