Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

KayE — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:44:45 GMT

There are even better instructions on how to mend your knitting in "Mary Thomas's Knitting Book". Thomas's instructions create a mend with knit stitches rather than the woven looking mend these instruction create.

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

LadyKRose — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:20:29 GMT

WOW! I thought darning had gone the way of the dodo. We darned socks with a darning egg [wood oval with a handle] as I was growing up. We even had darning thread with which to do it. Am I telling my age or are you? ;~))) The process you describe is what I remember. I guess the biggest factor is to keep the darning as flat as possible for a good and easy to wear darn.

And....darning knitted items is a very green thing to do. How avant garde!

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

catmomnw — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:23:16 GMT

Wanted to add that in my Durability class at Sock Summit Charlene recommended kntting the toes, heels or soles on a smaller needle to make the fabric denser so it will wear better. I've tried it with my sons's socks and so far so good.

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

Aunt Gert — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:07:12 GMT

I use wooly nylon, sometimes in the heel and always in the toe. It can be found at fabric shops and comes in many colors. I have some socks over 10 years old and have never had to mend any of them.

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

FayeS@5 — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:34:55 GMT

When I knit socks I use crochet cotton to reinforce the heel and toe.it I comes in many colors ans makes them wear better.

I enjoy this site and get many tips. I have been knitting most of my life and have been married for 48 years and I can always learn something new.

greay site

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

LindaY@15 — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:10:24 GMT

Thank you for posting your darning illustration - it's a good skill to know. I've used that type of darn in the past, but have moved on to the type that reproduces the knitted stitches, using reinforcing thread with some of the original type of thread, if I have it. I find that type of repair has a little more of the "give" of the original fabric than the woven repair. Hope you'll do a tutorial on that type of darning, as well, so people have one more trick up their sleeve. Thanks!

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

CookieB — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 02:41:29 GMT

Kathleen,

Kudos to you! I love my emails and Always Read them!

I have a "Few" knitting projects In-Holding mode right now because I am Enjoying Beading Daily Too!!!

I wanted to tell you that when I first started knitting over............ 40 years ago.... Geez I was born in 1957. Anyway... I learned to use a Light bulb as my mending egg. Go figure. I wonder how many other people still use one?

Again,

Thanks for your great emails to All Contributors. Love 'Em

Happy Spring,

Cookie B.

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

AnnR — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 23:00:50 GMT

hello,

As a child my mother taught me how to darn socks, since money for new socks was hard to come buy after the war. We lived in The Netherlands at the time.

I used to hate to wear the darned socks, it was very uncomfortable on my feet. But at that time, we had no choice. Now I do have a choice. I know that a lot of people love handmade socks and they are beautiful. I don't knit socks for the reason that I don't want to wear darned socks again. After all that work, I keep my knitted socks in my drawer and don't wear them. So, why knit them? I haven't thought about reinforcing the heels and toes, though. That seems like a fantastic idea.

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

daisywreath — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:18:20 GMT

sford034: There is a method that uses duplicate stitch instead of weaving. There are instructions here: www.hjsstudio.com/darn.html

I haven't tried it yet, but I have a sock that needs darned and am planning to try out this method to fix it since the hole is at the ball of the foot and I think a woven patch would be really irritating.

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

JudyH@47 — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:59:04 GMT

I have finished the Party Sox in cream wool & they look great - the pattern is easy to follow & memorize.

Years ago a lady told me to knit clear nylon sewing thread into the heels & toes of socks to reinforce them - I have always wondered if the nylon would be incompatable with the wool - maybe cause wear sooner than no reinforcement at all? I always tell people to NOT wear the socks alone on carpeted floors - that really wears them out quick.

My grandma taught me to darn when I was about 6 - when I was cleaning out her things I found my first effort in a little box with a note 'Judy's first darning' - it's now more than 50 yrs old! I'm a little better at it now.

I knit my 'end of the day' socks with all the leftover self-striping yarn - they sell as quickly as the matching ones - be bold - wear unmatched socks!

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

ALA — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:45:45 GMT

When the sock fabric is wearing thin but hasn't actually broken through yet, I prefer Swiss darning. It's basically duplicate stitch over the thin bit - it has more stretch than a woven darn and is less likely to cause a bump. Actually, I use Swiss darning even when there is a hole, but that does take some practice!

Using reinforcing yarn or thread - I just add it and knit with both strands at the same time. I frequently use a complimentary color of sewing thread.

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

Carolhistand — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:08:56 GMT

Kathy, I have a pair of my handknit socks sitting on the couch back waiting for someone to fix the hole in the bottom of one foot. I guess now I have no excuse! Thanks :-)

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

Helen Hayes — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:53:36 GMT

I have knit these socks, only in the FAVORITE SOCK book. I did not add any reinforcing yarn, as the lady I knit them for said they were too beautiful to even wear. They turned out absolutely lovely only they were called ANNIVERSARY SOCKS in that book.

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

Alltangledup — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:56:54 GMT

I find darning socks using this technique to leave a bump on the socks, where the yarn is joined in. It makes it a uncomfortable to wear.

I repair holes, by grafting row by row and taking the ends to edge where the sole and instep meets. It takes longer to do, but gives a smooth, bump free sole.

re: Darn—There's a hole in my sock!

DonnaW — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:44:55 GMT

www.yarnmarket.com/.../Lang_Yarn-Jawoll_Reinforcement_Thread_Yarn-3475.html

Intavira, here's a link for you!