darning socks

[feather]

Well, I have these nice wool socks and some holes to darn.
This Christmas DH bought me a darning egg and handle, single ply wool hand spun charcoal to black yarn, and a set of blunt tip large eyed needles.
I'm happy about it. There is something so satisfying about sitting with it all and working on the socks.

I'm trying to learn to do it well. So far two socks darned, and not very well, or at least it doesn't look like I expected.

I'm using this as a guide : blog.colettehq.com/tutorials/make-do-and-mend-darning

I do a running stitch up and down and up and down, then left to right and right to left, until it is filled. I darn an area more than double the size of the hole to give it stability.

If anyone has tips, I'm all ears. It is harder than it looks. Please don't ask me to put up pictures until I've figured this out! What I've done so far, it's not very pretty.

[dustawaits]

Congratulations to you! I any times watched my Mother darn socks.
You will get better as you go along! Give yourself time. As children it was cotton socks.
It looked like a much thicker heel when she finished. I do not remember ever a darned sock to go bad again.

[here to stay]

I'm old enough that I actually got a Girl Scout badge in Sewing, including darning. Other kids got camping badges but my mother, who was the leader, was afraid of the great outdoors.

I always picked up the first stitch on the second or third sound original stitches in the material, going out a bit more on alternatives rows in a random manner especially for a sock, because going too far into good material the same distance all around leaves a donut of extra thickness which feels unpleasant under foot. On stretch knitted material, pull the material a bit but not over stretched. Releasing it afterwards allows the darn be less tight. I sort of massaged the darn a bit to smooth it out.

Frankly, I tended to pull the hole somewhat closed in one direction if it did not create fold. Less darn, the better IMHO.

Gee I haven't darned anything but sweaters in years. None of the socks I have are suitable for darning as they all have terry cloth like insides.

What a trip down memory lane.

[Skandi]

I darn my socks with a crochet hook, so I remake the original stitches (with new wool) I tried sort of weaving with a needle but it never came out looking right.

[Use Less]

Darning improves with practice, like anything. Getting a feel for how tight/loose to keep the stitches and weaving makes better. Especially for heels in wool socks, I use the thin wool and a thick button thread on the needle at the same time, for both strength and shape.

[Maura]

I do it your way, but I also sometimes use the crochet hook like Skandiif it's a "real hole". It takes long enough to knit a sock that I gladly darn.

[feather]

I've now done 3 toe area darnings. The 'knit' is pretty tiny so I haven't used the crochet or knit method, just the up and down weaving. If I could just get most of the darning yarn on the outside, then weave when I do the second layer, it would look a little better so I'm trying that.

I noticed than when I do the running stitch I was doing it like quilting, all in one length of the needle, but that doesn't allow me to choose more darning wool on the outside that way. If I take the stitches like seed stitches, individually, I can get more darning wool on the outside. So I'm working at that for now.

[feather]

Dh's mom used a lightbulb to darn socks.

It was bought on ebay.
It looks a lot like this, brown and a little scratched, no biggie.
www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Wood-Darning-Egg-Darner-Black-Paint-Sewing-Tool-1-Sewing-Tool/231760693036?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D47301%26meid%3D11102125dedd4ca18ca2afa3fd7ba570%26pid%3D100012%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D2%26sd%3D282774654665&_trksid=p2047675.c100012.m1985

[mogal]

I have an antique darning gizmo--can't call it an egg because its business end is shaped like the ball of a foot. The handle is nice for darning things like gloves. Most of the time for handknit socks, I reknit the hole with some of the original yarn with embroidery floss added. Those commercial small gauge knit socks are easier to darn as earlier descriptions.

[feather]

I realized I needed a labeled box for my darning things.....and that I could finally darn my wool gloves--they are flannel lined and thinsulate, with wool and they were coming undone. Now I can fix them! woop woop.

The darning egg thing with handle, at least gives me something to darn AGAINST when I'm working some fabric. I hear you mogal,

[Wind in Her Hair]

I've used a light bulb as a darning egg but mostly, I just cut out the old worn out heel or toe, pick up stitches and reknit it.

[Maura]

WIHH, if your sock has a "toe heel" you can pull out the entire heel and reknit it. I'm sure that's why they made toe heels.

Think of an old cartoon where the socks are hanging on the line and the toes and heels are red while the rest of the sock is white. Reknit toes and heels.

[mollymckee]

My youngest DD has perfected darning socks on her sewing machine. It's a Bernina 730- the old 730- when she got it she was determined to learn. One of the attachments was a darning foot. If you have hand knit or expensive socks it's worth doinging, either by hand or machine.