Sock Mending

It is getting around to that time of year again, woolly sock weather! So this weekend I sorted through my  handmade socks to see which ones needed a bit of attention. 

In winter, I wear my socks everyday and night, so they get a pretty rigorous work out. Amazingly, they hold up very well. The blue socks in the picture above was the first pair I knit and are almost 10 years old! (I do tend to save those in the back of the drawer.)  After all that time and all the hard work and wear, I can't bear to give up on them when a bit of yarn will put them back in working order.

Tapestry needle (and wooden needle case), small scissors, double point knitting needles, crochet hook and darning egg. Essential tools for a bit of mending.

 There are two common ways to mend socks. Pick up stitches and knit a patch or weave yarn across to fill in a hole.

 Here I am knitting a patch for this sock, when done I will then sew the patch down along the edges and top. I usually determine the method on the size of the hole to patch; larger holes get a patch and smaller ones (or wear spots) are re-enforced with weaving.

Especially with weaving, a darning egg comes in handy. Placed inside the sock with the sock held snugly around it, the darning egg provides a smooth hard surface to work against.

I found working vertically on the inside (through the purl bumps) and working horizontally on the outside (under the knit columns) worked very nicely.

One pair done. A few more to go.......