Does anyone keep a mending basket? A basket full of clothing items that need a ripped seam sewn, or a patch for a hole? Apparently, mending is the latest cool, sustainable thing to do. Keep old clothes out of the landfill! Of course, I agree. But because I remember a time when mending was looked down on as totally uncool, I feel a little smug that it's something I've always done.
Winter is a fine time to keep a mending basket handy. Lately, mine has been filled with socks. Of course, hand knit socks
must be mended. Too much much time, heart, and soul goes into making them!
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| The is one of my most frequently worn pairs. |
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| To mend: sock yarn, darning egg, and tapestry needle. |
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| This is just plain darning. |
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| Actually, weaving a patch where the hole used to be. |
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| Done. Inside view. |
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| How it looks on the outside. It's on the bottom. |
The socks I really seem to go through, however, are everyday cotton socks. And because I buy a large pack, they all seem to wear out at the same time. I've never been a fan of the buy&throw-away cycle, so since I was doing socks anyway, I decided to mend some of those cotton socks too.
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| Plain darn with matching carpet thread. |
Small holes are easier to darn. I used carpet thread in the above photo because I had it. Embroidery thread is a popular option because it comes in all colors (easy to match) and is inexpensive. Sometimes though, the holes in the heels are too large to darn, like the socks in the photo below.
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| Cutting cotton socks into rags. |
These I usually cut into rags, so at least they are still useful. The other day, however, I wondered if it would be possible to patch the holes in the heels. Most of the socks with the heels gone still have good toes.
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| Sock toe to be used as a patch. |
Why wouldn't these make good patches? So, I started cutting off the toes, cutting them in half, and then using them for heel patches.
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| Patched heel on sock. |
I put the sock on my darning egg and pinned the patch in place. A running stitch holds it in place and a whip stitch further secures the edges. A blanket stitch in a colorful embroidery thread might be fun too. I also stitched around the holes to help secure the patch.
How well will it work? Time will tell! But they're comfortable and I feel really good about getting more wear out of my old socks.
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