Plain Mending: Darning and Patching Socks

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!

The is one of my most frequently worn pairs.

To mend: sock yarn, darning egg, and tapestry needle.

This is just plain darning.

Actually, weaving a patch where the hole used to be.

Done. Inside view.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

© Jan 2021 Leigh's Fiber Journal

Related post:

Mending: Plain

Rats And Frog

Rats.

Second sock is 6 stitches (2 squares) smaller than the first.
Major duh.

Frog.

Rip-it. Rip-it. What else ya gonna do?

Rats And Frog © 28 February 2012
by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

A Quick Sock Update

The Checquerboard socks are slow in the making

Just checking in with a report that not much is going on fiber-wise except slow progress on the Checquerboard socks. I reached a snag when I was ready to start on the 2nd sock. It seems I left myself no notes or details about the first one, not even what size I was knitting. So. I had to recalculate and hope for the best. It appears that I've become more relaxed since moving to the homestead, which means my tension is looser! I'll finish up the cuffs when I see how much yarn I have left (a nice thing about toe-up socks). And no, I don't care if the colors in the check stripes match. :)

A Quick Sock Update © 27 January 2012
by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

Found: Abandoned Sock Project

I know this won't take the prize for the longest running UFO, but I think 2 & 1/2 plus years at least gets a nod.

Chequerboard sock found after being packed away for awhile

This is the first in a pair of Lucy Neatby's Chequerboard Socks. I started on the project back in April 2009, knitted diligently until May, and then set it aside because I didn't like the way the first sock fit across the instep. That was shortly after we moved to our homestead, and we've been so busy since then, that I didn't think much more about them until they were forgotten.

I found the project recently when I was cleaning out a box of odds and ends, and I recalled that I was going to correct the fit. I tried it on to see what the problem was, fortunately having had the sense to transfer the stitches to a length of yarn when I pulled the needles out. After slipping it on, I decided the fit wasn't so bad after all! Project resumed.

Found: Abandoned Sock Project © 15 November 2011
by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

Socks & More

Hello! Hello! Anybody still out there? Probably not after all these months. Still, I've just finished Dan's socks and wanted to show them off, mistakes and all.

And mistakes there are many, but he's happy with them and I'm happy they're done. The pattern is the "Classy Slip-Up" socks from Betsy Lee McCarthy's Knit Socks! 15 Cool Patterns For Toasty Feet.  I first posted about these socks almost a year ago. One reason they've taken so long, is because I took some time out to knit this for my daughter-in-law...

That's right, I'm going to be a first time grandmother next month! The pattern came on the yarn label, such a cute little hat. I'm not much on pink, but it would seem that every baby girl ought to receive at least one pink thing. :)

I have a few other things to show off as well, though not the work of my own hands. The first, is Rascal's memorial prayer flag, woven by Theresa.

Rascal was a much loved and faithful companion, so this flag is very special to me. Thank you Theresa!

One other thing to show you...

A name drafted scarf, woven for me by Ellen Turpening. The warp was threaded in our Guild name, Western North Carolina Fiber/Handweavers Guild, for our annual retreat last year. She had some warp leftover, and treadled, "Thank you Leigh Tate for being our president." It was given to me at our November 2010 meeting, when I turned the reins over to our incoming president. I can't tell you how surprised and honored I felt. Thank you Ellen!

Three months is a long time in between posts. I'm still on the fringes of my fiber world, so I can't guarantee how much better I'll do in the future. Still, there are seasons in our lives, and this is one love I will always come back to.

Socks & More © 16 March 2011

by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

Stash Reduction Afghan Progress & More Socks

Progress on my stash reduction afghan for Project Linus is coming along slow but steady. I never did get that orange yarn, though I would have loved to add orange to this. I just got too far along and gave up on it.

It's at the point though, where it is too big and bulky (and hot) to take with me when I go places. For that, I wanted my usually "go" knitting, socks!

I told DH I'd make this next pair for him. I handed him Knit Socks! 15 Cool Patterns For Toasty Feet , told him to pick a pattern, and to pick a color. Well, he ended up liking the exact pattern I had just finished for myself (pic of my finished socks here), the "Classy Slip-Up" socks.

And what color did he want? Blue and red. Oh dear. For one thing I had just finished knitting a pair of these and wasn't terribly interested in knitting the same pattern so soon. The other thing is that the pattern doesn't exactly lend itself to two color knitting. What to do.

When I pointed the color problem out, Dan said, well, he liked the stripy effect of another pattern in the book, the "Checkered Textures" sock.

Not an accurate scan of the colors, but you get the idea. You can see the full, original photo on page 97 of Betsy Lee McCarthy's book.

The challenge then was how to combine the two sock patterns. I really had to think about this for awhile. My solution is nowhere near the stripy effect of the "Checkered Textures" socks, but he's happy with it, and that's what counts.

The cuffs, heels, and toes will be knitted in blue, the rest of it alternates the blue and red yarns. The blue row is always the slipped stitch row. Since it is the red yarn in the previous row that is slipped, the result is red stripes. The yarns are from KnitPicks.

As with my other projects, these will probably take awhile. But as long as Dan can see some progress on them from time to time, he's happy.

Stash Reduction Afghan Progress & More Socks 

© 16 April 2010 by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

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Fireside Sock Knitting
Stash Reduction Fail

Fireside Socks Done!

These won't win an award for speed knitting, but they're done! White is pretty plain and unexciting, plus it doesn't photograph all that well, but I've wanted some handknit white socks, so here they are.

"Fireside" isn't the name of the pattern, just the name I gave to the project, since these were started while enjoying the fire of our woodstove. They are actually the "Classy Slip Up Socks" from Knit Socks! 15 Cool Patterns For Toasty Feet by Betsy Lee McCarthy. You can read about that here.

What's next? Well, I still can't get to my loom, but if I can find my circular knitting needles, I may start on a blanket. I may be slow, but it's nice to have something creative to do.

Fireside Socks Done! photo and text are © 13 March 2010 by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal.

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Fireside Sock Knitting

Sock Progress & A Thrift Store Find

By Leigh

Fireside sock progress?

Slow, but getting there.

Thrift store find?

This neat woven bag.

I'm not sure what the fiber content is, nor if it was handwoven. But it was only 50 cents so how could I resist?

Posted 3 March 2010 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com by Leigh

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Fireside Sock Knitting
1st Fireside Sock Done

1st Fireside Sock Done

By Leigh

I finished the first of the Fireside Socks during the Penn State game yesterday...

(I always have trouble photographing white, but you get the idea.)

As you can see, I've also just begun the cuff of its mate. Not sure if the second will progress as quickly as the first, but it might.

In weaving news, I have good news and bad news to report. The good news is that the dining and living room floors should hopefully be done this month, which will mean being able to get furniture, boxes, etc., out of the spare room and my studio. That means the loom will be accessible again.

The bad news is that my studio has no heat. I can open up the French doors during the day to let heat in, or I can spend time in there comfortably if the sun is shining and warms the room up. However, I shut the doors again at sundown because of all the windows in the room. There's quite a bit of heat loss so it keeps the house warmer to simply shut that room off for the night. January and February are our coldest months of the year, but perhaps we'll have plenty of sunny days to enjoy.

I hope your new year is off to a good start. Ours promises to be a very busy but productive one.

Posted 2 January 2010 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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1st Fireside Sock Heel

1st Fireside Sock Heel

By Leigh

Done.

Posted 26 December 2009 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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Fireside Sock Progress

Fireside Sock Progress

By Leigh

First Fireside Sock heel flap done.

Posted 13 December 2009 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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1st Fireside Sock Heel

Fireside Sock Knitting

By Leigh

Theresa recently cleaned out her library and I was the happy recipient of Knit Socks! 15 Cool Patterns For Toasty Feet by Betsy Lee McCarthy. I love wearing handknit socks, I love knitting them, and I love collecting sock pattern books.

Obviously I am happy to add this to my own library and of course I set about trying to decide which pattern to knit first. My initial idea was to use one of the patterns with these yarns ...

... from this post, I'm A Sucker For Sock Yarn.

I found a pattern I liked and knitted a swatch. Unfortunately my gauge was too large but I don't have any sock needles smaller than US2's. Well, I do, but they are bamboo which I've broken because, well, I'm not sure why except that I knit with a lot of tension in my hands as well as my gauge! Ordinarily I would just recalculate the pattern but I don't feel like going through the mental gymnastics for that at this point. I decided to save that pattern and those yarns until I can get some double pointed 1's. Instead, I looked for a pattern with the gauge I'd knitted and this is the one I ended up with....

Fortunately this pattern was also on my "must knit" list. The stitch pattern was easy to memorize and it is very pleasant and relaxing to knit by the fire at the end of the day.

If feels good to be knitting again.

Posted 29 November 2009 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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I'm A Sucker For Sock Yarn

I'm A Sucker For Sock Yarn

By Leigh

Especially the odds and ends I find in clearance bins. Consequently I couldn't pass up these ...

No, they aren't the same colorway, similar but not the same. Still, these are colors I like, so I bought them both.

Having odd balls of sock yarn isn't a problem for me however. In fact, I have a growing collection of them...

I really need a small project that I can pick up and set down easily. Something light and easy to take with me.

I'm thinking about this as a possible combo for socks...

Whatever happened to my Lucy Neatby Chequerboard Socks? Well, they are on a long term hold at the moment. They need to be fixed and that would require more brain power than I have to spare these days.

Until I get back to those however, these will keep my sock needles from getting rusty.

© 20 September 2009 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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At Last, Actual Fiber Content :)

At Last, Actual Fiber Content :)

By Leigh

Remember these socks?

These are my Lucy Neatby Chequerboard Socks. This is the project I didn't pack away during moving, so that I would have at least some fiber in my hands to help me keep my sanity in the midst of the chaos of boxes everywhere and not being able to find anything.

I've enjoyed working on these socks, and they've been interesting because the short row garter stitch toe and heel are new for me. I didn't think I would care for them at first, but they match the thickness of the stranded knitting for the chequerboard body of the socks, and so work quite well.

But I've run into a problem. Not because of the pattern, but because of my foot.

The checks are stretched so tight before and after the heel, so as to pull them all out of shape. I'm not happy with how this looks and am not sure what to do about it.

The pattern calls for sizing the sock based on the ankle measurement. I admit I didn't do this because I have skinny ankles. I used the ball of my foot instead, and as you can see, the sock fits fine there. But the ball of my foot has a much smaller circumference than before and after my heel, hence the pulling.

What to do! The only thing I can think of is to somehow increase checks, but am not sure how to do that without distorting the checkerboard pattern. The logical place is at the bottom of the socks. Still, I'm stumped! Suggestions???

Posted 31 May 2009 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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Socks: One Pair Done & Another Begun
Fiber Forum Weekend

Fiber Forum Weekend

By Leigh

This week has absolutely flown by. Except for a little knitting and weaving, I've been very busy with non-fiber activities. I didn't even finish the next post in my "spinning for" series, and missed my 3rd blogiversary. Now Fiber Forum weekend is upon us and I have to pack for that. However, I can show you the project I'm packing to take along, the Lucy Neatby Chequerboard Socks...

If you will be at Fiber Forum this weekend, I would love to meet you. I'll be easy to find as I'll be giving a welcome Friday evening on behalf of the WNCFH/G. Do come tell me hi.

Posted 16 April 2009 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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My Weekend: "Cotton & the Charkha"

Socks: One Pair Done & Another Begun

By Leigh

And just in time too. I need them for next weekend.

Project Particulars:
Sock Pattern - SpinCraft Toe Up Socks
Yarns - Silja (solid color) and Regia Self-Striping Sock Yarns
Stripe Pattern - Alternate yarns to create a unique stripe pattern
Gauge - 8 stitches/inch and 11 rows/inch
Needles - US 2 DPNs

I've got the summer sock knitting bug (already), so here are the ones I'm working on next...

This is Lucy Neatby's Chequerboard Socks pattern from Cool Socks Warm Feet. It's a pattern I've had my eye on for quite some time. Now seems to be the time to knit it. I've just gotten started on the first garter stitch short row toe. More photos soon.

Posted 10 April 2009 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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Sock Progress & An Award

By Leigh

First, progress on my latest socks .....

Second, an award from both Minikat and Sharon.

"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!”

To think about what that actually means makes this award quite an honor. In turn, I would like to pass it on to Renee, Jackie, Bonnie, Bettina, Dorothy, Sue, Peg, and Susan.

Posted 1 April 2009 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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Socks: One Pair Done & Another Begun

Next In Knitting

By Leigh

Red sock yarn to match red turtleneck

Plus variegated blue sock yarn to match denim shirt

Equals coordinated outfit to wear to Fiber Forum!

Posted 21 March 2009 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

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Socks: One Pair Done & Another Begun
Fiber Forum 2009
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House Socks

Done!

I have to admit that I lost these for awhile so that I was a little late getting them done. I had hidden them away Thanksgiving week, as Recipient was here all week. In my general straightening up and furniture rearranging, I put them somewhere and promptly forgot exactly where that was. I finally found them last week, tucked away on my bookshelf. Whew. I couldn't imagine what in the world I'd done with them.

These are the cuff down, the Red Heart worsted weight ones. A lot of you responded to my wondering how well acrylic yarns worked for socks, saying that the problem acrylic is that doesn't allow feet to breathe. Hence sweating can be a problem. Of course I won't mention that to Recipient, who won't wear them in shoes anyway. I'll be curious as to how they wear.

Like my Summer Socks, these are knitted from three different yarns. This time however, instead of cutting the yarn and having a lot of ends to weave in, I took Bettina's suggestion and carried the yarn up the stripes. This did create some rather long vertical floats on the inside, which hopefully won't get toes or toenails caught in them. However it sure did make knitting and finishing faster and easier. A good thing too, since they needed to be done before Christmas.

The stripes are a Fibonacci sequence of 2, 3, and 5. By using three colors and alternating them as you see, I had a pattern that I was happy with.

My family celebrates Christmas, so no matter how you and yours celebrate this season, I want to wish all of you a very happy one!

© December 2007 Leigh's Fiber Journal

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Leigh's Fiber Gallery: Socks
My Fascination With Fibonacci

Shh - These Socks Are A Secret

I hadn't planned on giving any socks this year for Christmas. For that matter, I hadn't planned on doing any knitting at all for Christmas. But two things changed my mind.

One was Janet, whose stash reduction knitting has been both interesting as well as inspiring to me (especially her Eccentric Piece). So I've been thinking about all the leftover Red Heart yarn that I have, thinking of weaving with it instead, perhaps some eccentric pieces of my own.

Then the other day I saw this button at Etsy:



I was just curious about the selling process there, but that "Buy Handmade" button got me to thinking. Of course, obviously it is doubtful that I would buy anything handmade this Christmas, but I thought that I should certainly "Give Handmade" to everyone on my list.

So I decided to knit these socks. Being knitted of Red Heart worsted weight yarns they will be too bulky to wear with shoes, hence I have dubbed them "House Socks." I've chosen three colors of yarn, using a Fibonacci sequence of 2, 3, and 5 rows, alternating the brown with the blue and green. I'm happy with that, but after sewing in all those ends for my summer socks, I decided to take Bettina's suggestion and carry the yarn up the stripes. I'll let you know how that part goes.

I'm not sure how well acrylic wears for socks, but since the yarn is leftover anyway, it will be a good opportunity to test it for this purpose. At any rate, they are knitting up very quickly, so I should have them done in plenty of time.

© 2007 Leigh's Fiber Journal

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My Fascination With Fibonacci