Sunday, September 27, 2009

I did it!

I darned the socks! Huzzah!

Thanks to everyone for their excellent tips, especially Jan for her very detailed instructions, and to StitchBliss for the link to this video tutorial (which has a most amusing serious voiceover but which has an excellent level of detail!). Oh, and to Gae for suggesting to put a rubber band around the base of the sock-covered mushroom - that does make it a lot easier, by holding the sock in place on the mushroom (because it's a slippery little sucker!)
When I stretched the sock over the mushroom, I noticed a lot of weak spots around the hole, so I didn't end up sewing around the hole, but just started weaving through the sock, starting in a strong point and working from right to left to cover the weak spots and the hole, and ending on the stronger point again.
Then I turned and wove the other way, including the actual weaving portion over the hole.
All covered up!
When I turned it right side out, I found I had some strands that were not quite woven in as well as I would have liked, but all in all I'm pretty happy with this darning business.
I still hate sewing, but ten minutes of it to save a week of knitting - it's totally worth it!

25 comments:

Bells said...

this is very helpful given I'm keen to work on my darning!

kgirlknits said...

can't even see where you've darned, clever thing!!

Michelle said...

You've made it look so easy! I will need to do the same thing for my blasted shredded Wollmeise sock, so you've given me the confidence!

LynS said...

Well done. Is this a one-off or the beginning of a 'make do and mend' era?

TinkingBell said...

Well done and a great use for the bit left over when knitting them!

Shazmina Bendi said...

Great job, I am very impressed. And now I feel I must have a darning mushroom. I NEED one. Oh yes I do! Perhaps I should knit more socks first! ;)

Gidgetknits said...

Marvellous! Mum bought a darning mushroom recently and I've been very wickedly sending her hole-ridden socks!

Jan said...

Good on you and now you have joined in a long line of crafters over the centuries who have darned and re-used for whatever reason.I love historic connections like this. One more skill to pass on to someone else.

Linda said...

Thats brilliant. Must get one!

kim said...

I think you did an amazingly great job!

MadMad said...

Wow! You can't even see the fix! Great job!

Lynne said...

Well done you!

I asked my dad to teach me to darn a few months ago - he refused! I can't remember why! Now I can have a stab at darning a commercially made Tigger sock which my husband bought me and which wore out in the toe when they were still quite new!

2paw said...

I am so glad you rescued the sock!!! You did a great job.

roxie said...

Bravo, you thrifty housewife! Way to repair and reuse! I don't know HOW the Harlot can bear to throw hand-knit socks away.

Caffeine Girl said...

I'm in awe.

DrK said...

cool! more GAAK! and you made it look so easy. maybe i can be convinced to give it a try. i have one pair with a big toe hole that i love just a little too much to trash...

Anonymous said...

Great job! You don't have to knit a whole other sock when you have darning skills like that :-)

Michelle said...

Oooh. So that's how you use the wooden mushroom!! That is indeed a magic mushroom!!! ^_^

Yarna said...

Brilliant! I vaguely remember my father teaching me to darn but it's not something I've done for a very long time. Good to see some of the "old" make and do mend practices coming back.

Alwen said...

I feel a little guilty that socks seem to last forever. I have at least one pair that I know I had in high school.

It's mitten thumbs I wear out!

michele said...

that's a great way to do it. and you've come away with a really neat job. my darning looks um ... obvious.

Donna Lee said...

In the olden days, women darned socks on a regular basis. Can you imagine a basket full of socks waiting to be darned? Only handknit socks are worth the effort in my very humble opinion.

Probably Jane said...

Good work - I hereby promise that I will never allow a sock in my house to go undarned!

Sarah said...

Yay for the sock saved from a terrible fate!

Ann said...

This post is just in time. My husband had made 2 big holes on his socks & I was thinking of throwing them away!