To darn a sock, you need a darning needle, a darning egg or other smooth round object, and darning cotton or embroidery thread. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my grandmother's sewing kit included 4 balls of darning cotton. It's apparently not made anymore. I found this ceramic egg at the Habitat ReStore for $.50.
I've been carting a bag of socks around with me all week, darning when I have 1o minutes to wait here or there. It goes quite quickly once you get the hang of it. Here is a video on how to darn socks. It shows darning wool socks with wool, but the technique is the same for cotton and silk socks. Just use a matching thread, and a needle about as big as your threads.
Anyone else darn their socks?
Well I'll be darned, I might have to try that! I actually have some of that darning cotton. It came with the house.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried it, but my mom has some darning cotton at her house. She knows how, but I don't think she does it anymore. Mom used to own a knit shop and give knitting and crocheting lessons, so I bet she can teach me. I have a really nice pair of winter socks with a hole in the heel, too. Just right for darning.
ReplyDeleteDarn it! I have darned socks before but decided it's easier to re-use them as dust clothes or dog sweaters. Great for the guy who brought you the Make Do and Mend Challenge huh?
ReplyDeleteChristine~ How lucky! Funny what you can find in an old house.
ReplyDeleteJayne~ I think nice socks are perfect for this... no sense in throwing out favorite socks!
Rob~ I have so many rags right now... and they might make a tail cover or bootie on my dogs. If I'm lucky. Plus, I'm REALLY cheap!
Chile~ I don't know what is "special" about darning cotton... it appears to be a loosely woven cotton thread, and it is four threads thick. I do know that many use embroidery thread instead. Basically, you want a thread that is approximately like the one the sock is made out of.. .so for thick wool socks, you want a nice thick wool yard... for thin socks, you want a smaller thread. I'm doing black cotton dress socks mostly, and the darning cotton/embroidery thread thickness is just perfect.
I have been searching everywhere for darning cotton but cannot find it--I have diabetic socks that I really like but have holes in the heels. Good to know that it's no longer manufactured, so I won't search any longer.
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