One of the reasons I love knitting socks is the fact that they rarely get holes. Back in the days of store-bought socks, I was dealing with holes every few months, which meant I had to keeping buying more socks.
Hand knit socks are much more sturdy and can take a beating if they are well cared for. I knit my first pair of socks 3½ years ago and they are still good as new even though I wear them all the time. The same goes for just about every pair of socks I’ve made since.
However, no pair of socks is immune to wearing thin or eventually forming that dreaded hole. Four pairs of my hand-knit socks recently developed either a full-blown hole or thinning spots. Sadly, two of those pairs are among my favorites!
It was easy enough to figure out why these four pair wore through so much faster than the others. Since making them I’ve learned how important yarn/fiber choice and sizing is when it comes to socks. If socks are made with the wrong fiber they will not hold up to regular wear and tear. Even worsted weight yarn can wear down quickly if the fiber content isn’t ideal. For example, wool blends tend to hold up better than 100% wool.
If socks are too small or too big, the same is true. A sock that’s too small is stretched to it’s limit which puts more stress on fibers that are already fighting a battle against shoes, floors, and constant movement. A sock that’s too big is sliding around all over the place pulling fibers at odd angles. All the more reason to check gauge and know your foot measurements!
To fix my socks, I relied on a how-to article I found in Sockupied, Ed. by Anne Merrow. It lays out the classic method of darning with easy-to-follow written directions and diagrams. This method works on socks with full-blown holes and threadbare areas all the same. However, it’s a lot easier to execute over threadbare areas, so try to catch those holes before they break open.
Darning takes just three steps:
- Straight-stitch a frame around the damaged area. Anchor stitches at least three rows out from the damage.
- Weave horizontal threads through each row of existing stitches and pull snugly (but not too tightly over open areas).
- Weave a vertical thread through each row of existing stitches and the established horizontal thread.
When in doubt, follow the diagram:
Light green = Step 1
Dark green = Step 2
Yellow = Step 3
A few hours of work repaired my beloved socks.
Round 1: Repairing a Wide Open Hole
Ahhh! That’s a bad hole!
Not bad for my first try!
Round 2: Repairing A Threadbare Area (with a learning curve)
It’s ideal to have matching yarn, but when I made my first few pairs of socks, I didn’t think to keep the extra yarn. Two pairs had to be repaired with starkly different yarn which highlights my sometimes horrible stitching! Still, the damage is fixed! Both sock pairs are back in action, but this one shows the repair best:
Yikes! A bald spot!
Fixed (with a bad toupee). Note to self: Always save extra yarn.
Round 3: Repairing A Threadbare Area (Now I’ve got it!)
Matching yarn makes all the difference. Not only is it the right weight and color, but it fills in the gaps much more efficiently. The repair in this pair of socks is virtually invisible. It also helps that my stitching improved greatly since Round 1. When learning to fix your own socks, save your favorite pair for last. By then, you’ll know what you’re doing and your favorite socks will once again be perfect!
You should have seen my face when I discovered this almost hole.
Perfect camouflage! My favorite socks are ready to wear, again.
Happy Darning!
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c.b.w. 2016
C.B. Wentworth 