Wait! Don't throw out your favourite pair of socks just because they have a hole in them. With a needle, thread and you can fix them in about 3 minutes. How to darn a sock ...
Darning socks is something I started doing when I was a kid. It was one weird thing in a long list of weird things that interested me. My mother, who had fun making her own hats, bras, porcelain dolls, clothing, stained glass, folk art, and wool washing soap - thought my sock darning habit was ridiculous.
Which makes no logical sense yet here we are.
Even if you don't have any socks to mend this same method will work on anything. It's basically how to sew a hole on any piece of fabric or clothing.
I understand there aren't many of you that want to know how to darn a sock, (a term I'm using loosely) but if you have a favourite pair and particularly long toenails, it's something that might interest you.
Most of the sock darning in this household is done on my pajama socks. The big, ugly, cushy socks I like to wear instead of slippers. I have an unexplainable attachment to these socks. They're like blankies for my feet.
So in an effort to get even closer to my childhood dream of becoming a scullery maid, I darn my own socks.
Again, I'm using the term darn loosely. Darning involves weaving thread so it mimics fabric. What I'm doing here is sewing up a sock the same way you'd sew together a sweater. It's a technique that is close to invisible and doesn't leave a big lump in the sock which would be annoying on the bottom of your foot.
How to Darn a Sock.
You'll need:
Thread in a colour similar to the sock
A tennis ball, light bulb or any other round object
A needle
A Sock with a hole in it
Step 1 - Place your sock over a tennis ball or lightbulb
(you can also just stick your hand inside the sock if you prefer).
Step 2 - Thread your needle
(I am using white thread just to make it easier for you to see what I'm doing in the pictures)
Step 3 - Tie a knot in the end of your thread then insert needle on the inside of sock.
(this way your knot will be on the inside of the sock. There are other more complicated ways to start your line where you have no knot at all, but I'm keeping it simple here)
Step 4 - Pull your thread through, leaving the knot on the inside of the sock.
Step 5 - With your needle, pick up one single stitch at the edge of the right side of your hole.
Step 6 - Pull your thread all the way through, without pulling it tight.
Step 7 - Insert your needle under a single thread to the left of the hole.
Step 8 - Pull your thread through without pulling it tight. You're creating a criss cross pattern on TOP of the sock.
Continue this pattern moving from left to right.
Step 9 - Once you get to the top of the hole, gradually move your stitches closer together.
Step 10 - Gently start to pull the thread. This will close up the hole.
Step 11 - Insert needle back into the spot it last came out, picking up a thread or two.
Step 12 - Pull the thread almost all the way through, leaving a small loop at the end.
Step 13 - Bring your needle back around and stick it into the loop.
Step 14 - Pull the thread tight to create a knot.
Step 15 - Insert your needle at the top of the repair and let it come out about halfway down.
Step 16 - Pull the thread all the way through.
Step 17 - Snip the tail end of the thread off close to the sock with scissors.
Done!
(remember you can see the seam on this sock because I used white thread to make it easier for you to see ... use the appropriate coloured thread and it'll be invisible)
Now here's the funny part. These socks are so worn out ... I've decided to finally chuck 'em. By the time you read this post, they'll be gone.
Speaking of which, I just remembered it's garbage night. A scullery maid's work is never done. Darn it.
→Like to Sweat, Swear and do Stuff? GET MY POSTS emailed to you 3 times a week←
Matt W
Karen,
Thank you!!! You just helped me save three pairs of socks!!! You are awesome!
Funny thing though, I know my Gram could show me how but my socks problem and gram are never around each other at the same time. Your instructions are perfect!
Thank you, Matt W.
Carol
Make it a point to have “Gram” and your socks together. Being a gram myself, I know she would love it.
pedicure socks}
When someone writes an piece of writing he/she keeps the thought of a user in his/her mind
that how a user can be aware of it. So that's why this post
is outstdanding. Thanks!
Barry
Hi Karen,
Thank you for your easy to understand instructions and pics and for sharing. I just repaired a hole in my daughters favourite pj pants!
Kind regards
Barry
Karen
That's great Barry! Glad to help. :) ~ karen
Dean
Hmmm... I wonder if I can repair my thermal undies the same way.. these things are really expensive and I have torn the arse out. I am all for recycling things and almost never throw anything out. I prefer to try to repair something before I bin it..
Julia Shawhan
I just fixed my brand new Dr. Who sock, which I received for Mother's Day and promptly tore a hole in. Neither cheap nor easy to replace! Thanks for the very clear photos. And I got to use this darning egg that I have had as a knicknack for many years!
Karen
Excellent! Good work Julia. :) ~ karen
Constanze
Brilliant! XD
Beverly
A small girl I used a 'darner '- my mother taught me - I enjoyed this task - darned 7 siblings socks and my own - It was made of wood -egg shape with wooden handle - I miss it very much - don't know where to find one these days -
Beverly
I found some on e-bay.
kddomingue
I found mine at an antique store and a flea market.
Dian Meredith McNaught
Re-enactors have them also.... It was always in my what is it? box for public days along with my buffalo tooth and my cow horn spoon....
deb
would any of you consider doing this a business? know anywhere I can send mine?…a good pair of socks are expensive, I hike a lot and the smart wool? heels die in a season but the socks are great…I just did my laundry and could send 6 pairs…post it on the hiking sites (I will) and pinterest…we pay to have our laundry done, shirts ironed, oil changed, and knives sharpened….don't undersell yourself…ask for a FEDEX pre-paid return label, set up with PayPal, do a quick good looking funny website….any leads would love them, thanks
MTM
Greetings!
I spent big money on MILSPEC Tropical Socks, because of "foot rot" issues that defy medical treatment, and there was no way in hell I was going to let them die an early death... For the life of me, I couldn't find a damn tennis ball, but found three Baseballs at the Park. One came home. It now resides in my sock drawer.
THANK YOU for your simple instructions!!
MTM
Karen
You're welcome MTM! ~ karen
Edward
I used a baseball, but regardless of the sphere, your image tutorial helped. I also darned two holes in some merino wool socks. Thank you!
Elaine
Thanks for the instructions - I just darned two socks using a Meyer lemon as my darning egg (we have a lemon tree and I recently harvested a bucketful). Now my socks are fixed and they smell nice too ;-)
Karen
LOL! ~ karen! p.s. I would LOVE a lemon tree!!
Mary W
I read somewhere that you can grow a lemon tree in a container inside your home IF you have a well lighted window. (Miniature tree, of course.)
Mark
I just finished two pairs I have been without for at least 6 months. I have done small sewing repairs in the past but was putting this off because I was intimidated just with the thought of it and huge lump in my socks. This is by far the best instruction on how to darn. Now I can wait to do my washing for two more days. Yeah!
Karen
LOL, yay! ~ karen
Pete
A friend recommended an older type light bulb instead of the wooden egg. Worked great. Thanks for the technique
Karen
You're welcome Pete. ~ karen!
Jim
Men, clipping your toenails regularly = less darning for your other half. I just threw away a pair of his socks that were more darning than sock.
eye veins
ugh, gross. more like "less darning for you". darn your own darn socks.
Jim Zevely
This is the best "how to" description I've ever seen. Good description and good photos. I can do this! Saving the very dear English moreno wool socks I bought. Should have gone to Jos. Bank for tougher stuff. Thanks to you I can keep the weaklings going for a bit longer. And I'll pay more attention to my toe nails. Without care they punch through REI hiking socks given enough disrespect.
Karen
Jim - Glad to be of help. I just looked down at my socks tonight at saw a toenail poking through. :( Cheap socks though. Have you ever had cashmere socks? They're a thing of beauty. ~ karen!
Patricia L. Genders
where do you get cashmere socks? Have had cashmere sweaters but not socks and now I want some!
Beth
No need to search vintage stores for a darning egg. The first photo on Google's images for maracas looks exactly like my Grandma Lillian's regular size -and also a smaller size- darning egg. The smooth, rounded shape allows you to hold your work with an absence of tension on the sock, ie, not distorting the hole, while you are creating new material with the weaving technique described by Zina above. Personally, I would end up catching the fuzz of a tennis ball with my needle.
Mary W
Catching the fuzz was exactly my first thought, too. I laughed because I could imagine me proudly thinking what a great job I had done then realize the ball was permanently sewn inside the sock. Maracas are an eggcellent idea!
Naomi
Thanks for this post. I just bought a pair of leggings and got a hole in the toe the first time I wore them. Rather than chuck them, I googled how to darn socks, and found this fantastic blog! Great concept - I'll be back often.
Oh, and I think I remember seeing an article about this in the Spectator. If that was you, we live in the same town. :)
Karen
Hi Naomi! Glad you found the article. And yes ... that's me. Now go put your leggings on. ~ karen!
Sue R.
I knew there must be a very specific trick to it. This is just what I was looking for and it worked great! Thanks!
Karen
Excellent! ~ karen
Lauri
Thanks for this info. Do you know how to replace a worn out heel?
Karen
Lauri - I think once the entire heel is gone it might be time for a new sock. :( Fixing a heel properly would be a huge amount of work. Basically you'd need to reknit or reweave new fabric into the sock. My best suggestion is to find a pair with a worn out toe but good heel, and wear them both at the same time. ;) ~ karen!
Denise Leavens
Thank you so much, Karen. I couldn't clip my toenail on my broken toe for a week. Now that it is sock season, I am getting a hole in my favorite socks. I just finished my first darned sock and I am thrilled! I will now be searching the local vintage stores for a wooden darning egg (that I can afford.)
Karen
Good job! I used to darn my socks before I was even a teenager. My mother really thought I was insane, LOL. ~ karen
Catherine
Thanks! I just mended my daughter's tights. . .i have a feeling I will be using this easy and effective technique again soon!