My on going quest for indestructible socks
So I really do mean it when I say I mend my socks.
Every time I take them off, I check for thin spots. If there’s just a little thin spot, I’ll wash them first and then mend them. If there’s an actual hole, I’ll fix them before I wash them because washing them with a hole can make the hole bigger (which is maybe gross? but whatever…it’s just socks…you can wash your hands after).
I strongly prefer catching it while it’s just a thin spot because then you can just duplicate stitch over it. (This is the bit where I am extremely mean and say that if you want info on exactly how to do that, your best bet is going to be to google ‘duplicate stitch’ and you’ll find zillions of tutorials on it…I’m totally just showing off ‘hey, I mended these’ not at all doing ‘hey, here is step by step exactly how you do it’ because it is not that sort of week, and other folks have already done that way better than I ever will.)
A few minutes work and it’s all better. I have socks that are nine years old and still going strong, but an awful lot of them have the odd patch here and there. Totally worth it to keep them in the rotation for another few years.
So what do you think…will you mend yours? Or would you rather just knit a new pair?
Yes! I think my oldest socks still going strong we’re knitted in 1997. I do a lot of sock mending and although I don’t really enjoy the process, that sense of satisfaction from making something useful again is totally worth it.
I mend socks, because years ago, you inspired me too. Consider me a convert.
I was so pleased when my MIL came for Christmas and brought a pair of socks I had knit 7 years prior asking for me to mend them. She loves them so much she wore them out AND she saved them for me to fix! I even had some of the original yarn to mend them with.
I have only had to do a few mends on my socks (they only get worn in the winter and apparently I have enough pairs I haven’t worn them out too much yet). I do have a pair I decided need to be ripped out and reknit on smaller needles because they are too loose and will disintegrate much sooner if I wear them as knitted.
Mend. Your pictorial is inspiring! Now I want to find a pair and fix them up as nicely as you did.
Mend. But mine are never nice duplicate-stitch fixes like yours. They always seem to be a broken spot in the yarn. That i notice an hour into the work day, so I can’t take them off, and spend the whole day freaking out that they’ll turn imti a huge run. (Which they never have, but my neuroses can’t be bothered with silly things like logic.)
I knit a patch by picking up stitches and knitting across to grab a good stitch at the edge of the worn spot and knitting two stitches together (one old and one new). Continue this each row till the worn spot or hole is covered. Pick up stitches above spot and do three needle bindoff. Not near as pretty as your duplicate stitching but I can do it with knitting needles.