life with a chronic disease and a really big yarn stash
Sock Mending Day
This morning I work up on fire! I cleaned out the stash room, sorted all the knitted socks, mitts, and shawls into moth-proof bins, and organized the yarn for a few potential projects. While I was still feeling positive (and knitting powerful: call me Wool Wonder Woman!) I set aside three pairs of socks that needed mending and then headed downstairs to watch the weather forecast with the noon news while I worked.
I really am a scrap hound when it comes to the leftovers from knitting projects. Somewhere in this box is the yarn that I need to mend my socks.
Two pairs of socks had simple little holes that were fast and easy to darn. There, done! Back into the sock bin you two. The last sock, however, was a mending job of another order. This was going to take a little courage and ingenuity to get done.
Poor little heel-less sock. There is too much fabric gone for this to be the normal darning job.I started this repair job by picking up a row of stitches in the heel flap a couple of rows above the worn spot. I picked up a total of 34 stitches across the flap.I knitted eight rows of the heel flap pattern and then turned the heel just like I would have with the original sock. You can see the new turned heel at the bottom of the picture. I ended with 20 stitches on the needle when the heel turn was done. I then picked up 20 stitches on the foot of the sock at the location where the new heel matched up (upper needle).I used the tail of the yarn from the heel construction to join it to the bottom of the sock with Kitchener stitch. The join is to the right of the stitches still on the needles. The tattered remnants of the original heel is now hidden inside the sock.Here is the finished heel: the fixed sock is the one on the right; you can see the line where I picked up stitches to start the new heel. I decided to just leave the tattered remains of the old heel (with the worst of the ends trimmed off) inside the sock as it felt fine once it was on my foot.Here they are! I have a favorite pair of socks returned to service after an hour of knitting braveness.
I just love these socks, and am very happy to have them back. I think that they are about 5 years old, and with the repaired heel I hope to have a few more years of wearing them.
Sock pattern: Lotus by Andrienne Fong. The pattern is one in the book The Joy of Sox by Linda Kopp.
I weave, knit and read in Aurora, Colorado where my garden lives. I have 2 sons, a knitting daughter-in-law, a grandson and two exceptionally spoiled kittens. In 2014 I was diagnosed with a serious rare autoimmune disease called systemic sclerosis along with Sjogren's Disease and fibromyalgia.
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15 thoughts on “Sock Mending Day”
Wow…awesome color choice. I’m adding this pattern to my list. What’s your favorite durable sock yarn?
Thanks! It was because of the color that I wanted to save the socks. This yarn was 100% merino, and didn’t wear as well as I wanted them to. I stick to sock yarn with at least 10% nylon now, and my absolute favorites right now are Hedgehog Fibres sock (http://shop.hedgehogfibres.com/) which is so soft it is to die for, but it has that nylon in it. I keep checking the label because I can’t believe it’s true. 🙂 I also like Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 (http://zenyarngarden.co/) and Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere. (http://www.dreamincoloryarn.com/yarn/fingering/smooshy-with-cashmere/)
It looks like it will wear well too. I wore the sock yesterday and when I looked inside last night the old heel was felting smoothly into the new one. Perfect! There is one crease that I’ll be careful to smooth out next time I wear it.
Yarn, Books & Roses 
Wow…awesome color choice. I’m adding this pattern to my list. What’s your favorite durable sock yarn?
Thanks! It was because of the color that I wanted to save the socks. This yarn was 100% merino, and didn’t wear as well as I wanted them to. I stick to sock yarn with at least 10% nylon now, and my absolute favorites right now are Hedgehog Fibres sock (http://shop.hedgehogfibres.com/) which is so soft it is to die for, but it has that nylon in it. I keep checking the label because I can’t believe it’s true. 🙂 I also like Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 (http://zenyarngarden.co/) and Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere. (http://www.dreamincoloryarn.com/yarn/fingering/smooshy-with-cashmere/)
Amazing job on mending the heel!!
Thanks!! It was kind of a leap of knitting faith. 🙂
Wow! You are a darning diva!
Naw. Actually I’m kind of a lumpy darner. It made better sense and was faster to knit the new heel. 🙂
Wow, what a fantastic job, it certainly looks as good as new! Sharon x
It looks like it will wear well too. I wore the sock yesterday and when I looked inside last night the old heel was felting smoothly into the new one. Perfect! There is one crease that I’ll be careful to smooth out next time I wear it.
That is impressive mending. if you hadn’t pointed out which one was mended I wouldn’t have been able tell.
Btw, I’m sending you all my mending work from now on.
🙂
Fabulous job on that sock repair!!! Yes, as Jenn writes above–could we please send you our mending? All we need is an address!!
You guys are cracking me up. I could hang out a sign: will do mending for chocolate…
You did an awesome job!
Thanks! It was surprisingly fast.
That’s always a bonus