Leaving You in Stitches

Darn those socks…

Way back when, Mom kept a darning basket which held the socks to be mended, a pair of scissors, darning needles, two balls of darning cotton and a darning ‘egg.’ Woolworths carried two colors of the 4-strand cotton, gray and white. In the evening when the family listened to the radio, the “Jack Benny Show: “The Great Gildersleeve” or “George Burns & Gracie Allen”, the basket came out and lengths of the cotton was divided into 2-strand pieces and the socks were darned.

Then came a time when socks were manufactured with thread so fine and stitches so tiny that socks really couldn’t be fixed because inserting a needle in the material created broken threads. Darning cotton could no longer be purchased; darning eggs disappeared and generations of folks were no longer taught this skill. A movie illustrated this loss of darning knowledge by showing a young fellow trying to mend a hole in the heel of his sock using running stitches which he drew up like the handles in a drawstring purse creating a big knot that was sure to make an even bigger blister. Certainly no one taught him how to darn a sock.

And, now here we are writing that it’s an advantage to be able to hand knit socks because you can darn them. And it’s true. Don’t pitch those great socks you knitted just because they have a hole in them. Wooden darning balls are again available (ww.patternworks.com), original yarn can be used, even splitting the plies for a finer mend and the darning can be done while the family watches television. Use a tapestry needle and stretch the sock over your fist or even a light bulb (somewhat slick and treacherous, but doable) or a dried gourd of the right size and shape. Right now I am using one of a pair of Mexican maracas!

A hole is filled with a simple weaving process much like that kids used on the little pot holder looms that we once got as Christmas gifts. Create a lengthwise grid that is wider than the hole on both sides. Keep the tension loose, especially at the reverses in making the grid. Turn the work and begin to sew across those strands, plying the needle over and under them in alternating patterns. If you crossed a strand over the top, on the next pass go under it. Keep the darn flat and smooth, no knots. Let the beginning and the end just be woven lightly through the good part of the sock. Now your sock is as good as new and ready for many more wearings.

Still confused? Still got holey socks? Any Tuesday morning at the Moberly library we will be happy to demonstrate sock darning for you. Just don’t show up with a whole drawer, OK? We’ve only got a couple of hours to get em done!