Very simple and effective and what a great idea! I will be doing this to all my wool socks. Also, I loved the illustration of how to darn. That isn't a method that I'm familiar with, but it also looks simple to do. Thank you so much!
Yes this is one of those definite occasions when a "Stitch in time, saves nine". I am probably one of the few men that can darn my own socks. Mum taught me when I was a kid, mainly because she hated darning! For the next few years I was told to darn my own socks or wear ones with holes in them. It wasn`t until I was fixing fishing nets many years later that I actually got any good at it, although most of the time we just sewed the smaller holes or patched the bigger ones as time was highly imperative. Thankfully there was only a couple of occasions in my 20 odd years on the boats, when I actually had to re-knit the net. That also looks like an excellent method to make a pair of socks into house socks, just do an extra layer so they are treble layered on the wear points of the foot. I`ve always gone with the old adage of "If you can`t blend it in, then make it stand out" that way it looks like it was meant to be that way. A good way to use up short scraps of wool too.
I've always been worried I'd mess up a good sock trying to darn them, but you've made it into an easy to follow tutorial. Thank you Sally. I wish I'd seen this ages ago. My daughter makes the most beautiful hand knitted socks and now I know how to reinforce the ball of the foot so I won't wear them out so quickly.
This should be taught in school. I'm sorry but my great grandmother taught me to darn, even my grandmother couldn't do it, and if she would've known this it would have made life so much easier! Thank you!
This is so useful! I end up not wearing my beautifully-knitted pure wool socks because I'm scared of quickly wrecking them. I''ll do this and then wear them all the time!
oh oh I'm so glad I subscribed, I've been wondering how to reinforce knitting! I'm going to do this for the elbow areas for my favourite jumper! Thank you!! Best of luck for your Master's - from a fellow Master's student :)
Very cool ! I wear through all my socks so quickly (to the point that I'm actively conducting experiments on the most hardy breed and spinning techniques so my handspun socks will last more than a few weeks before needing intensive darning), and this seems like a great way to extend their lives between mending sessions. And it doesn't look like it affects the stretch very much (if at all), unlike my woven darning patches. Thank you so much for sharing !
Ah, thanks so much! This technique, especially the way with the longer inside floats, with a very fuzzy yarn will hopefully make the toes a bit more insulated as well!
I read of "running the heels" of new socks in a charming story, "8 Cousins", by Louisa Alcott of "Little Women" fame. Its brilliant as I dislike darning.
Sally! Thank you for reminding me about this method of reinforcing knitted garments! I’ve been teaching an online class on mending knitwear, and had forgotten all about this. As it happens, I’m gone with a cold, and am darning my partner’s socks. I wish he’d alerted me to their dirty condition some time ago. A stitch in time, and all that. Wishing you all the best! Lisa (lisascenic from the historic sewing group on Ravelry)
I can vouch for it working: I now pre-darn all my socks! When a decent pair of walking socks is around £18, one wants to make them last. It's quite cathartic as well ;-)
I really want to thanks. I was mending as I was watching that video. I never ever think about reinforcing actual garnment without th need of mending. You had motivated me to reinforce specific spots in my news garnments to avoid the main fabric tearing. Thanks you for making my clothes being beautifull a longer time. :)
Last night I did my first proper darning - repair my grandmother's irish linen tea towel that must be over sixty years old. Thanks for your instructions. I haven't done a perfect job but the hole won't get larger and I have learnt a new skill. Thanks so much for that! x
oh, now i need to sit down and do this to 2 dozen handkint socks!! (saying that out loud sounds like so much work, but all i see is all the work it's gonna save) thank you
Hey thanks for showing us. For anyone reading this; If you think about cloths, which parts would need reinforcements at front? Socks, knees, albows? Maybe shoulders? Thanks for your suggestions 🙏🏼
I enjoy these videos so much, especially on stormy days. Thanks to your videos and other tutorials, i learned how to take in clothes for mending from my friends. This will give me another skill to use
Gah! I've knitted reinforced heels into all of my socks, but struggled to figure out how to reinforce the toe/ball of the foot area. I only wear handmade socks and I'm hard on them, using them in boots for hiking (and i hike frequently). This is brilliant and going to save so many socks. Thank you!
Preemptive darning, that's much easier than reactive darning!
Very simple and effective and what a great idea! I will be doing this to all my wool socks. Also, I loved the illustration of how to darn. That isn't a method that I'm familiar with, but it also looks simple to do. Thank you so much!
Yes this is one of those definite occasions when a "Stitch in time, saves nine".
I am probably one of the few men that can darn my own socks. Mum taught me when I was a kid, mainly because she hated darning! For the next few years I was told to darn my own socks or wear ones with holes in them. It wasn`t until I was fixing fishing nets many years later that I actually got any good at it, although most of the time we just sewed the smaller holes or patched the bigger ones as time was highly imperative. Thankfully there was only a couple of occasions in my 20 odd years on the boats, when I actually had to re-knit the net.
That also looks like an excellent method to make a pair of socks into house socks, just do an extra layer so they are treble layered on the wear points of the foot. I`ve always gone with the old adage of "If you can`t blend it in, then make it stand out" that way it looks like it was meant to be that way. A good way to use up short scraps of wool too.
I've always been worried I'd mess up a good sock trying to darn them, but you've made it into an easy to follow tutorial. Thank you Sally. I wish I'd seen this ages ago. My daughter makes the most beautiful hand knitted socks and now I know how to reinforce the ball of the foot so I won't wear them out so quickly.
This should be taught in school. I'm sorry but my great grandmother taught me to darn, even my grandmother couldn't do it, and if she would've known this it would have made life so much easier! Thank you!
This is so useful! I end up not wearing my beautifully-knitted pure wool socks because I'm scared of quickly wrecking them. I''ll do this and then wear them all the time!
oh oh I'm so glad I subscribed, I've been wondering how to reinforce knitting! I'm going to do this for the elbow areas for my favourite jumper! Thank you!! Best of luck for your Master's - from a fellow Master's student :)
Very cool ! I wear through all my socks so quickly (to the point that I'm actively conducting experiments on the most hardy breed and spinning techniques so my handspun socks will last more than a few weeks before needing intensive darning), and this seems like a great way to extend their lives between mending sessions. And it doesn't look like it affects the stretch very much (if at all), unlike my woven darning patches. Thank you so much for sharing !
In the past I know some hair from goats was used to reinforce. I have also heard of horse tail hair being used. But both are probably uncomfortable.
You’re an international treasure, Lady Pointer 💙
Ah, thanks so much! This technique, especially the way with the longer inside floats, with a very fuzzy yarn will hopefully make the toes a bit more insulated as well!
Good thinking!
I read of "running the heels" of new socks in a charming story, "8 Cousins", by Louisa Alcott of "Little Women" fame. Its brilliant as I dislike darning.
I hadn't thought of mending before there was a hole, but it makes perfect sense! As a note, I learned to use a spare lightbulb as a darning egg
Sally!
Thank you for reminding me about this method of reinforcing knitted garments! I’ve been teaching an online class on mending knitwear, and had forgotten all about this.
As it happens, I’m gone with a cold, and am darning my partner’s socks. I wish he’d alerted me to their dirty condition some time ago. A stitch in time, and all that.
Wishing you all the best!
Lisa
(lisascenic from the historic sewing group on Ravelry)
Thanks for the info...as a kid during a school-lesson in knitting/darning I ruined my "sunday-stockings"...Hello from Germany :-)
What a great technique! Thank you! Just found your channel and I'm enthousiastic about it
Thank you, this is wonderfully simple for me to understand! I have a basket of wool socks waiting for some attention.
Yay! Always a joy to see a new video from you :-) Do you think this could work on the elbows of knitted jumpers as well?
I think it would be perfect there!
That's darned useful (no pun intended). Thanks Sally!
I used to love darning when I was young…talking 8,9,10 yrs old.
Very useful and clear! Will try this.
My grandma always had a burnt out light bulb in her sewing kit for occasional darning.
Woof! No more lumpy mendings hurting my heel! Thank you!
How timely - I came to youtube today for background noise while doing all my mending!
I can vouch for it working: I now pre-darn all my socks! When a decent pair of walking socks is around £18, one wants to make them last. It's quite cathartic as well ;-)
What good advice Sally, I will do this on my handknit socks . Thanks.
Thank You :) This looks so much faster and even more discreet than swiss darning (which was my preferred method up till now).
I really want to thanks.
I was mending as I was watching that video. I never ever think about reinforcing actual garnment without th need of mending.
You had motivated me to reinforce specific spots in my news garnments to avoid the main fabric tearing.
Thanks you for making my clothes being beautifull a longer time. :)
Hello Sally,
Thank you for this useful episode.
Nice to see you again.
Have a good time, Uschi
Ooooh you saved my first pair of knitting socks from myself…whenever I catch up to the task!
Last night I did my first proper darning - repair my grandmother's irish linen tea towel that must be over sixty years old. Thanks for your instructions. I haven't done a perfect job but the hole won't get larger and I have learnt a new skill. Thanks so much for that! x
I call this "pre-emptive darning", and I do it with the long tail left after I graft the toe.
It’s also easy to re-inforce whilst knitting: knit a strand of ordinary sewing thread with the yarn as you go. I tend to do the heels and the toes.
Could you use a fluffier/larger yarn for extra padding on the whole sole of the sock?
You could, yes
that's a nice trick :)thank you for letting us know :)
Thank you, this video was great and much needed!
This is beautiful! It makes me want to darn socks or something. Maybe elbow of a sweater?
Thank you for posting!
This is so useful! Thank you.
This is wonderful!!!!
Super useful!!!
Thank you.
Thank you
That is fantastic! Thank you for sharing this!
oh, now i need to sit down and do this to 2 dozen handkint socks!! (saying that out loud sounds like so much work, but all i see is all the work it's gonna save) thank you
Brilliant!
Hey thanks for showing us.
For anyone reading this;
If you think about cloths, which parts would need reinforcements at front?
Socks, knees, albows? Maybe shoulders? Thanks for your suggestions 🙏🏼
I enjoy these videos so much, especially on stormy days. Thanks to your videos and other tutorials, i learned how to take in clothes for mending from my friends. This will give me another skill to use
Do you have to use a darning needle? I don't think I have one.
Any needle that suits your yarn will be fine
Oh this is an excellent vid and tutorial! I never knew about this! Will def help my knitting :)
You really do not need to use knots?
It will be fine without knots, far comfier this way
Gah! I've knitted reinforced heels into all of my socks, but struggled to figure out how to reinforce the toe/ball of the foot area. I only wear handmade socks and I'm hard on them, using them in boots for hiking (and i hike frequently). This is brilliant and going to save so many socks. Thank you!
sweet stuff really appreciate and love all your how to improve fiber arts living history stuff :D
Fabulous!! Blessings to you mi lovely )0(
Excellent !!!
Brilliant. thanks Sally.
So helpful, thanks Sally!
Another fantastic video Sally!
I think of you often, how are you faring now? X
I'm mending well thank you, still trying to fit slightly too much into a day though 😉
@@SallyPointer I'd imagine it helps the processing? Keeping busy and having a true purpose must be vital. Stay well and know you are loved 💖
What a great idea! Thank you Sally!
👏👏🤗