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2torial #0632:
Learn2 Darn a Sock
Darn those socks!
Everyone has a favorite pair of socks--has yours
been tucked away because of a hole in it? Let go of
your shame--just grab a needle, thread and a
favorite sock that needs darning, and in less than
30 minutes your sock will be ready to wear again!
And don't be surprised if you derive
considerable pleasure from this activity. Apart
from the joy of rehabiltitating an old pair of
sock-friends, this simple type of sewing has
pleasant and rhythmic motion that originated
thousands of years ago.
A hole in your sock is made by the pressure of
the foot that wears away part of the material of
the sock cloth. What remains, in lightly damaged
socks, is the framework of the cloth, which looks
like a grid. It's best if you darn the sock at this
stage, before the framework gets torn apart.
(Darning a sock with a torn framework is a bit more
difficult, but still possible.)
What is darning, anyway? It's a combination of
sewing around the edges of the hole and thin parts
of the sock, and weaving thread over the hole
itself. You'll employ two strategies:
- surround the weakened area to limit its
expansion. Use a horizontal running stitch to
mark the area.
- fill in the surrounded area with a vertical,
weaving-type running stitch.
Find yourself a well-lit room with a cozy chair,
grab your needle and thread, and in no time at all
your favorite sock will be repaired and ready to
wear again.
 Choose the appropriate thread
Pick a thread that's nearly the same color and
weight of your sock fabric. For example, heavy grey
wool socks repair beautifully using two strands of
woolen yarn. If you're new to darning and you'd
like to make it easier, try this trick. For a pair
of blue socks, use a strand of light blue thread
for the horizontal stitches, and a strand of dark
blue for the vertical stitches. Even if you're
particular about wearing matching clothes, no one
in public will see this sock patch at the bottom of
your shoe.
- All-purpose cotton thread works well for
light and medium weight socks; embroidery
thread works best.
- For those heavy wool socks, two
strands of strong woolen yarn (or mending yarn
or scrap yarn, as it's sometimes sold), or some
embroidery floss--all work well because they
stay in the wool fabric better.
 Thread the needle
Don't know how to thread a needle? There's
always a first! Pull the thread from the spool,
bite or snip it off, and moisten it in your mouth
or some other handy source of moisture. Moistening
the thread will make the thread tip stiffer,
straighter, and more manageable as you insert it.
Now smooth the end of thread between your fingers
so that no fraying occurs--this'll make the needle
much easier to thread.
(In the steps below, the terms dominant and
non-dominant are used to describe left- and
right-handed persons. If you write or throw with
your left hand, your left hand is your dominant
hand. Your right hand is your non-dominant hand.)
- Hold the needle close to the eye
(that's the hole at the top of the needle) with
your non-dominant hand. As a safety measure,
keep the needle at least six inches away from
your eye. Rest your hands slightly against each
other--try the dominant wrist resting on the
base of the non-dominant thumb. This will to
steady them while they push the thread through
the needle.
- Transfer the needle to your dominant
hand. To keep the thread inside the eye,
pull the thread through the eye with your
non-dominant thumb and forefinger. The amount of
thread pulled through should be one-quarter of
the total length. Note: Don't knot the
end of your thread when darning--you'll end up
with an uncomfortable lump in your shoe.
 Understand basic sewing
To darn a sock you only need to sew one type of
stitch, the running stitch. Since you sew it two
different ways, however, it looks a little
different. Here's the difference:
- The running stitch, surround-style:
Picture an earthworm (a venemous snake, if you
prefer) that wiggles through the earth, breaking
through to the air and diving down into the
dirt. That's what the needle will do, except
it'll move through the surface of the sock
fabric instead of the ground. Basically, you
would hold the needle above the fabric, and
pierce it. Then you'd push the needle under the
surface of the fabric, but not too far. Next,
you'd pick a spot about 1/8th inch (3 mm) from
the first insertion point, and push the needle
up through the surface of the fabric. And that's
it--you've made your first stitch. To continue,
pierce the fabric an 1/8 inch (3mm) further
away, continuing the up and down motion.
- The running stitch, weaving-style:
This is the actual mending structure in the
darning process. It's a continous line of thread
that moves over and under, piercing the sock
fabric at even intervals of 1/8th inch or so
(3mm) as your needle steers the thread through
the sock.
 Prepare the sock
- Anchor your sock over a light
bulb--you'll have an easier time working the
needle through the fabric. The needle will slide
across the surface of the bulb, allowing you to
weave in and out of the fabric with ease.
- Trim away the ragged edges of sock
(edges only). You don't want to change the shape
of the hole, or (for certain) make it larger.
 Surround the hole
After threading your needle with the appropriate
thread (see Step 1 for thread choice,
Step 2 for needle threading), you'll work a
circle (or an oval) of running stitches around the
worn area (or hole) to mark its extent.
- Hold the needle above the fabric, and
pierce it. Push the needle across the surface of
the bulb, but wait! don't go too far.
- Pick a spot about 1/8th inch (3 mm)
from the first insertion point. Where? Pretend
your circular sock hole is a clock, and your
first insertion is at the six o'clock position.
Poke the needle up through the fabric at seven
o'clock. And that's it--you've made your first
stitch.
- To continue, pierce the fabric 1/8
inch further away, at the eight o'clock positon.
Continue the up and down motion.
- Sew four or five more stitches beyond
a complete circle of stitches. You do this to
keep the stitches tied into the fabric without,
tying a knot.
Once you have sown a running stitch around the
area of sock that needs darning, don't knot the
ends of the thread. That would create an
uncomfortable bump as you stepped on it or as your
foot pressed it against the shoe.
 Fill the void, part 1
Locate the bottom left edge of the worn area of
sock, and pick a spot just outside the marking
stitches.
- The patch, part one: Begin at the
base of the hole and use the running stitch to
make a series of horizontal lines of thread
across the width of the hole. If the hole is
simply a worn area with the cloth grid still
intact, you'll weave the needle down into
and back out the sock fabric, and you'll stop at
a spot just beyond the marking stitches on the
opposite side.
- If you have a gaping hole with no cloth
grid, your horizontal lines will just be the
thread, laying straight across the opening.
- Make sure you aren't sewing the stitches
too tightly. You can prevent this by now and
then tugging the sock apart a little bit, along
the line of the stitches. Tugging pulls more
thread into the stitch, which releases any
tension in the thread. This allows the fabric to
lie flat--not pinched or squeezed by a tight
stitch. Western medical surgeons must be
skillful needleworkers, and they practice these
same techniques in medical school. Really, they
do!
- Continue weaving, up and back across the
hole, keeping the stitches parallel.
 Fill the void, part 2
Now you want to turn your work 90 degrees;the
stitching you've just done will lie vertically.
You're halfway there now, well on your way to
wearing your favorite socks again!
- The patch, part two: Start at a point
where your needle has emerged from making
horizontal stitches, weave your needle
alternately over and under each of the
previously laid horizontal threads. Start and
finish each row as in Step 6.
- Weave the thread down into and up through
the grid until the worn area or hole has
been completely filled up.
 Finish it off
Once the whole area of your sock has been
completely filled up with vertical and horizontal
stitches, you're ready to finish your darning.
- Using a running stitch, pass your
needle and thread in and out of the sock fabric
just outside the darned area. These four or five
stitches will secure the darning stitches, i.e.
keep them from slipping out. You sew these extra
stitches instead of tying a knot, which would
not feel good to step on.
- Cut off the remaining thread, and
take pride your newly mended sock: the area that
was worn and torn is now much stronger than it
was originally, before it ever needed mending.
How nice!
-end-
Learn More!
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