How to Darn A Sock

Hand knitted socks are worth darning! Whilst it is possible to reinforce knitted socks at the areas of most wear during the making process, it is inevitable that well - loved socks will need repairing at some point. Here’s how to mend a sock using a woven patch.

Materials

You will need a darning egg (or similar - a tennis ball will do), a blunt tapestry needle and yarn for darning - this should be approximately the same weight or thickness as the yarn used to knit the sock.

Method:

Before you start: tidy up the area to be darned as best you can by snipping away any loose ends (without making the hole any bigger!). Place the darning egg inside the sock, directly under the area to be darned. This is necessary because woven fabric is not stretch like knitted fabric, so if you weave the patch without stretching it over the egg, the sock won’t fit like it did before.

Step 1: Using the darning thread, sew a basting stitch in a square around the hole, a few stitches away from the raw edge, to secure the darn. Don’t tie off the ends of your thread yet - they can be woven in once you have completed the patch.

Step 2: Create a warp for your woven patch with a long running stitch across your square. Secure the running stitches at either end under the legs of knitted stitches.

Step 3: Weave the weft of your patch by going over and under each warp stitch. Tack the weft down by going in and out of a knit stitch at each end.

Step 4: All done! Once the hole is fully covered by the woven patch, you can weave in the ends of your darning thread and remove the darning egg.