Some folk might label me as a cheapskate…..especially my kids. This assessment has been assigned to me because of my propensity not to throw anything away. My kids used to be so embarrassed when I mended their school clothes or served leftovers for lunch when their friends came by the farm. Now that they are adults, however they get it! And, they are becoming cheapskates themselves!
Of all clothing, socks are
the oldest type of garments that is still in use today. Socks have had an interesting evolution….from the Stone Ages
with the wearing of animal skins to knit socks that are worn today. Socks were
not always easy to come by either and for some time they were worn only by
those of the noble class.
Fast forward to more recent times and consider how many of
us simply dispose of our socks when they get a hole. Frankly, I love real wool
socks. Old School. Soft, fluffy, warm, and thick. They are hard to find these
days…..and, when sourced, they are expensive. A pair of these bad-boys can run
me about fifty dollars. So, being the cheapskate that I am, I want them to
last! As soon, then, as they start to show wear…..around the heel and toes…..I
darn them. (The word, “darn”, by the way, comes from the Middle French word “darner”,
meaning "mend.")
There is evidence that
darning socks dates back to the 1700's. Disposability was not an issue then. And, frankly, it shouldn’t be
an issue now. Last week, I talked about upcycling. Well, darning and mending
are first cousins to upcycling. Instead of merely upcycling the whole item, by
mending/darning, we upcycle it’s use. More wearability and longer
life of the item. That’s good for the Planet…..and good, at the same time, for
the wallet. What’s not to like?
My Grandmother darned. That’s
where I learned it. She kept a darning basket right by her favorite chair and when
we were visiting, she’d darn. Her hands kept busy as we talked and she shared
her stories. I learned a lesson about human industry by watching her. There was
no frivolity of time. She saw each moment as precious and used them fully. She never made it seem like “work”. It was
part of time shared together talking over old family memories.
And, therein lies the key!!
It’s not work. It’s artistry. If we see it as work, we balk. We procrastinate.
We, frankly, don’t enjoy it. There is
an old Taoist saying, “A Master in the art of living makes little distinction
between his work and his play.” And, this applies to darning
socks!!
The Woven Patch is probably the most commonly known method of darning socks. The Woven Patch is going to work well for larger holes that have formed in your sock. A potential downside of the method is that weaving looks substantially different than knitting, so your patch will be noticeable. This is a decision that you need to make. Do you want your darning to be invisible and not show as a repair? Or, do you want to flaunt it as “artwork on a sock”? Visible mending. Sock art.
You can have fun with this, too. You can, for example, embroider on the patch….the recipient’s initials, a flower, a bee. Or, for children, add two eyes complete with eyelashes.
I keep my darning in a wicker basket that goes with me whenever I'm headed to a meeting or out to visit. There are the worn socks, the darning yarns and needles and, of course, my Grandmother's old darning egg!
Acquiring the skill is easier than it looks. Here is a basic tutorial on darning. Start with these
techniques and then “get artsy” to personalize your work. https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-darn-a-sock-1106645 And, enjoy wearing your colorful and joyful woven patches with Teva's and Birkenstock's. Show them off!!
