I should have known better than to wear soft, fine merino and alpaca wool hand knitted socks with hiking boots. Very soon the fine wool was worn away and holes appeared. As these were a favourite pair of socks I thought about making a repair using the darning method. I confess, I've never repaired a pair of socks. Therefore, I did a quick search for darning instructions. While browsing various methods I came across a knitted heel option which looked so much better than a darning patch. The following images give you the basic idea behind the method. I won't repeat the instructions here as they are quite lengthy, not for the fainthearted. The method can be found at Lupinworks.com Replacing a sock heel.
I'm pleased with the finished result and won't be wearing these socks in hiking boots anymore!
1. Picking up stitches
2. Cut out old damaged heel and unravel old rows.
3.Pick up stitches on needles
4. Knit the heel flap and turn the heel.
5. Finished heel
Impressive result, and I like the colour contrast, but it does look complicated!
ReplyDeleteI have darned many a sock in my time, with the help of a wooden 'darning mushroom' inherited from my grandmother. The mushroom fell victim to Bertie in his puppyhood chewing phase, but only the 'stalk' was damaged so it's still functional.
Cheers! Gail.
I can see why you wanted to keep those lovely socks :)
ReplyDeleteHow very clever are you!!! The socks have been redone and so
ReplyDeleteneat. They must be a favourite pair. lol Thanks for the tip.
Cheers, Anita.
This just happened to a pair of socks of mine and, I too, thought I'd prefer to re-knit the heel rather than add a patch that I think looks a bit unsightly and I think I'd feel the extra stitching. I was just going to pull out the contrast FLK heel and pick up stitches then, but I appreciate you showing to pick up the outside stitches first. wish me luck.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found this helpful...good luck with the repair.
DeleteThis is a great tutorial! After repairing many socks, even those with 20% nylon, I now use a lace weight mohair knit together with my sock yarn for the toe, heel and the ball area of the foot. The mohair is very strong, felts well with the sock yarn while wearing, and adds a tiny bit of cushioning. I haven't needed to make repairs since.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this tutorial! The information I needed was about picking up the stitches and re-knitting the entire heel flap, as well as the heel turn.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try it tonight on a pair of socks that have a hole at the heel.