Make Socks, Mend Socks 2022: FEB

It’s the end of the month, so I’m popping in with a February update on my Make Socks, Mend Socks progress.

I started the month all ready to cast on a fresh pair of socks, but they never quite materialized. Instead, it was all about mending this month.

I started by tackling these Shibui socks, which I knit nearly 15 years (!) ago and have been sitting in the mending pile … for a while. In addition to both socks having worn through in the heel, one sock had quite a few holes on the top of the foot … a victim of wool-eating beasties in my Philadelphia that wreaked havoc on a few of my knits during the 2016-2017 academic year. I started by trying out a knitted on patch for one of the bigger holes, but I accidentally knit two rows for every one I needed, so it’s a bit bulky and bulbous. No matter! These socks are oversized, good for the house, so a bulky patch won’t stop me wearing them! For the rest of the holes and the heels, I darned the holes using the weave mend. It definitely got easier the more I practiced.

Next I pulled out these Waiting for Henry Socks (Ravelry link) which had both also worn through in the heel. These socks used an afterthought heel which I’d knit in a nice toffee mini skein I had, but the yarn was quite soft and not up to the level of wear my socks experience! The joy of an afterthought heel though is it’s easy to replace! I reknit the heels on each using some leftovers of a mini skein I had from Fab Funky Fibres. Since I tend to be quite hard on my heels, I also dropped down to a 00/1.75 mm for the heels to give them some extra strength. (I knit most of my socks on 0/2 mm needles as I’m quite a loose knitter)

Last I tackled a new arrival to the mending pile, one of my beloved Moorland Socks (Ravelry link) out of Fab Funky Fibres Neverending Rainbow colourway. A hole popped up in the heel this month, and they’re one of my favourite pairs of socks, so I did a quick weave mend to get them back in circulation. The other heel looks to be holding up fairly well, so I left it as it was.

And there are all the newly mended socks. One thing I’ll be interested to see over the course of the year is how my mending holds up … it’s very much in the make do and mend category, and my technique might need some brushing up. I’ll keep track of what socks, if any, end up back in the mending pile.

So that’s three pairs back in the sock drawer, though since once pair wasn’t in the mending pile when I started the challenge, I’m calling that a net gain of two pairs this month. Added to January’s cast off, that’s three pairs of socks added to my sock drawer so far in 2022.

In case you missed it, Make Socks, Mend Socks is a challenge I set myself to, you guessed it, make or mend at least one pair of socks every month in 2022. You can read more about it here and join me if you’re so inclined! Tell me about your socks in the comments, or share on Instagram using #makesocksmendsocks2022. I’d love the company!