Darning Socks

Reader Contribution by Bethann Weick
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My favorite pair of socks boast three shades of grey in a simple pattern. However, if you had happened to take a closer look, you’d notice that the heels and toes are more akin to a patchwork quilt with hand-woven circles of white and black wool. Another winter has taken it’s toll: I’ve seen that yet another hole has appeared in the heel of my left sock. Eventually I’ll have to recycle these altogether. Not today, though!

No. Instead, I climb to the loft and open the wicker basket which sits to the side of the ladder. Passed from my grandmother to my mother to me, it holds letters from Ryan, an old timepiece, a special shell, and my darning supplies. Which don’t amount to much, mind you. A wooden darning egg (though a tennis ball or other similarly shaped household object can work just as well), a needle, and scraps of yarn saved from various projects. The stretchy white wool I’ve been using lately are the few-foot lengths cut from a hat that a visiting friend was knitting for her mother. Her scraps met another purpose in my darning.

And I suppose that is a large reason why I like darning so much. Be it sweaters, socks or what have you, the process of darning is simple to learn, quick to do, and infuses something old with a fresh breath of longevity.

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