As I was speaking to my Mum on the telephone earlier in the week there was a comment from the rear (Dad)..

I heard in gleeful tones, “Tell her about the socks!”

“Oh Yes, My socks, they’ve got holes in” which was swiftly followed up by another comment from the rear about shoddy workmanship!

Pah,

I knew immediately which pair it was, I had not been knitting for very long and I’d chosen a double knit which was not sock yarn and was wound quite loosely, comfortable and cosy they were, but not hard wearing. Still, two years is not a bad innings and Mum had been wearing them with her Crocs which are notoriously hard on hand knit socks.

I visited today and they were laying in the conservatory ready for my perusal. I tried to persuade Mum to use the method favoured by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee which goes along the lines of open the bin and say “Darn It” as you drop them from a great height into it. But Mum looked quite wounded when I suggested that and then told me how she loved this particular pair of socks and how they were always her first choice to wear in the evenings with her pyjamas.

What is a daughter to do? – there was only one answer.

I brought them home whilst desperately trying to remember how Knitted Bear had recently mended a pair of socks that had also landed up in dire straits. I couldn’t find her blog post, which was beautifully written and included many photographs. So without any guidance, just a dim memory I started to work on them.

Firstly, a very poorly sock.

I picked up stitches, knit a few rows whilst picking up stitches from the outsides knit a few rows more, then picked up stitches at the other side of the hole and kitchenered them together. Then I sewed any parts of the sides down that needed it.

The end results.

I quite like them in a make do and mend hippy kind of way.

Just because I know what we knitters are like.

A peek at the wrong side.

Not too shabby, the patch is very soft and quite even in texture, making it quite comfortable to wear.

And just a little something to ease her pain.