You get a great deal of satisfaction...

[martelvonc]

when you can knit a pair of socks and then are able to repair a hole in the heel so they can continue to be worn. (this morning saw me darning a hole in the heel of the very first pair of socks I knit)

I have learned a new appreciation for why medieval people did not have a lot of clothing.
Everything-
*from growing the flax or sheep,
*to processing the fiber,
*to spinning and weaving the fiber in cloth,
*to acquiring the cloth if you did not make it yourself,
*to hand sewing the garment
takes SO LONG.

Forget the cost, forget the sumptuary laws, making clothing by hand is SLOW work. You just cannot make oodles of clothing and have time for all the other things that were done by hand with no electricity or gas engines. Folks in the middle ages probably did not feel badly about this because it was what it was. They had no other method of work to compare to like we do today. To clothe a family of four by hand was a never ending process. Then add in the time for repairs to existing clothing. This does not include time for decorative needlework. Modern people do not have a clue with our bulk machine made garments. We run out and there it is on a rack.

Comments

[montuos]

I am impressed. I have always wanted to learn to darn socks; I get very attached to my socks, and hate to give them up — especially the wool ones! — just because they've developed a small hole...that I know will become a huge hole the next time I wear them...

[martelvonc.livejournal.com]

I went to the oracle of all great knowledge-

[martelvonc.livejournal.com]

I darned my sock from the outside because of the way the yarn wore thin. I wanted the extra repair yarn to be on the outside. It's the heel so no one will notice.

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

there are two ways to darn socks. the way in the utube (weave patching) and the way you darn a very small hole.......
duplicate stitch.

you get yarn and starting well outside the worn area, you just weave the yarn in dubllicate stitch (follow the knit pattern) back and forth wel over the hole.

[albreda.livejournal.com]

Yup - the duplicate way is how I learned. :)

[martelvonc.livejournal.com]

I've been using the weaving method because I only had one pair of knit socks to repair, the rest are all woven linen. You get going with the darning and just keep going! :-)

As I type I'm in the middle of darning the toes of a pair of green linen hosen.

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

the weave style darning works best on big holes. the "duplicate stitch" darning doesnt work as well unless you are able to do extremely good visualization of "where the stitches were"

[martelvonc.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately I was lax in my repairs and I had worn a hole the size of a quarter on the bottom of the heel.

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

some of my socks went from "maybe a trifle worn" to hole big as a quarter overnight... so its not always laxity.

[martelvonc.livejournal.com]

It is when you've been able to see skin through the thin spot for weeks and was in denial! lol!

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

looks at asocks. scooches them down so the thin spots dont show...
naaaah....:-p

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

indeed. a solid cloak was a years work.
there are reasons why women would spin or knit constantly, and why children wre taught to spin or knit early.

and congarats on the repair , it looks quite good.

[martelvonc.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[cozit.livejournal.com]

LOL... it's not just the "I made" ones... I think that every stocking I use for faire/SCA has at *least* one darned hole in it... Hmm... actually, I *might* have one that survived the season last fall, though I know its mate didn't.

As expensive as they've gotten (from Amazon Dry Goods, anyway)... and the stress my toes/shoes put on them... holes happen. Darning happens too - thankfully. Of course, it's darned difficult to darn black with black thread... even in sunlight (hey, people darned clothes then... I just happen to be doing so on something not *quite* period, but...).. so most of my darns aren't so neat (not to mention weaving with the needle when it's that close together (hey, they're modern, cotton with a touch of lycra). Never have managed to finish the stockings I bought yarn for about 9 years ago...

[martelvonc.livejournal.com]

Darning gives me whole new appreciation for my stuff.

[cozit.livejournal.com]

Not to mention a whole new opportunity for the stuff to be appreciated :-)