! Quick darning - PEP BB textile.sand.darn

I don't think so. It'll just be faster. Right now, your darn has gaps in it, and it has uneven tension on some of the parts, which will make more holes. Even if you just took your thread and went back and forth (and then up and down) like in the above diagram, you'll add a lot more strength to your darn and prevent more holes. Think about it more like weaving than sewing.

Also, if you didn't already, try putting something in the sock while you sew. I had no idea about such things as "darning eggs" for years and years (didn't hear about them until a few years ago here on permies, actually). Right now I'm sewing a sock with my daughter's old wooden rattle put inside it. i can testify that I can darn it at least 3 time faster with something in there than not. If you don't have any perfectly shaped wooden object, that's okay! Even just sticking a wooden mallet handle in there would probably help!

I never had anyone teach me how to darn. I just read about it in fantasy books as a kid, and wanted to darn my own socks, so I picked up a needle and thin thread and darned my socks. I was actually digging through the back of my drawer, and encountered one of my first darns. It looked a lot like yours, and I remember how uncomfortable the darn was, and how long it took. Using thicker yarn and a wooden thing in it are sure time savers and make the sock so much more comfortable!

I think I did a better job of darning this sock. I used thicker yarn and did it kind of liek weaving.

This is my holey sock.



This is while I was darning my sock.



This is my no longer holey sock.

That looks much better than the last one. I think it still could use more improvement, as darning that close to the edges of the hole won't last as long as the usual way of darning which starts with a running stitch all around the hole to give the new woven bit a stronger edge to join to.

Is the above one at least decent enough for the BB?

Side note: Could the BB requirements be spelled out more clearly, because I am finding it a little frustrating that my submissions keep getting "dinged" or brought into scrutiny for things that are not directly stated in the BB requirements wiki page.

I ripped out my first attempt at darning a sock, and I tried again. This time I worked with a running stitch around the hole, and I worked stitches farther outside the hole.

This is my holey sock.



This is in the middle of my darning process.



This is my no longer holey sock.



Is this attempt at darning a sock good enough for this BB?

I think this badge bit is a bit like the spoon carving one, in that it's a bit up to the person as to what qualifies as a rough spoon, or rough darning. Both Raven and I got sent back at least once when we were carving our spoon, because it wasn't good enough. Our spoons were TOO rough.

When certifying the spoon BBs, sometimes it's really evident that someone carved a good spoon...and other time it's hard to tell if it was too rough or not. In those cases, the people who could certify, waited for the authority (in that case, Paul) to make the decision on the spoon. I've nicely asked Raven to weigh in on this, as she's the expert and the one that designed it. The requirements were

To complete this Badge Bit, you must:
 -  Post a picture of your holey sock, darning needles
 -  Post a picture of your darning in process
 -  Post a picture of your no-longer-holey sock
 -  It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to be functional and not too bulky

I don't know how functional she needs the darns to be. You second darn is GREAT on the weaving and the removal of gaps. But, it looks like you only attached the darning stitches to the knit stitches closest to the hole. Those stitches are usually already weakened, and will likely tear. The fact that you used wool might be enough to compensate, but I don't know! I'm relatively new to darning with wool. The last one is much easier to certify because it's easy to tell that the darn will hold and not cause more holes.

I've been sent back countless times on different badge bits because I hadn't done it well. And, it was really frustrating at the time, but looking back, I'm glad that I persisted and did better, because that really helped me gain the skills for the next level. Sewing can be a difficult fine motor skill. It takes practice to train one's hands to make small stitches  and to move the needle where you want it. And, that's okay! You'll get there! And the more you practice now, the easier the next badge bit will be, and other sewing tasks will be.

When I made my basket for textiles, I failed four different other baskets before that (I didn't post pictures because they were so bad!). These textile skills have a big learning curve if you're new to them. Congrats on pushing through and learning the skills!

Hi Dave (and others). Some advices:
Watch the videos in the start post attentively. You could even pause and look a part once more. Do your best to copy what you see.
The 'darning wool' should neither be too thin nor too thick. When you have a pair of hand-knitted socks, you can use the same yarn the sock was knitted of.
Better darn a much larger piece of the sock than only the hole. Often there's a part around the hole that has signs of wear too, the knitted fabric is getting thin. Darn that part too, together with the hole.

Here a photo of some of my darns. I won't go for the BB, I think that wouldnt be fair, I learned how to darn almost 50 years ago and practice it often

The goal of darning the sock is to make it wearable again.  If the darn lets the toes work their way through or is too bulky that it makes the sock hurt the foot during the day - then it's not a successful darn.

Thankfully, it's a sock and no one has to see it but us and your toes.  So it doesn't have to be pretty.

Wool is probably the best yarn because it's a good insulator, not too hard, not too strong, but strong enough.  It's got cushion and will felt into the rest of the sock as you wear it - thus getting thinner and stronger over time.

Cotton is a good second choice, but you have to be more careful when making the darn because if your toe goes through this, it can act like wire and cut you or if the yarn is too thick, make big blisters in just a few hours of daily walking.


Another issue with darning is that we don't want to do it again any time soon.  So making sure we secure it to a secure part of the fabric, often weaving (or follow) beyond the hole to reinforce the fabric... but in a way that doesn't make a big lump that will hurt the foot.