How To: Darn socks

We spend all day on our feet and it doesn't make it any easier having holes in your socks. Next time your sock has a hole you can have a little fun and fix it yourself. Grab your needles and do something nice for your feet today.

Quit damning your socks to the garbage, and darn them right back to the sock drawer instead.

You Will Need

* A sock with a hole in it
* A darning egg
* A darning needle
* Yarn or thick thread
* Scissors

Step 1: Turn the sock inside out

Turn your sock inside out and place the darning egg inside of the sock to emphasize the hole.

Step 2: Thread the needle

Thread the darning needle with yarn or thick thread.

If the hole is in the sole of the sock, use a different color yarn or thread from that of the sock to help you see your work.

Step 3: Begin weaving

Start about an inch to the side of the torn area, and weave over the hole to an inch on the other side.

Keep a little slack in the yarn or thread to allow for shrinkage when washed.

Step 4: Weave in the other direction

Turn the sock the other way and weave stitches perpendicular to those you've just created.

Don't make any knots; this would make it uncomfortable for the sock wearer.

Step 5: Continue weaving

Continue weaving over the hole until you've covered it.

Step 6: Cut the yarn

Cut the extra yarn, turn your sock right-side out, and congratulate yourself for saving another sock's life.

Did you know? The first sock knitting machine – which automatically closed a sock's heel and toe – was developed in 1869 by John Nelson and William Worth Burson.