How to Fix a Worn Heel in a Sock

Knit socks are a thing of beauty, and a thing that’s meant to be worn and enjoyed. But socks are under a lot of pressure, particularly in the heel and toe areas, so the odds are good if your socks have been well loved and well used for a long period of time, they’re going to get worn spots.

With store-bought socks, we’d probably just throw them away and buy new ones, but who could bear to do that to a knit sock? Not me. So it pays to know a little bit about hoe to repair socks and even tear out and reknit sections of worn socks if need be to get them back in good wearing order.

Jennifer at Tinking Turtle has a great tutorial on replacing an afterthought heel in a pair of socks. Yes, it involves cutting the knitting, ripping out the old heel, picking up stitches and working a new heel in its place. And all of that sounds kind of scary, but her big pictures and calm language should reassure you that this is a great way to go.

Have you ever had to repair a pair of knit socks? I’d love to hear what you did!

[Photo via Tinking Turtle.]

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Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

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