On Socks: Finding holes

Hi all!

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I've got a fair few pairs of socks. Some of them (the 100% wool and the ones with nylon) are well-worn, with no holes, and some of them (the 100% merino socks) are well-worn with what seems like dozens of holes. Today I'm going to show you how I find holes in my socks when they're not on my feet, and then perhaps Monday, how I repair those holes.

First up: finding holes in socks not on feet.

I have found that poking my fingers 'round the toes of my socks can sometimes cause more problems than they solve. So I use lights to my advantage. Here's a pair of socks that are relatively new to my collection, but have been worn perhaps too many times between washes.

The pink yarn used for the toes and heels was an unknown yarn, picked up off the swap table at Squam in 2016 with no label. It's clearly wool, but what sort? I don't know. So I was a bit wary making these scrappy socks with an unknown yarn in the heels and toes. I didn't know how the yarn would wear, but the two yarns it's paired with are both superwash wool that's worn quite well so far (the grey/yellow/blue variegated is Oregon Coast Sunset on Sunrise Fiber Co's classic sock base (100% superwash merino) on etsy and the speckle-dyed is Spun Right Round's Superwash Sock (80/20 merino/nylon) in Cosmos) and one of which I've used for repairing other socks.

So! I hold them up to the light and check first the heels....

Look at that heel! So nice and pretty.
There's already a bit of felting on the inside.

...and the toes.

You can see some light, yes, but not enough
to cause any worry. Yet.

Usually I use both hands, but as my cameraman isn't here, I had to make do. There's no real spots of wear in the toes and heels, though that doesn't mean they won't wear through in future. You can see some light through the knit fabric, but not more than you might usually see. (Compare what you see in the heel to what you see elsewhere in the sock -- generally looking in the arch is a good choice since that doesn't wear through nearly as much.)

Here's another pair of socks, much worse for wear than the first. As you might see both below and in the linked Ravelry project, I've already had to repair the heels (and that was about two years ago now!) once.

Mark your holes. Trust me.

I've marked the holes and weak spots with safety pins already, so future me can find them to repair. Again, check the heels first...

Oh goodness. There's just the barest thread of
wool holding this together.

...and the... wait a second, that's not supposed to be there! Looks like I need another safety pin.

I don't know how I managed to wear through a single row.

Where was I? Right. Toes. And the toes. Check the toes.

Thin spots and holes, held together with safety pins.

This one's already got a great big hole (on the right in the above pic) that's very obvious from the outside, but another spot of wear (on the left) that's less obvious.

As you can see, there's a fair bit of difference between the first and second pairs of socks. There was hardly any light shining through the fabric with the first pair, whereas the second pair had multiple bright spots. While I only checked one sock from each pair here, the other sock of pair #1 is in similar condition, and the other sock of pair #2 is somewhat better off, with only thin spots at the toes rather than full-on holes. I've put the heels from both socks on either side of this paragraph for comparison.

Holding my socks up to the light lets me see not just these holes, but the wear spots as well. If you don't notice thinning spots while your socks are on your feet, the light coming through them when you hold your socks up to a window will be a great big honkin' sign for you. Put a safety pin in them, and set them aside in your darning basket, or wherever you might want your darned socks to be set.

Next post will be on repairs. There's a few different methods by which one can repair holes, and my go-to method is one that's not as easy to find. :)

Until next time,
Emma