Make Do and Mend: Wool Socks

It is sock wearing weather.  Now, I do have a batch of me-made wool socks that should keep me warm and toasty this winter.  But there is also a box of wool and cotton socks sitting in the sewing workspace waiting for some make do and mend attention.  Not the American band, rather I'm talking about the act of taking care of one's clothing.  

Make do and mend:  To maintain one's possessions for as long as possible, repairing rather than replacing them when needed, with the goal of not buying and/or consuming more than is necessary.  

I'm not sure if it's a sign of the times with consecutive interest rate hikes to try and cool eye-brow raising inflation and talk about a 2023 recession coming but there seems to be a lot of focus on the bookstore shelves dedicated to mending.  Could mending become the cool thing to do?  

It appears so.  Lladybird and WinnipegSews along with so many others offer mending workshops.  Mending has moved from the bookstore shelves to sewing community gatherings.  This is wonderful news.  Taking care of what we have has so many benefits not only for individuals but the community at large by keeping our possessions out of the landfill as long as we can.  

The chill in the air nudged me to pull out a couple of wool socks to mend.  I used an old lightbulb to fill the interior of the sock and give a curved surface to sew.  Then I cut out some "patches" from an old wool sweater that no longer fits and threaded my needle with silk thread. 

Then I got to work with some visible sewing stitches working in a circular direction from the outside edge moving towards the centre.   

My favourite SmartWool socks were also mended.  I used the ribbing edge of the sweater to give a texture that mimicked the cable-like texture of the socks.  

It feels good to have these two pairs of socks back in rotation this winter.  And I have to admit I like the cushioning effect of these wool patches on the heels of the socks.  

Happy Mending!