Which darning technique is the best to use? What materials and tools do you need to start darning socks and knitwear? These are the questions that I will answer today.
I have created 4 different sock darning tutorials coming up. In these videos I will teach you how to:
▸ Make a simple weave (warp/weft) darn
▸ Swiss darning, also known as duplicate stitch
▸ Scotch darning
▸ Machine darning
I will go through shortly why and when to use the different techniques, but first I will go through the materials and tools that you will need when darning socks and knitwear.
If you want to make sure to not miss any of these upcoming videos make sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel and turn the bell notifications on so that you will be notified once they are live. Once they are all uploaded I will link all the darning-tutorials here for you.
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Please note: I will go through the materials for machine darning in that tutorial specifically, so if you are interested in darning your socks on your sewing machine you can check out that tutorial + material list here.
What do you need to start darning socks & knitwear by hand?
Yarns
2-ply or 3-ply “darning thread” or yarn works best. I like to ideally use sock yarn – which generally is a wool nylon blend – but you can, of course, use cotton, 100% wool or whatever yarn you have on hand.
Just make sure it’s not too bulky or coarse especially if you are darning socks as you want to ensure the sock will be comfortable to wear – rather go slightly finer than bulkier if you are in doubt.
You can also use mercerised cotton embroidery floss (I like the brand DMC) – judge how many strands you will need depending on how finely knitted the garment is.
For example, thin wool yarn or mercerised cotton embroidery floss works really well in thin wool garments, the latter gives a strong repair as long as the garment itself is of good quality from the beginning.
Darning needles, Tapestry needles & Yarn needles
Darning needles are different from regular sewing needles as they will have a more blunt tip and larger eyes for threading than a regular sewing needle that will have a sharper tip and smaller eye.
Sometimes different tutorials and patterns ask for tapestry needles or yarn needles as well. So what is the difference between those and a darning needle?
Tapestry needles and darning needles are very similar. Both types have blunt tips and large eyes. Sometimes there isn’t really a difference between the two and the same kind of needle can be called both a tapestry needle or a darning needle depending on which brand they are sold under.
However, sometimes there is a difference in that darning needles can be a bit longer than tapestry needles.
Yarn needles are also similar to tapestry needles. Sometimes needles that are sold as “yarn needles” are made of plastic. I personally prefer metal needles, but this is due to personal preference and they can often be used interchangeably.
Which needle size should you pick for darning?
I would generally recommend you to choose a long thin darning needle, but let the yarn or embroider floss that you use guide you when it comes to the needle size that is most suitable for your project. The yarn should comfortably be able to go comfortably through the eye of the needle and if it doesn’t – pick a larger needle!
The needles that I use I bought in a pack of three from the brand Clover, you can order them here.
Do you need a darning mushroom or egg?
When darning socks you want to make sure that you get the right ‘tension’ so that you do not get an uneven darn. This is where a darning mushroom or egg really can help you.
If you are repairing socks I would highly recommend you to invest in a darning mushroom or darning egg.
I got mine here from Etsy. I love how pretty it is, and when I do not use it to darn with I use it as a decoration on the shelf in the office/sewing studio. I love items that both are useful and beautiful!
I also love the look of these darning mushrooms from the Etsy shop SilvanWoodturning. There are so many pretty darning mushrooms & darning eggs on Etsy both handmade and vintage & antique ones.
You do not need to buy a darning mushroom, however, to make a successful sock darn. There are several options on what to use instead of a darning mushroom:
- An Orange (I have done this and it works really well)
- Tennis ball
- Maracas
- Plastic easter egg
- Light bulb
- Baseball bat (!)
Be creative with the items you have in your home, and if you have any other suggestions on what to use instead of a darning egg/mushroom – leave a comment down below and let us know!
Here are some other creative solutions from some fellow menders on Instagram:
If you have trouble creating the right tension when darning other knitwear than socks I would highly recommend using an embroidery hoop.
For most darns I would suggest you to invest in a smaller hoop around 4-6 inches, you can find the one I use here.
Which darning technique shall you use and when?
Look at the knitted pieces you need to darn. Do the area you need to darn need to be elastic and/or sturdy? Think about the movement you make in the garment and the wear and tear it gets.
For example, a darn on a sock heel does not need to be very elastic, but it has to be very sturdy, on other parts of the food you will benefit from a more elastic darn. If you darn a knee or an elbow you will also want to pick a more elastic darning technique. But depending on the knitted techniques used on the garment that you are mending you will have to judge how much you should follow or break these rules.
Machine Darning
Machine darning is great when you find darning them by hand with the right tension would be too tedious work for you. Machine darning has very little stretch but it’s a technique worth doing as it is fast, easy to do and creates a strong repair.
You can darn on a machine with a free arm and/or embroidery attachment or with a makeshift embroidery hoop. Pick a needle that works well with stretch or finer fabrics like silk – e.g. microfibre needle, but I find a universal sewing needle also work well. As mentioned earlier, I will go through more details on how to machine darn and other aspects to think about in the specific video-tutorial.
Even though I am talking mainly about darning socks & knitwear in this video it is worth mentioning that darning woven fabrics by hand require a lot of practise and skill no matter if you want to make it invisible or visible. If you want to darn woven fabrics I would recommend for most of you to machine darn or attach a patch unless you are very skilled at hand stitching.
A note about darning woven fabrics by hand
Bear in mind that back in the days, people who worked as seamstresses and tailors trained for over 4 years to do invisible darns on woven fabrics really well. I am not telling you not to do it – just bear in mind that it requires practise and patience to make it look neat & tidy. Of course, you can also do a visible repair where you celebrate the less than perfect hand-stitched look. I just do not want you to get discouraged if it doesn’t look ‘perfect’!
Simple weave (warp/weft) darn
This is the most common sock darning technique where the threads cross each other vertically and horizontally! If it’s done along the length (the rows) of the knitting it is the least elastic technique. On socks, you can use it at the heal or other areas where the stretchiness of the knit isn’t used.
If you do it across the knit-stitches instead of along the rows it can follow the knit stitches width and tension and create a darn that has a similar stretchiness to the garment itself. It’s perfect to use this technique on elbows and knees.
Scotch darning
This technique is perfect to use on bigger holes and it’s stretchy vertically, but stiff horizontally. It’s perfect to use on areas on socks that require a stronger and stretchier repair than the warp/weft darn. It’s also in general quicker to do than the warp/weft darn. Make sure to pick a shorter darning needle for this technique!
Swiss darning a.k.a duplicate stitch
Sometimes this is used instead of intarsia and is also known as ’embroidering on knits’ which makes it a perfect technique for visible mending.
You can do this across a hole or to strengthen a worn-out area (which I do in my tutorial). I decided to make my darn to look like it’s a patch with a heart inside. But if you Swiss darn in the same yarn and make sure to keep the same tension you can create an almost invisible darn using this method as it copies the look of the little V’s of stockinette stitch.
If you do Swiss darn across a hole you want to make sure to straighten the edges of the hole so that the rows are even both at the top and bottom so that the hole looks rectangular. Then thread a strong sewing thread using a tapestry needle and stitch vertically up and down between the stitches – starting and finishing at the top row.
If you are confused on how to lay the foundation thread maybe this guide (figure 371 – 374) will help you – if not leave a comment below and let me know. I will hopefully be able to make a video in the future on how to lay foundation thread!
Please note: If you use any of the other darning techniques that I mentioned you should stay away from cutting the edges of the holes and leave them as is. If you after you have darned the knitted piece want to clean up any loose threads you can do this, but avoid doing it until the hole is securely mended.
I hope this helps you pick which darning technique to go for in your next sock and/or knitwear mend, as well as gave you more clarity in which materials & tools to invest in for a successful darn.
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