darning socks and putting patches on jeans

[Bobble17]

hello,

this is a dumb question but can anyone tell me how to darn socks - do I need special needle and thread? Anything else? I know it looks easy but seems to get in a big knot when I try.
And how do I sew a patch over a big hole (hole = a giant plus sign on my knee!) on my jeans? I tried but it didn't work...

Anyone recommend 'idiot's guide to..' websites? Or give me instructions?

Thanks! My Friday nights are so exciting aren't they?!

[Clanad]

Check this for your jeans... http://www.ehow.com/how_113460_fix-hole-jeans. html , and this for your holy socks: http://www.hjsstudio.com/darn.html
Best of luck and congratulations on stifiling rampant consumerisim in its tracks!

[Bobble17]

thanks!

well thats it I hate throwing things away when there is still life in them! I feel guilty.

It will probably take me months to get round to repairing them but at least i'll know how!

x

[Panic Button]

Life is too short to darn socks!

[Solarjunkie]

That link shows how to do Swiss darning, which is kind of "reknitting" as opposed to "reweaving" which is usually done.
If you get to your garment in time, you can Swiss Darn while the original threads are thin but present, strengthening the area. Much easier to do than when there is a hole! I suggest you have a practise first on a loosely knitted garment and just follow the stitches in a different colour, so you can see where you have gone. In fact, this can be very decorative, you can add patterns to items with or without thin patches.
Good luck.

[rojash]

Well, assuming that your time is worth at least the National Minimum Wage, for the price of darning four pairs of old socks, you could buy at least five pairs of new ones in Tesco!

[Bobble17]

thanks for you responses, Solarjunkie will give that a try, I like the sound of a multicoloured patch!

Panic Button, you're right but i can always multi task - watch EE and darn!

Rojash, i just feel sorry for the socks when i throw them out, its not their fault my toes gave them holes!

xx