What do you say when your sock has a hole in it (again)?

Darn it (again)! 

And that’s just what I did...again...(but I might have used a different word...)

I knit this pair of socks in 2007 and I just love them. I love them so much I’ve worn holes in them. This is the third time I’ve repaired a major blow out. This is why I keep small bits of leftover yarn each time I knit a pair of socks. Handknit socks are very dear and learning to mend and repair your hand-knits is an essential part of the craft. This is the third repair job for these socks. You can tell that I love them dearly! 

A word of warning—the next few pictures are not for the faint of heart. 

The hole.

I have no explanation for how it got so big without me noticing my little toe was sticking out. (Those are my fingers, not my toes...)

Since the hole is under the ball of my foot or right where my pinky toe sticks out (depending on what foot it's on) I wanted something that would lay pretty flat and not make my foot freak out (hmmm...could be a topic for another day "what makes my feet freak out"). I decided to darn the hole by knitting a flap. (Instructions on the Woolery's blog.) 

It took a couple tries and a bit of swearing, but I eventually got the hang of it. The challenge was trying to figure out the decrease on the right side so it would correspond with the original toe decrease. 

You pick up stitches right below the hole. Then knit a flap and attach it to the sides by knitting an existing stitch (K 2 TOG) to the flap as you go. When you get the hole covered with a few rows of overlap you pick up stitches above the hole with another needle. Then graft the stitches together with kitchener stitch. 

Pretty dang cool!!

I had to pick up quite a few stitches. There needs to be strong yarn on either side of the hole so you can slip an existing stitch onto the needle and K 2 TOG. 

When your flap is several rows above the hole, pick up the same number of stitches and graft them together. 

There is a bit of a ridge where the flap and existing stitches are knit together, but it's flattening out each time I wear the socks. It's hardly noticeable now. 

I'll definitely be using this method again. Once I got the feel for the process it was very quick, and it looks good. I am a happy girl! 

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi