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What to do with old wool socks?
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Dec 11, 2011 at 1:37 pm #1282917
What do you do with old wool socks that the heels or toes have worn through? Is there a recycling service out there?
Dec 11, 2011 at 3:13 pm #1811002I don't know, but I hate the fact that I have all these perfectly good socks, except the soles and heels are worn out.
Dec 11, 2011 at 3:15 pm #1811003Learn to knit?
Dec 11, 2011 at 3:22 pm #1811008Cut the feet off. Cut a thumb hole a couple inches up from the bottom. Fingerless mittens. Of course, this only works if they are skinny enough to fit your wrists well.
Dec 11, 2011 at 5:29 pm #1811037Cut off toes at mid-arch. Pull them on upside down so the heel is behind my calf muscles and below my knee. Bunch up when hot, scoot down when cold, no need for tights with shorts.
Dec 12, 2011 at 12:11 am #1811115Darn, darn socks!
Seriously, my great aunts and everyone on the Irish side of the family born before 1900 just took as a given that you darned socks to repair the holes. There's a aid, wooden – the shape and size of a goose egg on a stick – that one uses to spread the worn sock onto and add yarn to repair it. As to how to do it, just like tying a bow tie or making a beer-can alky stove, I'd search youtube.
Dec 12, 2011 at 5:27 am #1811135Dec 12, 2011 at 5:37 am #1811138At this joyous time of year when charity is in our hearts, provide the wool to a needy family of mice. Best if done in the home where those needy little creatures can also scavenge food and materials from your still useable cloths and find a little warmth as well. Remember: Mice are people too!
Dec 12, 2011 at 5:39 am #1811139David Thomas wrote "There's a aid, wooden – the shape and size of a goose egg on a stick – that one uses to spread the worn sock onto and add yarn to repair it."
My grandmother used a burned-out light bulb for that.
Dec 12, 2011 at 7:45 am #1811169Stuff with cedar shavings and use as sachets. Cheap, and your clothes will never smell musty again.
Dec 12, 2011 at 9:52 am #1811208Steven: Thanks for posting the video, it made it completely clear how to darn socks. For hiking, I would taper the weft and warps more – take some of them further into the original sock and some not so far so as feather the patch/original junction more.
Everyone ought to buy the pack of six speciality needles (about $2.79 at the supermarket or fabric store) to get a glover's needle for your BP repair kit. A glover's has a very sharp point for going through leather and can be used on the trail (with dental floss) to repair a lot of things. But then you'll also get a darning needle for fixing your sock back at home.
Dec 13, 2011 at 5:32 am #1811553I use old wool socks as padding for my fragile and rust prone woodworking tools. The wicking, insulating and moisture controlling property's of wool make socks ideal for this purpose.
Dec 13, 2011 at 5:43 am #1811556Yeah with a few drops of oil…
Dec 13, 2011 at 8:34 pm #1811859Yea, you use them as rags on your automobile. Or rags used in cabinetry finishing process via stains or dye's. Or as rags refinishing your cabinetry. Or put a tennis ball in them and use said sock to throw said ball for your dog.
Dec 14, 2011 at 6:55 am #1811967I really can't darn them as the holes have gone too far. I did patch them with some jeans patches but still have way too many of them as I only did that last year to a ten year supply of holed socks.
Aug 23, 2014 at 10:57 am #2129691…
Aug 23, 2014 at 12:53 pm #2129725Wear really thin sock liners under them, like Wigwam Gobi's. This will carry you for a month or so until you learn to darn them .
Aug 23, 2014 at 12:59 pm #2129728I knit them into a really smelly sweater.
Aug 25, 2014 at 7:14 am #2130091I always manage to lose one before I need to repair them…
Aug 25, 2014 at 8:51 am #2130118…
Aug 26, 2014 at 12:47 pm #2130508Re: "1983 sock cozy option"
That's what I do for a swimming suit.Aug 26, 2014 at 12:55 pm #2130511Easy, in theory. Send 'em back to Darn Tough and get a new pair. Theoretical only because I've never worn out a pair.
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