How to Save Your Socks

Happy new year eco-warriors. There are plenty of challenges out there at the moment… it’s cold, corona continues and we can’t go outside… but I am hoping you all had a nice break and are feeling as well as you can despite all these factors.

Given that it is chilly and there isn’t much to do, I’ve finally found the time to teach myself to do something I’ve been meaning to do for years - namely, darning socks. I am a self-confessed sock lover. After all, nothing is worse than unhappy feet. (Apart from the continuing ecological and climate emergency of course!) I particularly favour long socks which I can pull up under my thick trousers, for that extra layer of warmth. However, I’m also happy with short socks that have cheerful messages on them, or even a trainer sock when summer comes round again.

Socks... aren't they great?

Photo by Nick Page on Unsplash
Whichever socks one prefers, all are vulnerable to holes. Holes which means your toes poke out in an uncomfortable fashion. Holes which mean your feet are that much colder. Holes which, let’s face it, don’t look that dapper. Holes which, all too often, mean the entire pair of socks get chucked in the bin; and thus all that unbroken material goes to waste. This is a particular shame for knee socks, which contain a lot of fabric. Given that 17 million tonnes of fabric ended up in landfill in 2018, this really isn't good.

Back when I was a nipper, darning socks was a fairly common activity. However, in our single-use world, it’s something which has sadly fallen out of fashion. So I decided to re-teach myself how to darn socks so that I could save several pairs of particularly fetching socks from the rubbish.

Gosh darn it

As it turns out, there are already lots of handy articles out there which show you all the steps for darning socks, so I won’t go through all the steps again. This piece is a great starting point; this one has handy pictures for each step; this page demonstrates how to fix a really big sock-hole; this link includes a handy video. Finally, if you’re clever enough to be knitting your socks in the first place, this is the darning blog for you.

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Some general tips…

* You don’t need a darning mushroom - a tennis ball, a lightbulb, or the end of a baseball bat or rolling pin will do the job. I used a smooth massage ball, which worked well.
* You also don’t need a darning needle - a long needle will do.
* Ensure your thread matches the thickness and colour of your socks; thicker thread for thicker socks and so on.

This sad sock was past its prime...

While I used to be quite the seamstress, I hadn't sewn anything in years, so was a bit nervous I'd mess it up. However, I followed the instructions I found online and,
only a few short minutes later (and while watching
the old Googlebox at the same time, no less), my sock was restored to its former glory.

Sock-sess!

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...but darning saved the day

Some of my socks were too knackered to be fixed as the elastic had gone in them; but instead of chucking them out, I stuffed one sock with all the other socks and ended up with a fetching draught excluder to keep the cold out. Double sustainable win!

If you don't fancy following suit with any of your terribly tired socks, you could instead recycle them at one of Bristol’s Reuse and Recycling Centres (although note there are new restrictions about when you can visit these centres due to Covid-19). The St Peter’s Hospice shop on Bond Street also takes rags and unsellable clothes.

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Note that you can also recycle usable or wearable fabrics (so NOT your holey old socks) in your black recycling box in Bristol, although you will need to put these fabrics into a plastic bag and label them, as wet fabrics won’t be accepted.

If you’ve darned all the socks you can darn and recycled all the ones that are broken and you still genuinely need some new socks, consider buying a pair or two from Stand4Socks, who provide a pair of socks for a homeless person for every pair bought. In addition, their fabrics are sustainably sourced, free from harmful chemicals and made according to ethical work conditions. They also ship their socks out in 100% home compostable mailing bags.

Sock on!

If you have any ideas about recycling sad socks, post them in the comments box below.

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Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash