[KnitFreedom] - How To Darn Socks And Mend Holes In Knitting

[@ahjtate]

The very best tutorial. I'm a 65 year old bloke and never knitted anything in my life. To mend my jumper with a cat torn yarn I knew I wanted to replace the loops of yarn but could not work out how. Following this simple video I learnt the technique and made a near invisible repair on my first attempt. Thanks from me and also the cat who is no longer "in the dog house".

[@omprakash6205]

mendsmendssix

[@christabedwin]

This comment made my day. :) Thank you!

[@JOHN----DOE]

I've gone through a dozen repair videos and this is the only one which shows a method that works for a hole that's more than one row. THANKS!

[@Knitfreedom]

Hooray!! Thank you!

[@margaretheitz7428]

ditto!

[@tinaturnersage3826]

Thank you for this Video, I was able to invisibly repair a sweater that my husband inherited from his father. The sweater will always remind him of his dad.

[@Knitfreedom]

Hi Tina, Wow, Thank you so much for sharing this with us! It is really beautiful and so special that you were able to do that for your husband. We are so glad that Liat's video helped, and you were able to save your father-in-law's sweater. Again, thank you for writing in and telling us such a wonderful, and happy, thing.

[@ravenwildspirit]

wanted to learn darning and do not sew, knit or any of these wonderful crafts. Have tons of socks with holes and am now retired so wanting to try saving money by darning. Now you are one of several videos I have watched...many by owners of knit shops, etc. I am so impressed with your teaching ability. You have a calm and soothing voice and give very simple and clear instructions. Appreciation to you from a beginner...you actually make it look fun too. Good on you.

[@GeeBee111]

This is the absolute best tutorial on knit repair that I have seen... Clear, concise, and great close ups. I have done repairs before but never used a temp anchoring thread before.. That is going to make all the difference in the world! Thank you so much!😘

[@anitamiller5736]

Great job mending the sweater, your voice and instructions were so easy to follow, you make a great teacher.

[@annaekstrom7888]

I love this video. You were taking it slow enough without being tooooo slow. You kept saying "good" and it actually gave me a small confidence boost as I was following allong

[@alexanderbarattin8564]

Thank you for this vid! For some reason this is the only one I've watched that I've been able to follow, some kind of magic combination of super close ups and your slow, clear instructions.

[@Knitfreedom]

Hi Alexander, you're so welcome! This is how we do things at KnitFreedom. If you want more free videos, come sign up at knitfreedom.com/newsletter :)

[@ctquilter]

I have relied on this video many times, resulting in great, invisible repairs. You are fabulous!

[@shif22]

Wow, what a great video. So clear and easy to follow. I have a pair of socks I need to darn. This is so helpful. Thank you! (I can't believe you posted this 10 years ago. Why did I never look this up before?)

[@8amara]

Thank you so much for this tutorial! You saved me from ripping out half of a sweater I had worked on for months. I will forever be grateful!

[@Knitfreedom]

That is awesome! You are so welcome. I'm so glad that I could help you save both your heartache and money - and your beautiful sweater!

[@leschampsmarins1392]

What can i say, other than thanks for your patience by taking time to explain all this! i can visualise mom doing it for us over and over with a smile, funny i learn to know her a bit more through this....thanks again! now i have to do it in a nice snow storm with a hot chocolat ,tea, or coffee next to me ....

[@diegartenfrau]

one of the best instructions I have found so far. I have to say this is a great substitute for my mom who lives too far away (Germany) to help me with that. My original plan was to bring all my holey knits on my next visit and have her fix it...lol....now I won't need to. Thanks for the detailed instruction

[@Rozikess]

This is a wonderful video. Talk about showing the anatomy of a stitch and how to follow them ! I've wondered about this since I started knitting and I imagine that this can be used for most common repairing with a knitted garment,yes? This was extremely helpful and educational for me . Thank you so much.

[@JBaby_9783]

Brillant! Absolutely brillant! I always tell my family if they get a whole in their socks I'll just knit them another pair. That's how much I didn't want to attempt darning. But you make it look so easy I might reconsider! You rock, Liat!!!!

[@pendor9612]

Wow one of the best tutorials I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a few. Thank you so much😊

[@Knitfreedom]

Thank you so much! If you're ever looking for more tutorials, we have many more at www.KnitFreedom.com :)

[@melissamaccrae8619]

I've been waiting for just the right method to mend the handknit socks my Mum made. Thanks, Liat for your clear presentation!

[@Knitfreedom]

Yes you can! Keep up the great work. I'm so glad that my video was helpful for you. :)

[@Bjsquilter]

Thank you so much! Big hole from nailhead in dresser drawer ruined a beautiful cardigan I made. Used your technique and repaired the 2 missing rows. Can’t even see the repair. A great video and excellent narration. Word to the wise: always save extra yarn from a project and extra yarn that sometimes comes with a sweater purchase. My grandmother knit me an afghan 50 years ago and gave me the extra yarn. Whenever there’s damage I can repair my treasure from her.

[@ruth8756]

Wow!!! That was quite elaborate!!

[@Knitfreedom]

It makes for a sturdy repaired sock :) Feel free to visit us at KnitFreedom.com to find more great tips

[@ermaflo8369]

Merci infiniment! C'est vraiment la seule vidéo qui montre comment réparer un tricot de façon à ce que l'ouvrage ne perde pas de sa qualité. Vraiment fantastique, même si cela est très laborieux, cela en vaut la peine.

[@Knitfreedom]

Merci beaucoup!!

[@clarabee72]

What great directions! So easy to understand. I have 2 socks that need repairs and now I can do it with confidence.

[@yolo8285]

Your demo is absolutely the BEST! Flawless! They say the third time is a charm. I've watched two other videos. My search is over. Thanks for sharing.

[@Knitfreedom]

Aw, thank you so much!! I love that you found my videos. :) They're all this good, haha. www.knitfreedom.com Hugs!!

[@yolo8285]

KnitFreedom 💜💜💜

[@gwenwier7187]

OUTSTANDING! You are a good teacher. I am so glad to have found your video. I can now fix the mouse eaten hat my daughter made me! Thank you!

[@Knitfreedom]

So glad we could help you save your hat! Visit us as KnitFreedom.com if you have any more knitting questions

[@i.a.4892]

This is magic! Im so glad i found this tutorial. You make it so clear. Thank you!

[@Knitfreedom]

Aw, that is so sweet! Thank you.

[@wendybird3107]

This is so awesome, thank you. I'm teaching my self to knit. My daughters old sweater had been snatched with something and just one string unraveled, I saw several tutorials 😅 and I just gave up, but thanks to your tutorial it looks a lot easier, it takes me a while for it click in my brain but atleast it makes more sense throughmy eyes Lol. Thanks to the close ups and different color yarn. Awesome, awesome tutorial 😀 👌🏻 thank you again.

[@Knitfreedom]

Hi Wendy, thank you so much! I'm delighted you're going to be able to repair your daughter's sweater. Mom to the rescue!! Cheers, Liat

[@wendybird3107]

@@Knitfreedom thank you again for that great tutorial 👍🏻 👏🏻 👌🏻

[@menschunskinder]

Enjoyed watching this video. I have a few older baby blankets with holes in them and will fix them after watching this video. Didn't realize how easy it is to do.

[@LoriAByron]

Thank you for such a thorough, clear and upclose tutorial...excellent!

[@msplbaxter]

Thank you so much! My friend got some lovely knitted slippers, that the seller didn't tell her that there were holes. So now i am able to mend them for her, and just in time for christmas!

[@WoolCrossing_Italy]

Your video is absolutely the most helpful I have found to solve my holes in the sleeve of my 18-month-baby pullover. I attended a creative mending class here in Italy and I needed to refresh some of the basics to be able to close the hole in the most less visible way! Thank you for sharing!

[@donnamellow746]

Hi! I don’t knit.. not at all, I crochet. My Mother in law just passed recently, and my brother in law found an old pair of mittens that were knitted by her mother, his grandmother. My husband, his brother, and his sister all wore them as kids. They had a very large hole in the cuff and he asked me if I could repair it. They were a very special heirloom so I agreed to try. Thanks to you and this fabulous step by step instruction video, I was able to repair the cuff. I can’t thank you enough! The hardest part was hunting down the vintage yarn!

[@Knitfreedom]

That is just so wonderful Donna! We are so glad you got to preserve that very special heirloom for your husband and his family. Congratulations on your success and if you ever want to take up knitting, visit us at KnitFreedom.com :)

[@donnamellow746]

@@Knitfreedom I subscribed. I've always said I was going to learn one day🙂

[@CarrieSchneider]

I just mended a pair of fav socks with a hole on the ankle. This is def the best looking mend job i've accomplished, thanks very much.

[@pjdean3477]

You are seriously THE BOMB!!! Wish I'd found you first...like 2 hours worth of videos ago!

[@ctquilter]

Just wanted to add to my comment below: I’ve helped people make repairs using your technique and shared your video on-line (including a FB knitting group; hope that was OK). There is just one thing I now add to the process, though, that I find immensely helpful, especially for large holes and splitty yarn: using a DPN to hold/secure the newly created row as well as another DPN to hold the new stitches in the row in progress has proven to be a real sanity saver 😉

[@yolo8285]

Thanks for sharing this helpful tip.

[@mala3isity]

Liat, thank you for showing us "the path". ;) Liat or Barbara, are the broken ends of the hole knotted off or woven in? Will the mending keep them from unraveling around the mended portion? The needleworker in me wants to unravel the hole till I have ends long enough to weave through some stitches.

[@Tammylynn64]

Do you have a video on how you do that ??

[@ctquilter]

@@Tammylynn64 sorry, I don’t. But if you follow Liat’s instructions and start working through a repair, it will become clearer where I like to add the DPN’s. Good luck!

[@3kingkool]

What is a DPN?

[@Knitfreedom]

You're welcome! Yes, just find some yarn with a similar color and texture - that will be fine. No need to do your repair with angora! About the loose ends from the original hole - you may have to clean up the hole a bit or even make it bigger until the old loose ends are long enough to at least stay on the inside of the hole. Give it a try and if it's too fidgety, pick the hole out until it's a little bigger and the loose ends stay in one place while you do your "surgery." Good luck!

[@eileenfb1948]

Amasing! I am learning duplicate stitch to create elbow patches, to extend the life of a favourite jacket. There is one part of the cuff with a couple of rows missing and I was wondering how I could repair it - THANK YOU so much. I love your relaxed style of speaking to us - help keep me calm.

[@CristyMarieMiller]

Thank you for such an easy to follow tutorial! Though I lean more to crochet, I have knit a few nice items, but my brain is lazy and doesn’t want to navigate the undoing and redoing of lost stitches. This is the very best instruction on how to recreate and mend knit stitches. I should watch this a dozen times and practice it twice as much before it commits to memory.

[@skyejameson2100]

Thank you so much! I am so glad this video has helped you. It does take a lot of practice to commit to memory.

[@jgirlaldrich6559]

great video!!! I am trying to repair my husband old sweater - 1958 from Austria - which is his skiing sweater. The sweater was originally his father's skiing sweater. the elbows have some broken stitches in multiple places around the elbow, and also the area with intact stitches is very open and somewhat loose. I am a very inexperienced knitter, but I have been attempting the duplicate stitch which is not easy to complete with the open, loose areas where I want to stabilize several rows before and after the broken level of stitches. Your video helps me understand the anatomy of the stitch, the "V" in the stitch, and how to visualize the right and left sides of the broken stitch area. Thank you very much for you clear and informative video.

[@hollystaten9]

This is super helpful. My mom has so many crocheted blanket and some have sadly had damage. With this I am pretty confident that I can fix them for her. Love it!

[@Knitfreedom]

Yay! I'm so happy you can save your mom's blankets. There are some good videos on mending Crochet work too!

[@Knitfreedom]

I'm so glad that you'll be able to fix your socks now! I'm happy that I could help. :)

[@Coltsaga]

Thank you for such a clear and concise video. I was in the midst of stitching strips of a patchwork-like cable knitted rug together when I discovered one of my 'patches' had a hole in it. So I jumped online and did a quick search. I only had to mend one row but this showed me just what I needed to do. It looks as if there was never a problem. Thanks again.

[@51313Kat]

Life saver! The socks I made my son were THREE HOURS OLD when he caught one on a nail head in our very old house.

[@karenboehlert7862]

Wonderful tutorial! If you take the time to knit something, it's great to see a repair that looks as good as the original.

[@Knitfreedom]

Thanks for your kind words Karen! We're glad this tutorial has helped preserve many handknit treasures :)

[@bshert3855]

Liat, You are just brilliant! I purchased a lovely fairisle sweater off EBay, but unfortunately a large hole in one sleeve wasn't disclosed by the seller. Although I'll be mending in two colors, your tutorial sets me on the proper path. Well done!

[@hamrsark]

Thank you very much!!! I agreed to fix a friend’s sweater (factory made but chunkier yarn) and THOUGHT I knew how to do it but, I wanted to make sure, before starting. Your instructions are very clear & easy to follow. It IS done just like I thought it would be, but I feel MUCH more confident, after having watched your lovely tutorial!!! 😁👍

[@Knitfreedom]

Wahoo! So glad you found this video Diane! Thanks for commenting :)

[@lanigirl0900]

This is a great demo! Thank you for sharing! I have a question...Can you use this technique with a bigger hole? Say 5 rows missing?

[@honeycomberocks2736]

This really was a great tutorial. I had moments of "ooohhhh, that's how knitting works!". Thanks so much for taking the time to explain properly.

[@Knitfreedom]

Thank you so much! I love that you "got it" from this video :)

[@jmcneil5974]

Thank you for this video. My daughter just handed me the afghan I knitted for my granddaughter. Apparently, her little brother took a pair of scissors to it! The key to this video was showing me how to "clean up" the stitches before even starting. Sure hope I get it right. Now to go digging for the yarn that I used eight years ago! :-) (The only thing I wish you had added was how to clean up the back. An afghan has two sides.)

[@alisonmcdonald9299]

Thanks - I have a great sweater that bought in Ireland several years ago, and has now developed a hole in the arm near the elbow. I have some wool that is pretty close, and will give this a try!

[@jonboz7585]

I can't knit using sticks but was able to follow your method using a tapestry needle. Good job. Great information. Thank you for the awesome video. I will follow you.

[@rrhopewell]

So glad i found this video. I need to repair a hat and had no clue where to start

[@anniebilodeau6374]

Your videos is amazing. Thank you for taking all the time and teaching us the whole thing. You are the best.

[@Knitfreedom]

Thank you so much Annie! I'm so glad you found me! You can get more in-depth videos at knitfreedom.com :) Happy holidays!

[@SonalDack]

Wow! This is a fantastic video. I have come across a few jumpers where a bunch of moths has clearly had an almighty feast. My first couple of attempts at darning the holes were woeful and I was considering sending them to be recycled. Your tutorial has inspired me to try again! Thank you!

[@jazmnjc]

back in 2021 for a refresher! another sock hole! Great video - and accompanying directions. Thank you!

[@Knitfreedom]

So glad we could help you repair another sock! If you ever need more knitting videos, visit us at www.KnitFreedom.com :)

[@Knitfreedom]

You'll have to let us know how they turn out. :) So glad I could help you save those beautiful blankets.

[@sherrybella12]

Great instructions! I just got an idea for fixing a knitting error I made in a shawl from where I had to learn how to fix a KFB which was hard for an advanced sort of beginner. I made mistakes which ended up missing a couple of rows resulting in a couple of holes. Now I can darn them!!! Thanks

[@mkarnold53]

I love this video you make it look so easy to repair the item. I am going to try to use it for doing my toe closure when I finish my socks it is a lot easier than the other stitches.

[@Knitfreedom]

Thank you! If you go step by step and take it slow, it really is easy :)

[@Keenerbos]

Loved this video. So helpful. You are a very good teacher and I appreciate the pace you were at. Thanks so much.

[@hondajanak]

This is the best video I've seen on the subject! Thanks for your wonderful explanation and clear video.

[@moon12216reviews]

I have a knit sweater for my dog and I'm hoping to fix it to save me money.i have to buy my dog a sweater every year(she gets holes in them every year).she can't handle cold weather so a sweater is a must.ive never messed with yarn before so wish me luck!

[@dianamullins]

You're the very best teacher and this tutorial is excellent!

[@katemlcochova7228]

Thank you so much for the great tutorial. I looked at several of them, but this one was by far the best. I was able to fix my friend's sweater. Thank you again.

[@colleentodd2263]

Love this video! I just wished you had shown how to weave in those tiny broken ends on the back...👏

[@MissChrissy0911]

THANK YOU. So very much for your easy to follow instructions. I will be subscribing to your channel. Thank you again

[@detub6705]

Thank you for your instruction. You make it so simple and easy.

[@aisacrochetfashion]

This is what I need! Thank you for explaining step by step 🤩🥰! Very helpful.

[@babylover0990]

Great video!! I have a favorite top that has a hole in it and I saw this, so I had to watch it so that I can darn the hole in my top!! Thanks for the very clear instructions!!

[@ashleep3913]

Thank you for this amazing tutorial! You explain everything in great detail and I feel very confident in the mending I'm about to do!

[@Knitfreedom]

Hooray! I'm so glad! Thanks for coming here and leaving a comment. Happy mending!!

[@dralllion]

this is the best tutorial ever. thank you!

[@jazmnjc]

wow - great video...i have my supplies ready and will watch again, step by step, as I go. Thanks so much.

[@silviabuzzoni3327]

Thank you very much and greetings from Italy !💚 🤍 ❤😊

[@Knitfreedom]

Thank you!!

[@Cyrillius1]

This is a great video, very well explained! Going to try this on my torn jumper later

[@Knitfreedom]

Yay! That is so good to hear. Please let us know how it turns out.

[@LifeisLoveLily]

Brilliant demonstration! Thank you for sharing this.

[@Knitfreedom]

You're so welcome! Thanks for your comment. :)

[@catharinaholmes6700]

Great video. Wish there were more like this for crochet.

[@diy-diy112]

super!This is the most understandable explanation of all that I saw! thank u!!

[@Knitfreedom]

Thank you so much!

[@Knitfreedom]

Sounds like a plan! Have fun with those holey socks. :)

[@msdhinMT]

This was awesome! I have always struggled with this. Thank you

[@ottie1954]

Very very useful, also for holes caused by moths. Thank you!😊🤗🍀🌹

[@sarvejitsingh5805]

... at the end my does,nt look as good as yours,over all very pleased... NO MORE HOLES. All the best SIEMON.

[@ElizabethMcLaws]

This is the most amazing video I've ever seen and I don't even knit!

[@Knitfreedom]

Good luck with your project. I definitely believe you can do it and I am really interested to hear how it turns out. Please let us know how you decided to do it and how it worked out. :)

[@chriscode6431]

Thanks for an actually useful repair video. I ripped a hold in my cardigan that I spent a year knitting. The videos I found were suggesting ugly and very noticeable fixes. This will look nice though.

[@Knitfreedom]

Thanks so much Chris! I really appreciate this :D Yes, your repair will pretty much look flawless if you follow this technique. :)

[@tanyat5765]

This is great! I wish I'd been able to find this before making a dog's breakfast of a mending job a friend asked me to do! OK, it's not that bad, but it took forevever and this technique would have been much better. Thanks for the detailed instructions and close-up video. :)

[@Knitfreedom]

Aw, thank you so very much!!

[@j0l3n3s1m0n]

You are a master teacher. Thank you.

[@Knitfreedom]

Thank you so much!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🥰🥰

[@Knitfreedom]

What a bummer that the seller didn't tell you there was a hole in the sleeve! Although, maybe it was a blessing in disguise, since you do love the sweater and it will give you a chance to learn how to mend it. :)

[@NJJD527]

This is the best tutorial I've found on the subject. I have one question, though. How do you work it if it's a 1X1 ribbed stitch? You'll be helping me fix my daughter's favorite sweater. Thank you!!

[@hazelblumberg-mckee4912]

Wow! This is such a great video! I have a hole in one of the sweaters I've knitted, and I'm going to have to give this a try.

[@nolidg]

Beautiful! I've been asked to repair a 75 year-old, hand knitted (of course) bedspread that some little furry critter chewed on. I was really nervous about it until I saw this video - THANK YOU! I do have concerns about those stray broken yarns, won't they continue to unravel and should I be concerned about multiple breaks in the yarn? As luck would have it, my friend, who just turned 85, still has a good deal of the cotton yarn her mother knitted those tiny stitches with. Thanks again!

[@Knitfreedom]

You are too sweet! I hope you try your hand at darning and let us know how it turns out. :)

[@themountieswife]

Great video....very, very helpful....I have a sock to men, my hubby stepped on a nail and I think he had only worn the socks a couple of times.....wasn't going to pitch them but didn't know what to do....thanks

[@marlenewheeler196]

This was extremely helpful and easy to do. Thanks so much

[@heathmoore8711]

Thanks so much! This is very helpful and you did a great job explaining this technique.

[@GrandmaVestad]

This was of tremendous value to me thank you so much

[@luckylingini]

You did a great job of explaining this. Thank you so much for posting it.

[@Knitfreedom]

Hm, it might be a tad trickier in garter stitch. I don't have a video showing how to mend holes in garter stitch. If it were me, I'd do it the same way as I show in the video here, but look at the stitches around the hole, and when you are tracing the path of the missing yarn with the new yarn, copy how it looks on the garter stitch blanket. It's not very different - you just go in where normally you come out, and vice versa. Give it a try - I'm sure you will be able to do it!

[@mala3isity]

I'd agree. That's why you say not to twist the stitches, right, it'd come out a purl?

[@Knitfreedom]

@@mala3isity That's right - you want to make sure not to twist stitches as they will either turn out twisted or as purls instead of knits which isn't ideal for mending stockinette stitch like in this video

[@ildikojanowitz7862]

HELLO, THIS WAS A VERY NICE PRSENTATION! I DON;T THING THAT I CAN DO IT, I LOST!

[@theresazahra3396]

Thanks a lot for this video it is a very helpful and you did a great job explaining this technique.

[@Knitfreedom]

Hi Dave, I think it is easier to use the many short lengths of yarn, because then they are easier to remove later. Those short strands are just stabilizing yarns - not part of the darning itself. Give it a try both ways, though, and see for yourself! Please come back and comment to let us know what you found. Thanks!

[@vanaphil]

Wow did not think this was that easy.