How to darn a hole in your clothes

If your socks are looking worse for wear, you can darn a hole in them to make them feel good as new.

To darn a sock, you’ll need:

• Yarn in the colour of your choice
• A tapestry or darning needle
• A darning object

It's easier to darn socks if you stretch them over a solid object to make stitching easier. Traditionally darning mushrooms are used for this job, but you can use whatever you have available to you that has a hard, flat surface. Alternatives include an old jar, a tennis ball, or even the bottom of a reusable coffee cup.

Once you have stretched your sock over your chosen darning mushroom, you can begin darning.

For larger holes, using a thicker thread turn your sock inside out:

1. Thread and knot your needle and begin by stitching around the hole to make a base for your darning.
2. Begin to stitch rows, weaving in and out of the fabric of your sock. Once you reach the end of a row, stitch another one in the other direction, back to where you started. Continue to stitch rows until you cover the hole in the sock.
3. After you’ve covered the hole with longer darning stitches, you’ll begin to stitch columns horizontally. Continue to weave until your hole is completely covered.
4. Finish by weaving the extra yarn around the end of the circle. Trim the excess.

For smaller holes, using a thinner thread, keep your sock right side out:

1. Thread and knot your needle, insert your needle inside the hole and pull your thread  through, leaving the knot inside of the sock.
2. Using your needle pick up a stitch or two on the right edge of your sock’s hole, pulling your thread all the way through. Make sure not to pull it too tight.
3. Insert your needle under a stitch or two on the left of the hole. Pull your thread through creating a criss-cross pattern on top of the sock. Again, don’t pull it too tight.
4. Continue this pattern left to right, and right to left. Once you have covered the entire hole, slowly begin pulling on the thread, and the hole will begin to close up.
5. Insert your needle back into the sock, picking up a thread or two, pulling your needle part way through, leaving a small hoop at the end. Bring your needle back around and thread it through this loop. Pull it tight to create a knot.
6. Insert your needle back through your line of stitching and out again about half way through. Pull it all the way through and snip off the thread.

And there you have it. Two ways to bring your favourite socks back to life.

This is a great technique to fix a variety of holes on old or new-to-you knitwear.

To darn a jumper or sweater, you’ll need:

• Yarn in the colour of your choice. Aim to match the weight and thickness of the yarn to what your sweater is knitted from.
• A tapestry or darning needle
• An embroidery hoop

Darning a sweater is a similar process to darning a sock, except you swap the darning mushroom out with an embroidery hoop.

1. Turn your sweater inside out and place it into the embroidery hoop, aiming to line up the knit weave. Thread and knot your needle.
2. Beginning by weaving your needle in a straight line in and out of the sweater using a basic running stitch. Aim to follow the weave of the knit. Continue this pattern until you have a row of vertical lines extending the entire hole.
3. Repeat the process horizontally, stitching in columns, weaving in and out of the vertical stitches you have just created.
4. Once the hole is fully covered, weave in loose ends, or tie off your thread with a knot on the wrong side of your sweater. If your sweater is of heavier material and find your darned area is a bit loose, simply continue to weave your threads until you match a similar feel as the rest of the material.

Your sweater is now ready to wear as new.

Ready to give darning a try? Head over to Oxfam's online shop, where you'll find a treasure trove of sewing and haberdashery items, perfect for practising your new mending skills.