"Fiddlesticks," Lis mumbled as she stared at the small hole in the woolen sock she held between her arthritic hands while she slowly turned toward her nearby sewing basket that held her oft used wooden darning egg. "How could Claude have ripped a hole so quickly in the heel of his brand new socks that his Aunt Gussie made for him? Sometimes I wish I had a daughter to help me do the mending. Oh well, it isn't a very big hole, and there is still daylight so I can see what I am doing."
She parted the cotton lace curtains to let in some more light and then moved to her ornate high-backed wood rocker by the Philco floor radio console so she could better hear the Yankees playing. "Strike one," the announcer shouted as Lis began weaving the yarn from one edge of the hole to the other.
I wonder if anyone darns anymore? You painted a perfect picture. I can see the scene quite clearly with the exception of the darning egg lol. I daresay I don't know what that is!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by.
DeleteI think there probably are some people who still know how to darn and need to make do. People who wear wool socks and sweaters maybe have learned how to darn. I read that darned areas on wool actually become stronger after the items are washed, kind of like felting. A darning egg often looks like a wooden egg on a stick. I think there may be some plastic darning eggs now too. You slip the item to be darned onto the egg. It provides a nice curved area which is especially helpful when darning socks and sleeves. I can't remember exactly when it was that I learned how to darn, but probably when I was in 4-H or in home economics class in junior high.
Thank you. I have a very old heavy sweater I love but no longer wear because the knitting came loose in a small spot on the front and turned into a hole. So I could darn a sweater? I always associated the term with socks :) Sounds like I could use yarn and just "sew" over the hole. You've given me some ideas Pat!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm sure today's youth would wonder why someone would darn anything. We live in such a consumable/throwaway age. I have a better sense of what my parents experienced as they aged as I witness my own marvel at traditions and activities that no longer seem "relevant".
I for one have trouble throwing away the old, especially if it can be fixed or sewn or darned :)
Yes you could darn the sweater. There some youtube demos that might be helpful. Let me know how it turns out if you try to do this.
DeleteThis was a lovely scene of times gone by, and I really wish they hadn't. Just as Girlie notes, we've become such a readily disposable society and so much waste with that. We don't see the value in things that have some use but can easily be repaired, everything doesn't have to be shiny new. My Grandma used to darn, my mom did when we were small, and I also learned how to do it in Girl Scouts. I still can, but I doubt my efforts would be very neat now. I often think about how we were told that computers and the Internet were going to simplify our lives so much, and I laugh, because in truth all the simplicity has been lost and we live in a very complex world. Some days now I unplug for a bit and often sit in silence at home, and I find that I like it very much. Your story of new socks being already worn through also made me smile remembering my son with his boney knees when he was small that quickly wore through every pair of new pants for school. I learned to iron patches inside before he ever began wearing them to give them more strength!
ReplyDeleteI too have resorted to patching pants and like you tried to preempt any holes that would surely arise by ironing in reinforcement patches inside the pant legs when the pants were new.
DeleteI also put duct tape inside athletic shoes where my big toes hit to stall off the inevitable holes that will come due to how my toes turn upwards.
There really is something to unplugging, experiencing quietness, and being still. One of my favorite scriptures is found in Psalms: 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God:" Sometimes it is in those moments of quietness that we learn more about our relationship with Him.
totally could picture the scene!
ReplyDeletewhile some Sixes are exciting and some are surprising at their end, I find myself trying to paint a picture. Your Six, this week is just such a post.... very nicely done.
I'm glad you were able to picture that scene. Thank you.
DeleteI could so well imagine this...
ReplyDeleteLovely read
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