Friday, February 25, 2011

Which came first - the sock or the egg?

Well, in this case, I think it was clearly the egg! We have a chronology here in the picture - 2011 Marks and Spencer socks, 1970s flowered sewing basket, and pre-1950 French darning egg. The pack of otherwise super M&S mail-order socks included one that sprang a hole almost the moment Ben put it on. I was all for sending it back and complaining, but Ben thought it wasn't worth the trouble ("c'est pas la peine") and asked if the sock was at all mendable.
I thought I'd give it a go, as I'd mended a lot of sock seams in my time, and had 'sort-of' darned a few things, and had read instructions in both 'Make Do and Mend' and 'How Green are my Wellies?'
Picking the right darning wool for a sock which is red, pink and black, was no trouble at all, as I could only find white in my vintage darning wool 'collection'!
And it turned out all right. The proof of the darning was in the wearing - I said to Ben one evening: 'Have you found that sock I darned yet?' and he replied that he hadn't realised I'd done it. He took off his shoe to check which socks he'd been wearing all day and, lo and behold, he'd been comfortably walking around for the last 12 hours without realising he had a darned sock! So I'd say it worked.
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Thanks for your continued, much-valued comments. We are now on holiday, and the reduced timetable of the last few school days meant that Son 2 could pop in and out of school whenever he had a lesson, which meant we could also manage his painkillers and general exhaustion. My father has been discharged from hospital and the boys and I will be flying out to visit him on Tuesday! We are very grateful.

11 comments:

Jeannette StG said...

Health is something to be grateful for! Wow, my mother had an egg like that! yes, to darn socks:)
Enjoy your trip and come back safely!

Lx @ Twelve said...

Hi Floss,

I've learnt something!
So glad your son is improving, and wishing you a lovely time with your dad next week...

Lx

Sarah - Red Gingham said...

The egg looks much better and more practical than the usual mushroom. They would lovely in a bowl as well when not in use. Yay for the holidays!! Have a good time off and I hope everyone comes out of it well.

Sherri B. said...

That is a nice compliment to your work, that Ben didn't even know it was done.

Have a nice weekend and a happy visit with your dad..how wonderful that he is improving.

VintageVicki said...

Hurrah - another sock darner :) Though I only have a mushroom. However that works on boys school trousers too - you'll know about that I'm sure.

Glad everyone is on the mend - have a lovely time visiting your Dad.

Marigold Jam said...

The difference between our English mushrooms and the French eggs was discussed at one of my meetings with a group we used to call Femmes Ensemble back when I lived in France. I remember my mother mending socks but these days they are so often made of mixed fibres rather than all wool and mending est pas la peine as they are usually so thin before the hole appears. Well done on the Make do and Mend front though! Have a good trip to UK and I hope you will find your father in good spirits and well on his way back to health.

Jane x

Sarah Jane said...

I have just had to do the same with one of my husband's nearly new M & S socks but sadly without an egg - I just had to use the back of my hand. I am not sure I did as good a job as you but we'll have to see how mine lasts! Have a good trip and its good to know your Dad is recovering well.

Vintage Tea Time said...

I used to have a darning wooden mushroom (that seems to be the English version of the French ouef?)that was my mum's. Used to darn Mr VTT's socks, but haven't for years! Hope your boy and your dad continue to do well. Have a good weekend!

Lululiz said...

I learned to darn when I was a little girl, but if I had to do it now............. no entirely sure I could do it. I am very impressed with your darning!

Autumn Mist said...

Well done on the darning, I've always wanted to have a go at that, as I make a lot of holes in my own socks! So glad your dad is well and your son is coping. How long are you away for?

Elderberry-Rob said...

Have a safe journey on Tuesday Floss and look after yourself as well as everyone else! look forward to seeing some charity shop finds whilst you are at your dad's. Bettyx