moonlit.exposed/now/learning to mend holes in socks/

1.md (835B)

i've always had this thing where i just cant let go of stuff i've grown attached to, whether it's a stubby pencil nub or a stretched out old t-shirts. every worn spot and tear carries a memory, a piece of my past. this frustrates my mother endlessly.. she often sneaks my old belongings away to donate or discard, regardless of how much i resist or how well i hide them.

fortunately, that chapter is behind me now: i live on my own and have complete freedom to keep my cherished old things. though lately i've realized that some of my raggedy items need more attention than just being kept around. they need my care. take these socks with their progressively growing holes, for instance.

1a-socks-w- progressivelygrowingholes.webp (92.1kB)

1b

staring at those holes, i realized i could actually do something about it instead of just watching them get bigger. so i figured it's time to mend them. and here are my tools: needles and thread kept in an old tea tin.

1b-mending-kit.webp (100kB)

1b2

i don't have a darning egg or darning mushroom so i improvised with a wooden owl figurine.

1b2-my-very-own-darning-owl.webp (117kB)

1c.md (958B)

of course, i had no idea how to actually darn, so i went down a youtube rabbit hole.

the list of tutorials:

and here's my darning playlist:

with tutorials queued up and music playing, i gave it a shot:

2-um-my-first-ugly-darning.webp (98.5kB)

2a

bo joined me for my very first attempt at darning and even embroidered a ladybug on the toe of my sock (it's a bit wonky but i love it).

2b-weird-ladybug.webp (109kB)

3-another-day-another-holey-sock.webp (108kB)

3a-mended.webp (114kB)

3b

mending is just another way of holding.
mending is how i argue with time
mending is how i tend to the things i love
needle and thread are ways of asking things to stay a little longer
mending is care made visible

upper folder