If the socks in the laundry basket are really too far gone to mend, here's a fun idea to remake them into something useful.
Ready? Get out the scissors!
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| The worn sock remake. |
Cut the socks into tubes...
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| Socks cut into tubes. |
and weave them.
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| Weaving with a mini loom and sock tubes. |
The potholder loom keeps worn socks out of the landfill
Remember those rainbow-colored fabric loops and the mini weaving loom you had as a kid? They still make them! I have a shiny new red metal one. And now I'm cutting up worn-out socks to make the loops for the warp and weft.
Those worn socks get a new life as a mug rug or hot pat and avoid the fate of ending up in a landfill. It's a great repurposing project, earth friendly, and quick and fun to do as well.
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| Three woven hot pads, metal weaving loom, and crochet hook for binding off. |
The weaving process and design options
The weaving set-up and process is the same as when you were 7 years old. If you don't remember, there are instructions/illustrations online or that come with the loom.
My sock tubes were cut about 3/8" wide and it took most of two adult size, short, ankle socks to yield enough loops for my 7" square loom. If you're cutting up knee socks, there will be plenty of loops for one woven square and enough to start the next.
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| Cutting socks into tubes. The argyle will provide a contrasting color. |
If your socks are various colors or prints, try blending them to create stripes and plaids. You'll see a change in color but the pattern of the old sock—like the argyle pattern—becomes obscure through the weaving process.
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| The weaving process on the mini loom. |
The loom is portable. I can weave on a table or in my lap. I accomplished the "bind off" with a crochet hook.
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| Binding off with a crochet hook. |
The finished hot pad is between 5" - 5.5" square once it's been released from the tension of the loom. You can see the difference in size between the 7" loom and the finished piece.
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| The finished woven hot pad is approximately 5" square. |
The loom came with a metal hook for weaving, but I found weaving with my fingers worked really well.
I haven't tried it, but the woven squares could probably be stitched or crocheted together to make a larger piece if one desired. For now, I'm using the pieces straight off the loom as hot pads and mug rugs.
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| Three woven hot pads/mug rugs made from worn out socks. |
My 5th Make Nine finish for 2022
Although I have mended quite a few projects this year—shirt collars, shirt sleeves at the elbows, T-shirt hemlines and necklines, toes of socks, the buttonhole on a pair of jeans—I'm going to count this old-sock re-make as fulfilling my "Mend/upcycle" prompt for Make Nine 2022. It's a blast from the past and still as much fun now as it was as a kid.
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| Make Nine 2022 worksheet, July 2022. |
I hope you find the "joy of making" as exciting now as when you were a kid!
