You loved these socks on Instagram, so I figured it would be nice to permalink them here.
As someone who loves colour, discovering variegated yarn for darning was a total game changer.
![Darning a yellow sock in yellow and purple yarn with the Swift Darning Loom. Yarn is variegated to create a plaid effect.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0351/3955/1367/files/swift_darning_loom_yellow_plaid01.jpg?v=1692663290)
I was able to darn these socks (with my Swift Darning Loom of course) using two continuous lengths of yarn! Totally minimizing the ends I needed to weave in.
![Darning a yellow sock in yellow and purple yarn with the Swift Darning Loom. Yarn is variegated to create a plaid effect. The sock on the right is mended but flipped inside out to show the threadbare areas that the patch is covering.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0351/3955/1367/files/swift_darning_loom_yellow_plaid02.jpg?v=1692663299)
As you can see, the plaid pattern is slightly different on each sock. I mended these for a customer who provided a small amount of yarn for the darns. If I had more yarn and wanted the socks to match, I could have started each repair at the same point in the repeating pattern dyed into the yarn.
![Darning a yellow sock in yellow and purple yarn with the Swift Darning Loom. Yarn is variegated to create a plaid effect.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0351/3955/1367/files/swift_darning_loom_yellow_plaid03.jpg?v=1692663307)
Instead, there's definite continuity across each patch, but they don't match exactly! And I'm okay with that. I'm a person who needs a little bit of randomness and asymmetry. But it would be fun to try making a matching pair of patches, or a mirrored pair (by using identical yarn but warping one from right to left and the other from left to right).
Bonus: BEFORE! Only one of these socks was worn completely through, but I decided to patch the same area on each.\
![Two yellow socks, worn through, before patching the holes with Swift Darning Loom.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0351/3955/1367/files/swift_darning_loom_yellow_plaid04.jpg?v=1692663316)
Careful with this strategy, though: sometimes, patching too big (or too stiff, or too thick) can lead to an uncomfortable darn. But usually after a few wears, and especially when wearing shoes, I don't feel my darned socks at all.
I'm looking forward to experimenting more with this hand-dyed variegated style of yarn! And if you're looking to buy some for yourself, I'd recommend finding a local indie dyer. These delightful magical creatures are found all over the world - knitters guilds and yarn shows are a great place to start looking (or search "yarn show vendors + your city/major city near you" to get inspired). Pro tip: mini skeins are perfect for darning!
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0351/3955/1367/files/yellowsock.png?v=1716479223)