I finished my first pair of socks in August. I couldn't really wear them much then becuase it was warm and the socks were wool. But since the cool weather began I've been wearing this pair at least once a week. Today I found a hole and they are only three and a half months old! :grrr: It's a big stretched hole. I don't know how I got it. The other sock is intact. I'm not sure how I could repair it.
Any way these were knit with Opal Sock yarn- very expensive and raved about by many sock knitters. I used size two needles. On subsequent socks I have used size 1 needles. So they are a bit tighter. I know about the reinforcing sock thread, but those are solid colors and what do you do for reinforcement with stripes? Also the hole is not on the heel or the toe. It's toward the front below the middle toe. I noticed when learning the heel stitch that it is very sturdy, does anyone do this across the bottom of the foot when they knit socks??

Anyway I really like my knitted socks, they are comfortable. But I want them to last longer! Any thoughts on making socks last??

Ah that sucks.

I usually try to find a scrap of the same yarn ( I keep a ziploc baggie in my sock drawer with a left over length of sock yarn from each of my handknit ones for emergency repairs).
The hole could be because of the loose tension, I read somewhere that they need to be knit on a really tight tension or the abrasion from our feet and shoes cause the fibers to rub against one another.

This sounds silly but I have had better wearing socks from a $5.00 ball of Lion brand magic stripes, then a $20.00 ball of opal. I know the fiber content are severly different but the feeling on the feet I never notice a difference, Iam just a sucker for the rain forest colours..lol

Maybe if you post a pic of the hurt sock we can try to advise on the next course of action :)

:pout:

wow, that does suck. :pout: my first pair of socks are about that old and i wear them a lot, no holes yet. and opal is part nylon, right? i mean, they put nylon in to reinforce it. my pair is only wool. are you sure you didn't snag it on something?

that does suck.

Sorry about your sock. :pout: Now that you've switched to a smaller needle size, hopefully that won't be too much of a problem. It does sound like it might be a tension thing, especially if it's a "stretched hole" rather than the yarn wearing down. (At least that's the impression I got from your description.) Some people say wooly nylon will actually cut through the wool, making socks wear faster. Others swear by it, or say that at least it makes it easier to repair by providing a framework for it. I've read about people using ordinary thread for reinforcement, but haven't tried it myself. The thing that everyone seems to agree on (and which you seem to already be aware of) is that a tighter gauge is the best defense against wear.

ETA: I just remembered this example (http://mysite.verizon.net/vze8mnnp/pattiesocks.html) of a heel stitch toe. (She uses eye of partridge, which is a variation of the regular heel stitch.) I don't see why you couldn't use heel stitch across the whole sole as well, as you suggested in your post. I've thought of trying it too -- would make for a nice, cushy foot bed, don't you think?