Mending mittens

Call me crazy, but I love to mend. Socks that I push a toe through, gloves that my index finger tears through, even replacing buttons that are broken by the cleaners. I keep the spare buttons that come with our clothes, and sometimes I even remember to sort through them when clothes go to Goodwill. Any spare buttons for those clothes go into my button box, to be used to decorate a pillow cover or a quilt, or whatever I happen to be making.

Of all the mending tasks that come my way, I like darning socks and gloves the best. Socks are a bit less dangerous, with an antique darning egg to slip inside and give my needle something to push against. With gloves, my finger becomes the darning egg, so I use heavy thread and a tapestry needle... lest I stitch my finger. Before I pack away my winter gloves each year, I try on each pair to make sure they're in good shape. I'd rather mend them in the spring, then pull on a pair the first cold day of winter, and have a finger slip right through the tip!

Mending is one of those homey tasks I learned from my mother, who made our clothes last with her careful stitches. It's a good feeling to bring new life to favorite clothes.