VTT 7 - Darning

Yesterday I needed to darn a pair of technical sports socks for my Dear Mr. K. who has been so busy with pushing snow that there was a new hole in his sock. So of course I took my big box of darning things and tried to find a matching thread. This is what I saw:

My mother gave me the box when she found out that I actually darned socks, not just the hand knitted ones with the leftover yarn, but also other socks. The collection is from my grandmother, from the time when stockings were darned and nobody could even dream about nylons and panty hoses. Therefore I own lots of brown shades:

From the time of silk stockings!

Anyone remember these?

There were several manufacturers in town - Tampere, my home town, was for a long time the textile industry capital of Finland. Suomen Trikoo and Nanso were big names.

OK, Nanso was not in Tampere but in the neighbour, Nokia. And it still is a big name, for T-shirts and nightgowns and children's wear.

There were some smaller manufacturers as well, they all knitted the socks and provided the mending thread. Kesto means durability, and Amor is such a lovable name for grey stockings!

After the silk, wool and cotton came a new material for light summer socks and stockings, Crepe Nylon, the lovely, elastic synthetic material. One brand name was Helanca:

With time those socks turned hard and lost the elasticity. - Did I find what I was looking for? Yes, the last bit of some black thin wool yarn, and now DH can use his favourite socks again. He may well have ten pairs of all kinds of heavy use socks to use in boots, with high-tech qualities of moisture transportation, left and right foot design, snug fit and felt soles, but one pair is always the best, softest, warmest and coolest, so I better get some more darning thread for that pair!

This was my story for Vintage Thingies Thursday with the Coloradolady. Enjoy your tour through her list of links!