I should have known better than to wear soft, fine merino and alpaca wool hand knitted socks with hiking boots. Very soon the fine wool was worn away and holes appeared. As these were a favourite pair of socks I thought about making a repair using the darning method. I confess, I've never repaired a pair of socks. Therefore, I did a quick search for darning instructions. While browsing various methods I came across a knitted heel option which looked so much better than a darning patch. The following images give you the basic idea behind the method. I won't repeat the instructions here as they are quite lengthy, not for the fainthearted. The method can be found at Lupinworks.com Replacing a sock heel. I'm pleased with the finished result and won't be wearing these socks in hiking boots anymore! 1. Picking up stitches 2. Cut out old damaged heel and unravel old rows. 3.Pick up stitches on needles 4. Knit the heel flap and turn the heel. 5. Finished heel