I've been meaning to show the method I use to darn socks. Fortunately I found some of DH's hand knit hiking socks (probably 7-8 years old, knit in Wool Ease - gasp) to demonstrate.
By far the easiest method of darning socks is to find a worn area and simply duplicate stitch over it. This is a good reason why you should inspect your handknit socks so you can do this before you acquire holes.
I used to use a method where you backstitch around the hole, then weave in the yarns in the hole with a tapestry needle. This method is detailed HERE . This is what that method looks like, slightly felted and messed up over time.
Another method of darning socks is to duplicate stitch over a hole. First you have to string sewing thread through each column of stitches to show you where to duplicate stitch. This method is detailed HERE.
I started doing my current method of darning a hole because it feels less like a patch under the foot. It does take more time though but I get kind of attached to my hand knit socks and think they are worth it.
To do this you'll need 2 double-pointed knitting needles, 1 tapestry needle,and if you're lucky, some of the same yarn you used for the sock in the first place. I NEVER have the same yarn so I just find something of a similar color and weight. I often use non-superwash wools for darning even if the original sock is machine washable. I think the additional felting they do can help strengthen a darned area. If you like you can use a darning egg or a lightbulb but I don't bother. I just stick my fist through the sock when necessary.
First look at the work. You can put pins around the hole to help you figure out exactly how many stitches and rows you need to re-work to make a nice patch.
Next, take a dpn (hopefully the same size as the original sock was knit with) and insert it through as many stitches as you need to patch the hole.
Now just knit back and forth on dpns up as many rows as you need to go to meet the top of the hole. Then insert another dpn in the top row of stitches and kitchener the stitches together. You need to sew up the sides - I generally do this from the back and work in any yarn ends or loops as I go.
Examine your patch. You can still go over any sections that look questionable and duplicate stitch them. And when you're working in the ends you can reverse duplicate stitch on the back of the sock to further strengthen vulnerable areas.
This final shot shows the completed sock. The top part (the toe) was done with the above method and the heel was done by duplicate stitching over the worn stitches. Sorry I can't seem to get a good close up shot.
