Socks: Imaginative Mending by Celia Pym

Celia Pym is an artist darner. The book is based on the exhibition commissioned by NOW Gallery, Greenwich Socks: The Art of Care and Repair.

SOCKS celebrates the everyday act of mending socks through darning. An illustrated account of  what happens when you teach a whole primary school how to darn a sock. Central to the book is a vibrant, colourful library of 488 socks, each stitched and darned by the Surrey Square Primary School community in Southwark using industry ‘warehouse’ waste socks. Children, staff and families of the school, learnt and practised their darning and stitching skills on socks, during a series of 26 workshops facilitated by Pym in early 2024. 

The progression of the work from nursery to year 6 aged children to the headteacher, beautifully demonstrates the dexterity and creativity of the children and how that changes over time, highlighting the importance of practical education for cognitive development.

SOCKS also includes Pym’s own work mending socks for friends and family. Celia is a prominent artist and teacher, exhibiting and teaching internationally and her London workshops sell out within minutes. Her previous book On Mending: Stories of damage and repair is one of our best sellers. 
Published 2 February 2026, available to preorder, delivery in November. Sign up to the Quickthorn newsletter for information about launches and events.