Yarn Choice
The first decision when considering darning a hole in knitwear, what colour yarn to choose. I used a 100% wool yarn and as I like the visible darn you can see I chose a contrasting but matching colour as opposed to the same or bright colours. If you want your darn to be more subtle choose the colour that is the same or very similar.
Another thing to consider is the thickness or thinness of your yarn this is like the colour choice a personal thing. The yarn I used was a little thicker. I placed a wooden darning macaron under the repair and secured it.
This is a moth hole I need to darn in my 100% wool jumper.
Don’t have a darning macaron or mushroom
If you don’t have a purpose-made darning object, it doesn’t matter. You can use a lid from a jar. I found a small ceramic trinket jar in a charity shop for £1.50. The lid is the perfect size and has a smooth, slightly domed top—ideal for darning. I also found a wooden egg for £1.25, which would be useful for some types of darns like darning socks. A pestle from a pestle and mortar set would be useful for sock darning.
Don’t want to darn, then patch your knitwear
If you don’t fancy darning your knitwear, you could use a small piece of fabric or several pieces and secure the area with a simple running stitch.
Or the other option is to keep any knitwear you accidentally shrank in the washer or dryer. This fabric doesn’t fray and could be cut up to patch your knitwear. When it comes to visible mend-darn-patch there are no rules, just individual creativity 🙂
After pinning, I always tack the piece into place. This makes stitching quicker, easier, and more fun. I personally find the pins get in my way. The patch is approximately 4.5cm square.
I used quite thin cotton crochet thread with a simple running stitch. The fabric I used was a piece of boro from a vintage Japanese kimono hand-woven and hand-dyed with Indigio.
Hole in a ribbed cuff
I used a blanket stitch around the hole. The yarn was slightly thicker than the jumper yarn and contrasted in colour.
Socks
If you have socks that are comfortable, they are well worth darning. Don’t have a darning mushroom, don’t worry. Use a large, smooth pebble or wooden egg or the pestle from a pestle and mortar set. Socks are generally thinner than jumpers, so you would probably choose a thinner yarn.
Do your bit to slow down the fast fashion industry by extending the life of your clothes, one mend-darn-patch at a time. Celebrate the visible imperfect stitch.
“Slow fashion is also about returning to a personal relationship with fashion. One where trends and seasons don’t matter, but where your ethics and aesthetics seamlessly unite, and you can escape the stress of constant consumption, focusing on the style that truly appeals to you.”
– Emilia Wik, former head designer of BYEM
