We’ve all been there at some point in our life. You just discovered that your favorite sweater has a hole right where it shouldn’t be and now you wonder how to fix it so the repair wouldn’t be too noticeable? Are you going to have to take it to a taylor or you can do it by yourself in an attempt to save the sweater?
Below you’ll find some great advice from Kate Atherley from Knitty on how to repair Tears and Holes and also a little tutorial on Socks repairing.
There are a few things you can do before the damage is done like:
1.Save a few meters of the yarn and the ball band for any garment you create, and store them together. The ball band is invaluable, of course, for washing instructions, but it can also provide hints for repair. And the spare yarn can be used for darning.
or, and I personally find this to be even smarter:
2. Several wise knitters have recommended sewing some spare yarn into the seams of the garment so that it gets washed and worn in the same way as the garment itself, ensuring less visible repairs.
Image source: flickr
If you’re interested in knowing what you can do after the damage is done, read on.
After the damage is done:
Either you retrieve yarn for repairs from the garment itself or you need to find some other sources for similar yarn.
For Tears and Holes you can use any of the following two methods:
1. Weaving Method
2. Duplicate Stitch Method
1. Weaving Method
Photo credit: noricum
If the hole is only one row deep, a simple graft should do the job. Remember that the trick is in the alignment of the stitches. It’s straightforward, as long as you get the stitches lined up correctly.If the hole is deeper than a single row, it’s a two-step job. To anchor the stitches and for a guide, loosely graft the stitches at the top and bottom of the hole together with a contrasting color sewing thread.
2. Duplicate Stitch Method
Photo credit: noricum
This is a little simpler to do, but the mend covers a larger area, and is therefore more visible. It does have the side effect of reinforcing the area around the hole, which is of benefit if this is something like a sock that’s got a hole due to wear, rather than a rip or a moth hole.
What about socks? do you repair them or just throw them away? Read on below about socks repairing.
Socks repairing
Photo credit: Lisa Dusseault
If you choose to repair them , here is a piece of advice and a little tutorial too:
Sock holes get big quickly, so you’re often dealing with a large area to mend. Anything larger than a few rows high and a few stitches wide gets difficult to weave or darn, and therefore the recommended approach is to reknit the section.
Thanks to Knitty for this article inspiration.
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