Snapdragon Life helps you rekindle your creativity, reconnect to the natural world & create a slower, more intentional, more joyful way of life.

You’ve viewed

You haven't yet viewed any products on our store. If you've been here before, you may need to sign in.

Blog

Visible mending on a knitted jumper

creative visible mending on aran jumper

Mending baskets! Is there anything quite as likely to engender feelings of guilt as we pass.

All those almost wearable clothes just needing a little attention.

A few years ago I was given this cosy Aran jumper as a Christmas present.

Four times worn and I backed into a barbed wire fence; by the time I had disentangled myself there was a massive hole on the backside.

The wool itself had shredded - much of it left on the fence and I put the jumper in my mending basket to repair. . . .

mending a hole in a knitted jumper

Four years later, clearing out the 'dressing room of doom' I determined to do better.

It was a drizzly day, I had nothing else pressing to do, I got out some scraps of left over wool and a tapestry needle. It took less then an hour.

Four years and an hour.

In case you also have a ripped jumper in need of some creative mending, here is what I did.

The mending of the ripped aran jumper.

As the rip is very firmly on my backside I decided that it needed a curvy darning, but otherwise I followed the instructions of Flora Collingwood Norris here. The cabling meant that this was never going to be a neat and regimented darn - and it is a little bit more like a hobbity mend, but I love it's organic shape.

Materials

  • Holey jumper
  • Tapestry needle
  • Selection of yarns of similar weight to the jumper
  • Scissors

Step 1

I cut out some paper shapes to see what size and shape the patch should be. I went with a circle.

circle template for creative mending wool jumper

Step 2

Use a contrasting yarn to sew a tacked outline. This is just there as a guide and it will be removed later.

guide to creative mending knitted jumper

STEP 3

Begin to work up and down over the hole. These are the warp threads of the woven patch. Make a little reinforcing stitch at either end of your warps, a little back stitch outside the circle. This makes the patch stronger and also is a bit of decoration. The stitches should be even - try to keep them half a knitted stitch apart. Pay attention to the tension of your warp - it shouldn't be too loopy, but it shouldn't be too tight either or the patch will pucker.

beginning to sew the warp visible mending jumper

Continue working the warp - here you can see the different stripes of colour that I chose.

completed warp layer of jumper patch

STEP 4

Now begin weaving the weft - start at one side, make a little reinforcing stitch and then go over and under and over and under the threads till you reach the other side. Make a stitch and go back the way you came with another row - this time make sure you go over all the threads you went under last time and under all the threads you went over. the first few rows are the trickiest but then you will get into a rhythm.

woven darn ripped jumper

Every few rows stop and squash the rows down so that they form a fabric. You want the patch to be similar in feel to the jumper - so if it is a fine jumper they should be neatly squashed together, if it is a heavy weight and cabled super like this they can have a more energetic and organic feel.

STEP 5

Finish the back by making sure all the ends of yarn are well secured and cut them short.

Remove the tacking stitches.

Gently steam flat with an iron not quite touching the surface of the patch - this will take out any puckering.

finished patch creative mending jumper

STEP 6

Pat yourself on the back and wear your creative mending proudly.

You may also enjoy …

Comments: 0 (Add)

You must be signed in to post a comment. If you're already a member, please sign in now. If not, you can create an account here.

Snapdragon social

Pulmonaria “Blue ensign” was one of the first plants I bought for my garden. 

The perfect Bristol blue colour. Bright in the border, beloved of bees. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Back then - over 25 years ago - it was a rarity, now you can get plug plants of it. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Does that make it any less precious? 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Not to me.
Were you someone who read blogs ‘back in the day’? Back when they were ugly but with soul?  I’ve been thinking about them - and more particularly the blog rolls that connected them. Curated lists of recommendations, no algorithm, no payments, no angst ridden strategy. 

It occurred to me that I could create something similar by using a playlist on my tube channel - a vlogroll if you like. 

That’s what I’m chatting about this week in my Friday film - about how so many of the people my age making videos are talking about “what you shouldn’t wear after 50” or “how to avoid the appalling fate of looking frumpy” 😂😂😂 And how, as an antidote to all that depressing nonsense, I’m collecting suggestions for an alternative playlist!

Pop over and let me know your favourites. 

I’m also talking about why I’m not sowing any seeds until the end of March this year.
Stained glass colours on the studio windowsill
Another Friday . . . . another sitooterie selfie.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Today's Friday film is about which seeds I am planting in my new dye garden . . .
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I dyed my beret to fit with some things I'm taking on holiday. It is an overdye with some onion skins that I had left over from a zoom workshop that I did in The Studio Club. I do love the sense of play that being able to cook up colours gives you.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you fancy growing your own colour there is a free download of the varieties and suppliers over on the tube . . . .

#fridayfilm #botanicaldyes #dyegarden #snapdragonlife
The second spike is always the best.
Another Friday, another daft selfie. This week Teasel gets into the frame- there is a matching photo of Dixie but she looks frankly terrified. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This week’s Friday film is about going ‘out out’ - there is a tour of @bettysbeautifullife wonderful exhibition of botanical printing that is on in Kirkintilloch at the moment, and a visit to my parents garden in East Lothian where they have a mimosa tree flowering . We went on a dog walk on Gullane beach and then I attempt to find signs of spring in my own garden (very few but lots of shots of snuffling dogs).

I also address the issue of the tank top I’m knitting being clearly much too small for me. 

All this in just over ten minutes- you can find the film via my links page and I’ll put a link in stories too.
In the spirit of copying to find out how to do something ….. this is the photo I took when I got home from last week’s workshop with @eva_nemeth 

The last photo of snowdrops for this year - laying them roots and all on an old flagstone and trying to work how to get the whites to pop without becoming brash.

And then I cut off the flowers to press for a project and planted the bulbs and leaves out under the hazel tree to bring cheer next spring.
It has been sunny all weekend. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I weeded and hoed and cleared and felt myself opening up just like these bulbs that I photographed at @cambo_gardens last week.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The absolute joy of the first sunny weekend of the year.
snapdragon.life
FacebookTwitterPinterest

About Snapdragon Life

At Snapdragon Life I help bring the changing seasons into your daily life, helping you slow down, so that you can experience increased well being, calm and creativity.

Find out more about The Studio Club

Loading