Make do and mend more moth holes

A favourite jumper: moth hole darned and embroidered

A favourite jumper: moth hole darned and embroidered

New Year finds us in Yorkshire visiting my husband’s family and as I’ve not been able to finish my knitting projects or set up the many embroideries I want to do, this seemed an ideal time to tackle a bit more mending. We had hoped all daughter No 1’s moth damage had  been dealt with but as a small bag of mending came with the Christmas caravan, this is obviously not the case.

A favourite jumper: moth hole darned and embroidered

A favourite jumper: moth hole darned and embroidered

Another favourite, this stripey jumper looked a simple case of three or four major holes – always made bigger by the darning – but the mending of these threw up more patches where just a few threads were thinning but hadn’t yet become a fully fledged hole. These I darned and covered with an embroidered leaf – in the end the jumper looks like it’s succumbed to some mystery illness.

Stripey jumper showing darned and embroidered moth holes

Stripey jumper showing darned and embroidered moth holes

There are now 7 leaves scattered over the back of the jumper. One hole (just under the leaf roughly in the middle of the back) I have left darned but not embroidered as it would have looked too crowded and less randomly interesting.

Back of jumper showing leaves embroidered over darned moth hole PLUS one darned but not embroidered patch.

Back of jumper showing leaves embroidered over darned moth hole PLUS one darned but not embroidered patch.

By the time I got to what I thought might be the end of mending this jumper I was wondering whether this undertaking wasn’t an example of taking the proverbial sledgehammer to crack a nut, but then I realised the colours were so uplifting and the design so interesting (you can’t see the slight variations in ribbing along the side seams) that it had been worth the time and effort.

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Stripey jumper showing darned and embroidered moth holes

We have yet to see whether daughter No 1 approves but it was at least heartening when over Christmas she appeared wearing another moth mended favourite .

Darned moth holes: right one subsequently covered by embroidered leaf.

Darned moth holes: right one subsequently covered by embroidered leaf.

The above picture shows the darn I left visibly as a darn – at least it has the merit of being contained within the beige stripe. I had no pink wool and hence came up with the leaf solution. (Ironed it might look better.) The flowers are variants on my default honeysuckle. Now back to that jumper I was knitting as a Christmas present.

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10 Comments

  1. Posted January 1, 2016 at 3:52 pm | Permalink

    A great success – I’m sure your daughter will love having it back again!

    • Mary Addison
      Posted January 3, 2016 at 4:35 pm | Permalink

      It seems she will, as she has added a comment saying so!

  2. Penny Cross
    Posted January 2, 2016 at 11:33 am | Permalink

    Another wonderful example of designer darning that, with your artistry, Mary, completely transforms and improves the garment.

    You’ve inspired me to sort out embroidery skeins and doodle with designs for a long rectangle of calico, destined to be the central part of a quilt back. I’ve also looked at the very original, contemporary embroideries of Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching whose work I love.

    Happy New Year, Mary. Hope your husband’s family are safe in Yorkshire.

    • Mary Addison
      Posted January 3, 2016 at 4:39 pm | Permalink

      Glad you like my mending once more, Penny.
      Best of luck with your piece of calico and embroidery doodles.
      We are wet but watertight in Yorkshire, unlike so many in an around a dreadfully wet York.

  3. Allegra Stratton
    Posted January 2, 2016 at 11:25 pm | Permalink

    My favourite jumper! It lives. When I presented this sorry rag I thought it had thwarted even you… but no… This is truly marvellous. Can’t wait to wear it.

    • Mary Addison
      Posted January 3, 2016 at 4:41 pm | Permalink

      Glad you approve – thought it might be a bit too much.

  4. Posted January 4, 2016 at 2:42 am | Permalink

    Well done Mary… if the lovely jumper has an unknown disease then I think more jumpers should catch it! The leaves sit so lightly as if they have just drifted down off a branch lightly touched.

    I hope you had a Wonderful New Year… I look forward reading all your thoughtful posts this year….

    Very best as ever. Lydia

    • Mary Addison
      Posted January 9, 2016 at 11:11 pm | Permalink

      A belated Happy New Year to you, Lydia. Thank you for bothering to leave such kind and interesting comments and I hope I won’t disappoint you in 2016.

  5. Posted January 5, 2016 at 11:49 pm | Permalink

    Hello. Lovely blog. Beautiful work on the jumper. Jigsaw jumpers are such good quality.

    • Mary Addison
      Posted January 6, 2016 at 10:59 am | Permalink

      Yes, we like Jigsaw jumpers and some of them have been literally worn to destruction.
      Thank you for your comment, Nicola and for introducing me to your blog which I will certainly come back to – especially having just started Elena Ferrante’s first book.

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