Now more than ever we’re looking to keep busy whilst staying at home, and mending knitwear at home is easier than you might think. If you usually take your damaged knits to a clothing repair company or even hide them at the back of your wardrobe, it’s time to learn how to mend them yourself.

Darning

The traditional way of dealing with small holes is through darning. This technique requires a darning mushroom, a large needle, scissors, and yarn in a matching colour (or contrasting colour).

Step 1. Place the darning mushroom under the hole for support.

Step 2: Depending on the size of the hole, you may wish to sew a circle of running stitch 5mm away from the hole to avoid making the hole worse while you are mending it.

Step 3: Sew a few stitches in the undamaged surrounding fabric to secure the thread.

Step 4: Stitch horizontally across the hole starting and ending close to the circle of running stitches.

Step 4: Next weave a series of stitches going perpendicular, working the thread over and under your stitches.

Step 5: To finish, make sure that you leave a long end on the thread so that you can weave it into the repair, instead of securing it with a knot. Gently press to flatten and blend the darn.