What’s it all about?
Darning is a specific form of mending traditionally used to repair holes in knitted clothing. Simply put, it involves weaving a patch with a needle and thread to fill a space or hole where threads have worn away. With winter coming to a close, now is the perfect time to repair your favourite, but maybe slightly worse-for-wear, cardis, jumpers, and warm accessories with a darn or two so they can be there for next year. Whether you want to make a neat repair that you would never know was there, or enhance your knits with a bit of decorative visible mending, darning is the bomb!
What will we cover?
Firstly we will learn the principles of darning by creating a small sampler darn before getting down to darning holes and worn patches in the winter woolies you bring with you to the class. We will also look at examples of some creative darning projects to get you inspired. Darning needles, a variety of woollen yarns, scissors, and practice swatches will be provided along with handout notes showing techniques and further references. Bring along knitted garments and accessories to darn. Hand knits (jumpers, socks, scarves etc.) are especially good items for beginners darning. Very fine knits are not as suitable. If you
want to create a darn that blends in, bring along wool yarn that matches your garment in colour and weight. If you have a darning mushroom pack that too!
Who will be teaching?
Gaye Naismith (aka Gaye Abandon) is a lifelong sewer (machine and hand), a sometimes seamstress, a textile upcycler and a sewing teacher. She subscribes to Vivienne Westwood’s mantra on sustainable dressing: “Buy Less, Choose Well, Make it Last”.