12/11/2025
I really enjoyed this mend! I’m happy with how it turned out given that it was my first attempt at a mend like this. That being said there are some lessons I will bring into my next (inevitable) mend like this knowing what I do now.
1. Pick your yarn based on the knit and drape of the existing piece. I picked a yarn that was an identical weight to my sweater, but the type of mend I did was so densely packed that in comparison to the rest of the sweater, the mend lies very stiff. It’s ultimately not an issue here, but if I were to do a mend in an area that had more movement with wear, not accounting for the added stiffness could present issues down the road.
2. Bigger holes need bigger darning mushrooms. I saw this one coming, but I digress. This darning mushroom was all I had so there wasn’t much that could be done for this very large hole. Because it was just a bit too small, the finished patch is a bit more wonky than I’d planned but she’s got character and honestly, we love that.
3. Count your stitches if you want them to be even. I was just vibing with the stitches until about halfway through when I realized I’d been going back and forth between 9-12 stitches per row, which also contributed to a bit of a wobble in the final patch.
4. It’ll intimidate you for weeks, but ultimately it’ll be fine! This sat on my pile to be fixed for so long because I didn’t want to ruin it. I watched a reference video so many times (which I’m happy to link if anybody wants to learn, DM me or comment and I’ll send it to you!) and then once I finally decided I’d start, I enjoyed it so much I got lost in the motions and finished it in an afternoon.
5. No matter how many craft supplies you have, you’ll still need just one more thing to finish your project 🤣. I have so many needles and odds and ends, I thought I was fine. I was not. I needed to go to the store to get a variety pack of tapestry needles before I could get started and I was so annoyed but now hopefully I’m set for next time (🫣)?
