Scotch darning is a darning method that is essentially weaving. It can be used to repair just about any type of fabric, but we’ll be looking specifically at knitted fabric here (of course.)
The hole or damage can be an irregular hole, and not much prep needs done before the repair happens. You can clean up any frayed yarn if you want, but you wouldn’t need to.
Use the same project yarn (if you want the repair to blend in) – but be aware that this will cause some bulk. To reduce bulk, use a yarn that is in a thinner weight than the project yarn. Find a similar color to try to blend in, or go for full-on decorative and use contrasting colors!
I like to anchor the repair by working the repair in stable fabric surrounding the hole. I begin below the hole (and since I’m right-handed, on the right hand side). I work the horizontal lines first – at least one per row of stitches, preferably more. Then I work the vertical lines, weaving them into the horizontal lines. Again, I work at least one column per column of stitches, preferably more. The fineness of the original gauge kind of determines what number of rows and columns are needed in the repair.
Some items of note:
- This repair is not stretchy, and will not match the give that the original knitting had
- This repair will also not match the knitting, and may be obvious
- It’s a very sturdy repair form, though, and is a good option for high wear spots such as sock heels
Here is a video tutorial:
I hope this was helpful! I will have a post and video on Swiss Darning as an alternative mending technique next week.
Until next time, Happy Knitting!!