Getting Your Materials Together
Before beginning, have these materials at hand:
Appropriate darning yarn. If you’re just beginning to darn, it’s a good idea to take the object you’re going to darn to a store to make sure that the yarn you’re getting is the best match for your sweater. Almost needless to say, your repair yarn should be the same color and diameter and should have the same ingredients as the sweater itself. If you’re not sure what your sweater is made of—all wool or a blend—get advice from an experienced store clerk. Matching thread. While you intend to repair the sweater by darning it, sometimes damaged sweaters will also need to be sewn. A mushroom darner. Sometimes called an “egg,” a mushroom darner is a pole just a few inches long (which you’ll hold onto) and attached to another piece of mushroom-shaped wood. Darning needle. Sometimes called a “darner,” a darning needle is an oversized composite plastic or metal needle with an eye on one end that’s large enough to pass yarn through. Small scissors. Use small scissors to cut yarn and thread. Small embroidery hoop. You may want to get a small embroidery hoop as well. Some repairs go better with a hoop to hold the area you’re repairing, although in most cases a mushroom darner will work fine.
How to Darn
Darning is pretty simple. Learn how to darn a sock before you begin. It always helps to see what performing the instructions looks like.
