Visible Mending: Learn Swiss Darning for Knitwear

In this one day workshop students will deep dive into Swiss darning knitwear. We’ll first go over the basics of knit and purl stitches and how to choose a good thread or yarn for a mend. We’ll use our materials to learn Swiss darning over thinning areas. We’ll cover stocking web darning over holes and charting your own decorative patterns. If there are any knitters in the group we can also cover a method that combines knitting and darning on larger knits.

We’ll practice what we learned in the first half of the class in the afternoon on our own pieces. This will give us a chance to discuss strategies and design choices around yarn selection, how we’d like things to look visibly mended as well as which technique is best suited.

Skill level: Some basic sewing or knitting experience is helpful but not required

Skills and Techniques:

• Anatomy of a knit stitch
• Swiss darning
• Stocking web darning
• Charting patterns
• Sewing in the ends

Materials Fee: $35 paid directly to the instructor.

Materials will include a darning disc turned by a New England artisan, a small mending kit tin with a few sizes of blunted needles, a practice swatch hand knit by the artisan and assorted thread/yarns.

Special Tools or Equipment: Please bring at least one knitwear item that needs repair (several is better, socks are ok). We will be spending some class time repairing and/or discussing solutions for what you’ve brought. If you have some, it would be helpful if you could bring your own small scissors or thread snips.

Workshop Policies: Please be sure to read our policies before you register for a workshop which can be found here Workshop Policies