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Any knitwear menders here?

nemosmom

Veteran

.... or, when a great thrift find (moth) bites you in the ***.

I thrifted a really fab (sounding) cardigan on Poshmark. It arrived today with a couple of small (undisclosed) moth holes in the back and sleeve cuff. Afraid of inviting a moth infestation into my other knitwear, I decided to soak it, then handwash it. Well... my 2-3 small holes became 9 larger ones, and where the cuff hole was now looks like it was chomped by JAWS.

I thought about tossing it into the textile recycle bin, but I am having second thoughts - maybe it will be a good project for me to learn how to mend. Trouble is, there are loads of youtube tutorials on various mending methods, and I feel overwhelmed.

So, I thought I would ask the hive mind here: have any of you successfully mended knitwear? How do you know if the piece is too far-gone to save? Any mending methods you recommend?

ETA: before and after (laundering) photos!

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30 replies

Latest reply was from Bijou

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Even though I used tobe an avid knitter (my username is the name of the hand dyed yarn company that I used to have). Just a suggestion for next time- anything you are concerned may have moths, put it in a ziploc bag and freeze it overnight. The cold will kill everything and not ruin your fabric.

cat2

Veteran

Yikes, that sounds like a big mending project.

Anonymous

Alternative moth killing solution is to put the item in a very low oven for half an hour. The lowest setting on mine is 170 fahrenheit, but I think it could be as low as 130 and work just as well.

I've repaired many things but you would have to find a yarn that is not only a match for color and texture but also weight. I would not recommend it in this case because moth damage can vary, stitches that weren't as badly damaged might be about to let go.

nuancedream

Veteran

The thought of DIY textile mending is very daunting, especially with 9 holes to mend. Years ago, I had a beloved and pricey blazer with a very noticeable and very large moth hole repaired by a textile weaver. The repair was flawless but the cost was almost as much as the blazer. If there are multiple holes and the item isn't of impeccable quality, its next home should probably be the textile recycle bin

Sloper

Veteran

We had a moth infestation a few years ago. A beautiful grey cashmere maxi skirt was attacked. I found a small store that did reweaving. They did a spectacular job. As Nuancedream says, the cost of this type of work can be much more than the item's worth.

Do you have any recourse through Poshmark or is everything "as is."

There are probably re-weaving videos on YouTube.

I'm sorry - I know how this feels to see such destruction from such wee creatures (wee EVIL creatures).

LaPed

Veteran

Oh, wow, that's bad! Since it was undisclosed, definitely let Poshmark know. They're pretty good about refunding if something arrives not as described.

I second the recommendation to throw it in the freezer so you don't end up with a moth infestation.

I wouldn't know how to tackle that as a repair project. My inclination would be to repurpose the wool for something else. I made cloth diaper covers for DS when he was an infant using felted wool sweater sleeves; old shrunken and motheaten sweaters were perfect for that. I'm trying to think of other uses for small pieces of felted wool -- dryer balls? trivets and potholders? Christmas ornaments? little wooly stuffed animals?

nemosmom

Veteran

Thank you, all for your feedback. I bought this cardi to wear around the house only; a replacement for a polyester fuzzy jacket I wore to shreds over the past 2 winters (oh, the irony...). It's natural fibers and made by Theory, so I thought it would be well-made. I suspect the weakened places gave way when I washed it. Woops.

Being a house topper, no one would really see this cardi... so my mending job wouldn't have to be perfect. Still, my time is worth something... and although I don't mind spending some of my time learning how to mend, I don't want to waste a lot of time on something that is beyond repair.

cjh

(website)

Veteran

If you feel crafty, you could add some cute felt or wool scrap patches.

https://mylistoflists.com/19-h.....clothes/6/

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Oh no! I would definitely be letting Poshmark know about that. Did you already leave feedback? I think that’s unacceptable.

No experience mending anything more challenging that a knit tee that developed a hole in the shoulder, so I’m no help with advice on mending.

nemosmom

Veteran

Oh yes, I did contact Poshmark - 5 minutes after I unpacked it!!!

I received an auto-reply that Poshmark is currently contacting the seller. I provided photos from the listing, as well as ones I took when it arrived. I also left feedback on the seller's profile with a 1-star review for not disclosing the damage. Shady, shady, man!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Yes, that is really shady. I’ve been so careful to disclose any flaws when selling items, that really frosts my butt when people sell something with issues like that!

nemosmom

Veteran

@Janet - the worst of it is - he hid the damage by the way he photographed the piece! Sleeves covering the hole above the pocket. His description said "Worn 5 times, like brand new!"

View Info

JAileen

Veteran

I’m a knitter, but not an much of a mender. To me, it looks hopeless. I hope you can get your money back. Fingers crossed.

SarahD8

Veteran

Oh, I HATE undisclosed moth holes in secondhand knitwear! I don't mind buying a "project" but I want to know what I'm getting into, you know? I hope you get a refund, and good for you for dinging the guy on review.

The founder of bookhou wrote a whole book on darning/visible mending so she would probably be a reliable source? Here's a video:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=640867213411715

That said, the damage you show is much more extensive than anything I've ever tried to repair -- the cuff damage especially looks tricky to me. At that point, I felt an item (just throw it in with a load of sheets or towels which I hot wash and dry on high) and repurpose: potholder, cat blanket, patches for worn-out elbows of other sweaters.

Gaylene

Veteran

I had fun mending the cuffs of a cashmere sweater using this website as an inspiration
https://www.collingwoodnorrisd.....ding-cuffs

My DIL liked the results so much she took the sweater back to Toronto so no pictures, unfortunately.

Might also want to google “visible mending sweaters” for more ideas. It’s actually kind of fun since there is no way you will “wreck” the sweater.

You might also want to look at Sashiko repair—the Japanese way of using embroidery to repair torn textiles—for ideas. The patch for a sweater could be felted wool or a bit of knit fabric. The basic idea is explained here:
https://www.toa.st/blogs/magazine/sashiko-repair

There are lots of YouTube videos on Sashiko mending to get you started.

rachylou

Veteran

Pinterest! Pinterest has a lot of fast-forward mending videos. I’d go for a visible mending deal - a needle with a big eye and some contrasting yarn.

Brooklyn

Veteran

Bummer!

To mend knitwear I just use a basic darning method. I join the wrong side edges together in a line then sew very small stitches in a matching yarn. It always shows a bit. For your knit, I would run the line in the same direction as the rib (shoulder to cuff) rather than across ways to disguise it some more.

You could consider decorative patches or ribbons as a way of disguising your mending.

On the cuffs, you could put velvet ribbon around each cuff to disguise the mend. For example, a graduated look of 3 velvet ribbons of the same colour and different widths could look nice. (Obviously you do both cuffs so it looks intentional.)

On the body, to disguise your mending you could use decorative iron on patches. There are lots of designs available on Etsy or at craft stores. You don’t have to use just one patch on each hole. It might actually look better to create a design from several patches so it looks intentional. I did this once to jeans using butterflies and flowers but there are lots of other possibilities: birds, letters, flags, skulls, logos.

This jacket for instance has a similar texture to your knit and looks pretty cool.

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Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

That deceptive photography is the worst!

Good luck getting it up to where you can live with it—I think you’re smart to use it as a practice piece.

I have a sweater my mom sent me our first winter here that I never wore, not even once, before moths in one of the short-term rentals we stayed in got to it. Still hanging onto it, because I love it & hope it can be mended.

Ginger

Veteran

I've done moth mending. Depending on the color and the knit pattern, it can be pretty invisible. Those are some big holes, but the wool is also nice and thick and the color is mixed. It's a great project to learn on.

I think what I do is a basic darn; I don't attempt to reweave (more accurately, re-knit):

tiny stitches around the hole
zig zag across the hole (across the narrow axis, if it's not round)
carefully draw the edges to touch (not tight) and continue stitching across and through to provide bulk and strength from the thread itself

I've found that it's best to work from the outside, which was counterintuitive to me at first. But it enables me to hide all my stitches. (A shiny polyester thread stitch can be more visible than the mend itself.) And often with my technique I end up with a bit of a ridge on the reverse side.

I'll take a few pictures and upload them.

Ginger

Veteran

These are repairs on a vintage knit set. (My wool knits are packed away in pillowcases for the summer and this was the easiest to get to!)

1-3 Two holes on the top. 1 shows the inside. The bigger hole is on the right. 2 and 3 are on the outside. The wool is nubbly which helps hide the repairs, though the distortion in the knitting is visible. This happens because the material in the middle is just gone, and the edges of the hole have to be drawn together.

4-6 A bigger hole on the skirt. 4-5 on the inside, 6 on the outside. The skirt has a ribbed pattern, which didn’t help in this case, since on the outside the hole was in a rib. The distortion on the outside is more visible than on the top, but it is still hard to see from any distance.

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Diana

Veteran

OK. So, first my honest opinion? I’d chuck this in the garbage with extreme prejudice and then demand my money back. That’s a lot of damage especially on the cuff, and there’s no guarantee that more won’t appear after another wash. (If you see any spots that look thin that’s a good indication of additional damage). I don’t think the amount of mending that this would require is worth it for anything except a piece that you are emotionally attached to.

If you really want to try to repair, this is the best method I know. You’re basically re-knitting the missing part with new yarn. It CAN be invisible but you obviously need a perfect yarn match for that. But it also looks nice as a deliberately visible mend.

https://www.knitfreedom.com/bl.....-knitting/

The cuff is going to be harder, since you are missing one side to anchor the repair to. I think you’d have to basically do a knitted bind-off on the hem side.

There is an alternate method which is darning - basically this is filling in the missing part with a woven patch instead of knitted. It’s always a visible mend. (There are many tutorials available if you Google this.)

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Wow. That’s extensive damage! Blast

I’m nodding along with Diana.

Interesting to see and hear about varying knitwear repair methods.

April

Veteran

Here is a truth about those diabolical moths that might make you feel slightly better: the critters doing the damage are not visible to the naked eye (i.e., it's not the flying moths that destroy the yarn but the larvae that hatch from their eggs).

It is conceivable that your seller truly did not see any damage, and that the damage occurred while the item was being shipped.

Used to happen to me a lot with one specific retailer. A perfect cashmere sweater would come out of its first hand-wash riddled with tiny moth holes. The retailer didn't catch them because they weren't there when the item shipped, nor when it arrived, nor when I wore it for the first and only time. There were tiny patches of weak yarn that had been nibbled, but they didn't become full-blown holes until I washed the sweater.

nemosmom

Veteran

Wow, Ginger, you mend is amazing! Thank you for sharing your process and the photos of your results.

CJH, Brooklyn, Sarah, Gaylene, Rachy, Diana - thank you for the links and suggestions!!!

April - that's exactly what has happened. The seller responded to Poshmark that the sweater was fine and he was not aware of any damage when he listed it. Of course my photos say otherwise. Next steps are Poshmark is allowing me to return it to him for inspection and refusal of my refund, but the fact I have laundered it complicates things.

Angie and Diana - chucking it in the garbage crossed my mind!!

Indigoprint

Veteran

This is my first post. I enjoy mending and have done a few sweaters. It is a beautiful color and looks mend-worthy. You would have a one -of a kind sustainable garment.
In addition to what has already been offered, the book Mending Matters is a good resource along with Martha Stewart. She specifically has an example in her book Very Good Things.
I order from Poshmark frequently. 2 times there was an issue and one was returned/refunded and the other resulted in a credit towards my next purchase.

nemosmom

Veteran

Indigoprint - thank you for sharing (and, welcome!!!) It is a really nice sweater, except for the holes I am also a frequent Poshmark shopper, and have had really good luck, 'til now. Sounds like they made things right with you; I am anxious to find out what happens with my sweater!

Joyce B

Veteran

You would need to have the same or a very similar yarn in order to be able to mend the sweater. If you wanted to fix that sleeve, the best bet in my opinion would be to unravel the sleeve and re-knit it from a moth free spot from up on the sleeve down to the cuff. VK and knitting books have tutorials on mending. I have mended/re-knitted moth holes and they have turned out ok, not perfect but they have saved very loved garments that got dreaded moth holes.
I hope Poshmark will do the right thing and refund your money.

Anonymous

I would definitely want a refund. That seller was clearly trying to hide the holes That wool could be hard to match to try to repair it.

Indigoprint

Veteran

Thank you Nemosmom for the therapy award. I had meant to mention that I find mending things in an artistic way therapeutic but wanted to stay brief.
Also as mentioned in other comments Pinterest has many inspirational ideas but sometimes not as much direction.

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