A thin patch at the elbow of a wool jumper is easier to mend than it looks. Catch it before the yarn breaks through and the repair will be small, flat and hard to see. You need a darning mushroom, a needle with a blunt point and a length of yarn that matches the jumper.
Set up the mushroom
Turn the jumper inside out and slide the mushroom under the worn area. The dome holds the cloth taut without stretching it. If you do not have a mushroom, a smooth wooden spoon or a small ball of paper will do.
Look at the patch in daylight. A thin area has yarn that is worn but still whole. A hole has broken threads and needs the darn to bridge the gap. Keep the patch small. A large darn on a light knit adds weight and can pull the cloth around it.
Match the yarn
Use a wool yarn as close as you can to the weight and colour of the jumper. A slightly finer yarn is easier to work and sits flatter. Wool yarn can be split if it is old, so test a short length between your hands before you begin. Break off a length about an arm's length long, because a long thread will fray as it passes through the cloth.
Work a woven darn
Begin a little beyond the worn area on one side. Work small upright stitches across the patch, keeping them close and even, then turn the work and weave across them at right angles, passing over one thread and under the next.
Do not pull the yarn tight. The darn should sit level with the cloth, with a little give, or it will pucker when the jumper is worn. Finish the last thread on the inside and darn in the end.
Press the patch under a damp cloth, not directly with the iron. The wool will settle and the repair will disappear into the knit. If you would rather not do it yourself, you can post any Thrum piece to the mill. We darn, patch or re-hem it for a flat £15 plus your postage and send it back within three weeks. Nothing is booked online.
