Making it my own
Visibly mending my moth-nibbled Finisterre beanie
Throughout my teens I wanted to fit in, yet I didn’t want to be dressed as an identikit of everyone else my age. When my peers bought granddad tops, checked shirts, Levi’s 501s and Doc Martens, I sought out variations, choosing different colours, styles or textures so my wardrobe wasn’t a carbon copy of theirs, and I didn’t feel like a clone.
Now, in my 40s the same feelings are playing out, although I’m far less concerned with fitting in yet, as a Mum of two primary school kids used to throwing on the easiest coat to do the school run in the rain, it’s harder feel like an individual.
As much as I love the outdoor brand Finisterre, I’m less keen on the fact the living in Bristol, and working in the creative and sustainability sectors, you can’t swing a carton of organic Oatly barista without hitting someone wearing the same black Finisterre waterproof coat or orange wool beanie that have become my winter ‘uniform’. I’ve followed Finisterre for years and whilst I’m happy to see it doing so well, I do wish fewer people in my vicinity were wearing the exact same items as me.
I’ve been thinking about customising my hat since I was given it a few Christmases ago but haven’t had the time. This year however, it has been nibbled by moths, so necessity demanded I got out my mending kit. Obviously, I opted for a visible repair, although I could have done this one on the reverse fairly invisibly!
Last week I had a long train journey and decided to take my beanie and get stitching en route to London. It seems to be a week for squeezing work in where I can. As I type this, I’m sitting in the clubhouse at the tennis court by my son’s school while he has a lesson. (Clubhouse makes it sound very grand, like a high-end country club. In reality it’s a lovely, local community tennis club, and whilst it could do with being more inclusive, it’s a great place for kids to play, and for me to have a game with friends).
For this repair I chose some variegated Opal yarn I bought from a local toy shop, which is sadly closing this month as the owner is retiring. It’s one of those wonderful places that is pretty much devoid of plastic tat and has a beautifully curated collection of craft supplies, books, wooden make-believe toys and games. It does all come at a price so whilst I’ll miss it being on our high street, I rarely buy anything from there and usually opt for secondhand. I will visit before it closes though to stock up on more of this yarn - it’s a lovely weight, somewhere between a darning yarn and tapestry wool, both of which I often work with.
My mending kit for this repair:
Needle
Pin cushion (normally goes without saying but on a train this is essential to keep the needle on the tray)
Snips
Yarn
Here’s how I did this repair:
I created a vertical warp
Next I wove the weft horizontally, making a stitch at the end of each row to secure the yarn on each side
Finally I secured the ends of the yarn on the reverse by weaving them into the back of the knit around the hole (bottom right). This also helps to prevent the hole getting any bigger.
What’s coming up this week:
My mending pile: too much to mention!
Next week on The Mending Kit: I’m not sure at this point. We’ve got some work starting on our house in the next few days so things will be up in the air. Hopefully I’ll have time to post next week!
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