These gloves

A celebration of transformation

These gloves have worked hard for me. They’ve protected my hands from the elements for years. Through the winter months as I pushed my son's buggy up and down the unforgivingly hilly streets of Bristol. Hoping he’ll sleep, as I rushed to a writing course or Pilates class, trying to get my mind and body back into shape. Stronger, leaner for the challenging days, weeks and years ahead.

Some months (or maybe years) later, I realised and accepted that I won't be my old self again. I won't get 'back' in shape. I'll try to embrace my new shape. My body, not what it was after carrying and birthing two babies. Perhaps that’s okay.

These gloves kept my fingers cosy as my son grew and I held his hand as we walked to nursery, then later to school. They are well-worn and much-loved, and their hard work began to show. I wanted to return the favour. Not discard them at the first sign of wear but celebrate their flaws by patching them with care.

After mending them numerous times, before I knew it, fresh holes appeared. This is what happens when our clothes do their job. They show signs of wear but they can be restored. Not to their former glory, but something different. The scars can be honoured. Their new form valued. Cherished, not despite the visible transformation but thanks to it.

Today, on the first instalment of my glove repair, a new hole needs my attention. Soon, I’ll restore these gloves once again but not ‘back to their prime’. They will be different, better perhaps.

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One of the things I love about repair is being ‘in flow’ and darning is a mindful practice for me. That means I don’t always stop to take process photos, as was the case with these glove repairs. Other days I’m in a hurry to get it done and so I don’t have time. I do wish I had taken ‘before’ photos but I will aim to do that for the next glove repair which I will share soon.

My mending kit for this repair on my Seasalt gloves:

Darning needle
Snips
Tapestry yarn*
The wooden end of a grapefruit knife**

*this is actually much weightier than the yarn used to make the gloves – a normal darning yarn would have matched better. However, I didn’t have fine darning yarn in colours I liked for this repair and wanted to make a chunkier darned patch as it will hopefully wear better.
**the handle end of my darning mushrooms were too thick so I searched through my kitchen drawers for something the right width (I’ll show you this in my next glove repair)

Here’s what’s on my mind this week:

• My mending pile: the new hole in my gloves is top of my mending pile – it might be March but my hands still get cold outside so I need to get them fixed quick!

• What I’m buying: yesterday I snapped up some fine, bright green yarn from a local charity shop - they are amazing places to stock up on mending supplies.

• Next week on The Mending Kit: I bring new life to a 50-year-old moth-eaten, hand-knitted oatmeal Aran jumper, with the help of some hot pink tapestry yarn