Buying secondhand or preloved cashmere is a sustainable choice and learning how to mend your cashmere at home makes it even more rewarding. Mending cashmere is a practical way to extend the life of your favourite pieces, reduces waste and adds a personal touch to your wardrobe. But what kind of mending is right for you? Each mending technique has its own look, skill level and ideal application, so choosing the right one helps your repair last longer and look intentional.

1. Visible Mending

Visible mending turns damage into a feature rather than hiding it. It embraces bold colours, contrasting yarns and graphic stitches to celebrate repair.

• What it looks like: Bright patches, woven darning blocks, embroidered motifs or duplicate stitch patterns that stand out from the original knit.

• Best for: Small to medium holes, thinning areas or stains where you’d rather add decoration than disguise the flaw.

• Pros:

• Beginner‑friendly and forgiving of imperfections.

• Lets you add personality and style to otherwise plain knits.

• Things to consider:

• The mend will be obvious, which may not be for everyone.

• Planning colours and shapes in advance helps the design feel cohesive.

2. Invisible/Disguised Mending

Invisible mending aims to restore the fabric so that the repair is as unnoticeable as possible from the outside. It tries to mimic the original structure, colour and texture of the knit.

• What it looks like: Reconstructed stitches (see point 4 for Swiss darning, the above image is a colour matched traditional darn) that blend seamlessly, with the hole or worn area disappearing into the surrounding fabric.

• Best for: High‑value or sentimental garments where you want to maintain the original appearance, such as heirloom cashmere sweaters or classic cardigans.

• Pros:

• Keeps the overall style of the garment intact.

• Ideal when you want the focus on the knit, not the repair.

• Things to consider:

• Requires careful yarn matching for colour, fibre, and thickness.

• Often more technically demanding and time‑consuming than visible mending.

• Works best when you catch damage early, before the hole becomes very large.

3. Traditional Darning

Traditional darning creates a woven patch that replaces worn or missing fabric while remaining flexible enough for regular wear.

• Typical look: A rectangular or oval patch with visible woven threads; it can blend if you match yarn (invisible darning), or stand out if you choose a contrast colour (visible darning).

• Best for:

• • Heels and toes of socks that have worn through.

  • Elbows, cuffs, and other high‑friction spots on sweaters.

  • Areas where the fabric is completely gone and needs rebuilding, not just reinforcing.

• Pros:

• Strong and durable, especially when worked densely over a darning mushroom or similar support.

• Does not require complex knitting skills, only basic weaving‑like motions.

• Works on both hand‑knits and fine commercial knits with suitable yarn and needle size.

• Things to consider:

• The patch usually looks more woven than knitted, so it will not exactly mimic the original stitch pattern.

• Thickness and tension matter; using yarn that is too heavy can create a stiff, bulky spot, while very fine yarn may wear out quickly.

• Squared or neatly oval patch shapes make it easier to achieve even, long‑lasting coverage.

4. Swiss Darning (Duplicate Stitch)

Swiss darning, also called duplicate stitch, is a knitwear‑specific technique that copies each knitted stitch with a new yarn, following the original loops. Done in a matching yarn, it can be almost invisible; done in a contrast, it becomes decorative.

• Typical look: New stitches sit neatly on top of the original ones, either blending in or forming clear motifs and blocks of colour.

• Best for:

• Reinforcing thin or worn areas before they become holes (elbows, underarms, cuffs).

• Small holes in stockinette fabric.

• Adding patterns or colour work to plain knits.

• Pros:

• Preserves the stretch and drape of the original knitting because it follows the existing stitch structure.

• Very versatile: suitable for both visible and invisible mending.

• Things to consider:

• Works best on smooth stitches like stockinette; textured patterns require more concentration.

• Careful tension is important so the fabric neither puckers nor sags.

• Can take a lot of practice to pick up and perfect.

5. Scotch Darning

Scotch darning is a robust darning method that uses rows of blanket‑like stitches worked over laid foundation threads. It creates a firm, slightly thicker patch that can stand up to heavy wear.

• Typical look: A defined patch with a woven or tiled surface, sometimes with a subtle raised texture compared to the original fabric.

• Best for:

• High‑friction areas such as sock heels, toes, cuffs, and elbows.

• Larger holes that need a sturdy, structural repair.

• Pros:

• Strong and durable, ideal for everyday workhorse garments.

• The construction makes it good for rebuilding missing fabric, not just reinforcing thin spots.

• Things to consider:

• Less stretchy than the surrounding knit, which can feel firmer in socks or sleeves.

• The mend may be slightly bulkier, so placement and yarn weight matter.

6. Blanket Stitch on Knitwear

Blanket stitch is a simple edging stitch that can be used alone or as part of other mends (including Scotch darning). On knitwear, it creates a neat border and can also bridge and secure fragile edges around a hole.

• Typical look: Even, looped stitches marching around the edge of a hole, hem, or cuff, either subtle or boldly contrasting in colour.

• Best for:

• Stabilising the edges of a hole before filling it with another technique.

• Tidying frayed or stretched edges on cuffs, hems, and necklines.

• Decorative edging on visible mends and patches.

• Pros:

• Straightforward to learn and quick to work.

• Good way to prevent further unravelling while you decide on a more complex repair.

• Things to consider:

• On its own, blanket stitch may not be enough for very large holes; pairing it with darning or a patch gives more strength.

• Even spacing is key to a tidy finish, so marking guidelines can help.

To get started on your mending journey, we offer our Reclaimed Cashmere Mending Kits which have everything you need to start darning your knitwear at home. If you're a seasoned mender or have everything you need already, our Reclaimed Cashmere Mending Yarns are a great solution for mending cashmere and fine woollen knits.

Happy Mending!