Holey Treasures - My Attempt to Repair something Treasured

Very few people have been genuinely touched by the things I craft or make for them.... Short of the inner circle of certain family members, the BF, his Daughters, it kinda baffles some of my friends and family when I craft them something Knit or Crochet....One of the few friends I will craft for is my friends Erik and Namie (Erik's GirlFriend).  The Skater Beanie I made Erik has traveled to NY, Las Vegas, Japan, and keeps his head warm when he skates.  When he introduced Namie to us (friends), I wanted to make her something, but didnt know what.  Eventually I made her a Shawl, and I was taken aback by how truly grateful she was that someone had made her a gift.

So, when Erik asked "Hey, do you know how to Fix a Sweater that might have some Moth Holes in it?"  I was take off-guard.

I fixed a hole in a Worsted Weight (thick) sweater, once, and it wasn't that great.  That was years ago, and since I've gotten a little better at Crochet, and started learning to Knit since then, I thought I'd be up to the task.

(Let me interject here) Tip #1: If you don't do your research, you can't get mad at the Results.

I didn't know what to expect until Erik brought the sweater to me.  It's a Vintage MunsingWear Penguin Sweater, I had one when I was a teenager, and loved it.  So I totally felt for him wanting to try and fix the sweater.   The sweater is A pale Olive, with Cream and Lilac stripes in it.

Luckily, I had some pale Olive yarn from a Recycled Sweater project that went awry.

Tip #2: Recycling Yarn from Sweater's is hard.  This is my second failed attempt!

The Recycled Sweater project went terribly, and I got impatient and broke out my scissors.  So I have a couple of scraps laying around right now, and I'm trying to plan other projects.  The scraps are big enough to pull a double strand of yarn from them and use to repair the sweater.  I also have some Cream Cashmere Laceweight, it's a little thin, but it is a perfect match to the Cream stripes in Erik's Sweater.

So, being scared, and afraid I might pull more threads loose than necessary, I got to work...


And, I'm super proud of it (even though I'm sure it's not the best repair)!  Check out the results:



Unfortunately, I have like, 6 more holes to go.

Since I don't have any lilac yarn, I'm going to need to get creative.  Here's what I'm going to be doing with the Cream and Lilac Sections, along with some tips:

Find the edge of the hole, and then find the next closes loop of yarn that isn't ripped, moth-eaten, or shredded.  This was really hard on this one, so I took the next little "Loopie" back from the edge of the cream yarn, and then pulled it through a "stable" Lilac loop of yarn.

 

Then, I doubled the cream yarn (since it's super skinny):

And pulled it through both loops.

  

Tip #3: Check your work before proceeding to the next step.

This worked pretty good, except that some of the garter stitch edges in the back were a bit weaker than I thought, and I didn't notice it till I got done.

This is what the Lilac and Cream section looks like:

It's not too bad, but I plan on spending the next few weeks trying to fix this up and make the repairs right.  That one cream thread is bugging me in that pic.  I wanna prove to myself that I can do this, and since the Holidays (I celebrate the Holidays starting from Thanksgiving, which is when he will probably get this) are gonna be tough this year, I want to Re-Make something important into something treasured and loved again.

Thanks for reading, and wish me luck with the rest of these Holes!

PS: Another Great Tip.  Erik thinks most of these holes are from a Moth.  As all Knitters, Crocheters, and Antique/Vintage Textile Lovers know, Moths are MONSTERS!  To keep your Linens, Sweaters, and Apparel free of the dreaded Buggies, make yourself a cute little Sachet using Lavender & Peppermint Oil.  If you're a Dude, as many are, make a little Sachet Using Cedar & Lavender.  Use the Lavender in a smaller quantity, and you'll find it will blend well into a rather Masculine fragrance!

I crochet little Amigurumi (Japanese Toys) all the time, and this little Tea Cup and Coffee Mug pattern is perfect for mini-Sachets.  I use them in a lot of my photos, here's my Coffee Mug one:

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and Polly Want a Crafter!