Machine knit garment repairs include such repairs as unraveling around the neckline.  Have you noticed that a lot of the machine knit cardigans and tops begin to unravel around the neck area? The biggest problem you have is finding a thread or wool colour that matches the garment.  Most people do not save the little plastic bag that comes with most knit garments.  They supply a small amount of wool, so that if something does go wrong, you can repair it with the same wool, however if the sample has been lost it is hard to match the wool.

For future reference, if you do buy a knit garment, place the little plastic sample in your lingerie draw in a small container.  That way every time you have a sample, pop it in there with all the others for future use.

But in the mean time, let's say you have lost your sample.  What I do is turn a sleeve inside out, and unravel the inside arm seam very carefully.  This will have been sewn with the wool, and it is usually in a chain stitch that can be unraveled.  (I do have a section in my book on how to unravel a chain stitch)

The benefit of unpicking the inside arm seam, is that you can sew this seam back up using your sewing machine, and no one will know that you unpicked it.  Try and sew it back together with a thread as close in colour to the garment as possible.  When sewing knit, have your stitch length between a medium to large length.  Never try and sew a knit with the stitch length too tight.  You will have to pull the ribbing aside as you sew, to ensure you stitch into the original section that was sewn.

Now thread the wool that you unpicked onto a needle, and catch each knitted loop ONE at a time.  It is a slow process, and if you are doing this for a customer, you should charge for your time.  To give you an idea, I generally charge around $15 - $18 to do this, depending on how much has unraveled.  It should take you around 20 minutes to complete.

You will notice that you have to do the front and the back. If you are doing this for the first time, you might like to begin by repairing the underside first.  That way you get your practice in, and then when you do the front you will have worked out your rhythm.

This also applies if you have a hole in a knit.  Unpick the inside arm seam and use that wool to repair the hole.

Happy altering

Judith Turner