This year I’m delighted to be teaching some in person visible mending workshops locally to me in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.

I’m teaching these darning and swiss darning workshops at the Little Art Hub, a fantastic new local venture that’s promoting art and creative workshops in the centre of Galashiels.

Galashiels is an ex-industrial textile town, with a very tiny amount of industry left. Like so many small towns, in the recent decade the high street has really struggled, and so it’s great that projects like the Little Art Hub are emerging.

As my studio isn’t big enough to host the workshops there, I will be able to invite workshop participants to visit it earlier in the day if they would like to.

What to expect during the darning workshop

During the workshop we will look at the structure of knitted fabric, so you know what to look for to make your darning neater, and also how to avoid anything coming apart.

I’ll teach you two different approaches to darning that give different effects, and that are suited to slightly different types of damage.

If time (and there normally is just enough time) I will also show you two different patterns you can add into your darning.

I’ll provide all the materials you need for the workshop, but you can also bring any projects you have that you would like advice on or that you’d like to work on during the workshop instead. There will be plenty of colours of yarn to choose from, and you can try different combinations to see how they look.

Teas, coffee and cake will also be provided (I am currently planning to make the cake myself if I have time), and of course there will be plenty of chat!

Do bring glasses if you need them so that you can see the stitches as they’re fairly small, and a notebook and pen if you wish to take notes.

If you can’t make an in-person workshop, my online darning workshops cover the same information, you just have to make your own tea and provide your own snacks!

What to expect during the swiss darning workshop

Much like the darning workshop, I will show you exactly what you need to know about knitted fabrics and how to choose your materials to start with.

We will then go through the basic swiss darning stitch, which can be used for reinforcement and for creating patterns. I’ll also show you some variations you can use.

Then we’ll move on to repairing a hole using swiss darning. This is the bit that doesn’t look like much if you haven’t seen the ‘before’ stage. You will learn to reconstruct the knitted fabric, repairing a hole so that it looks like it’s been knitted.

As above, all materials will be provided, as well as refreshments.

Why Learn Visible Mending with Me?

• It will save you buying new knitwear, AND you get to keep wearing your old favourite sweaters! 

• I will show you exactly what you need to know. I have a degree in design for textiles, specialising in knitwear, and have 17 years of experience working in knitwear in a very hands on practical way- so I know exactly what to look for when mending it.

• My mending wasn't great when I first started about 8 years ago, and so I can teach you exactly what you need to know to avoid the mistakes I made, so you can make your own mending look great! 

• With 6 years of experience teaching darning and visible mending for knitwear, I am good at predicting the mistakes you are likely to make, and how to correct/ avoid them.

• I also have teaching experience from being a knit tutor and technical demonstrator at both Duncan of Jordanston College of Art and Design and at Heriot Watt University.

Visiting Galashiels and the Surrounding Area

If you fancy a trip to the Scottish Borders and spending a more than an afternoon darning here, then I have a few recommendations of places to visit and nice walks if the weather is nice.

In Galashiels:

Visit the Great Tapestry of Scotland- it’s a history of Scotland in stitch, and has some really beautiful panels, all hand embroidered. I would allow at least 2 hours for the visit, and they have a café if you’d like a break or just want to have lunch.

Old Gala House

Once the Lairds House, this is now a museum and gallery sharing the story of the town and it’s people. It’s worth checking opening times before planning this into your trip, as I don’t think it’s open all year round.

Abbotsford House

The home of Sir Walter Scott. You can visit the house and walled garden, and there is also a nice café. There’s a lovely walk along the river with views of the house (free!) and a lovely selection of trees. This year I’ve spotted a kingfisher on the river here three times!

Ruined Abbeys

Melrose, which is a 5-minute drive from Galashiels, has a spectacular ruined abbey. However, it’s being cared for at the moment and is covered in scaffolding meaning you sadly can’t go into the main building.

As an alternative, I recommend Dryburgh Abbey- it’s also beautiful and feels very peaceful, and has several very old trees around it. There’s a nice walk along the river here too, and you can drive from the abbey to Galashiels via Scott’s View- Walter Scott’s favourite view of the Eildon hills, which is spectacular. There’s parking and a viewing spot.

Walks in the Scottish Borders near Galashiels

There are so many lovely walks in the area it’s hard to pick just a few.

If you would like a longer walk rather than a short stroll by the River Tweed (at Abbotsford or Dryburgh), there are several that I recommend.

The Eildon Hills are a great- you can choose to do one, two or three of the peaks depending on your energy levels and time. There are several ways up, so plenty of choice. Starting beside Bowden Loch is a more gentle walk up and nearest the smallest peak, or park near Rhymers Stone for a steeper route. You can also start in Melrose- all are great!

The Three Brethren are three 16th century cairns at the top of a hill, and one of my favourite walks. If you park at Yair, it’s about a 5 mile walk I think (for the whole walk), and great views from the top.

There’s also a really lovely loop along the Leader water. Starting near Leaderfoot viaduct,  walking along one side of the river and then crossing near Cowdenknowes house and walking back. It looks lovely all year round in my opinion- lots of snowdrops in early spring, followed by bluebells. The path goes up and down a lot, but there are some nice benches with great views along the route, and I have very occasionally seen otters and a kingfisher along the way. This is also about 5 miles.

The Scottish Borders is a lovely area to explore and not very touristy, so you may have these places largely to yourself. Enjoy the area or just come to a workshop- I can’t wait to welcome you here and give you the mending confidence you need!

If you can’t make it to an in-person workshop, then I do teach these darning and swiss darning workshops online as well.