How to Repair Pulls/Snags in Knits

Okay, I’ve got something a little bit different for you today. It’s not *technically* a sewing tool but I think it fits really well with sustainable sewing, slow fashion and generally being an environmentally conscious consumer.

I read somewhere recently (think it was Fashion Revolution) that the most sustainable garment in the world is the one already in your wardrobe and it really struck a chord with me. I had a conversation with my husband recently where he told me he read somewhere that the outdoor brands he likes are moving away from making down jackets because of ethical and environmental reasons and therefore he was considering replacing his down jacket with a (recycled) synthetic one. We had a discussion about how wearing and using the down jacket he already owns is the most sustainable and ethical decision he could make and we discussed repairing and caring for it as a way of making that decision last the longest possible time.

I had these discussions in mind when I was asked if I would like to test these Clover Snag Repair Needles. I really want to make the decision to take care of my existing clothing, I want to care for and repair my clothes as and when they need it. I think taking care of our garments has fallen out of favour with the rise in fast fashion, and removing stains, bobbles and taking care of pulls is more effort than going and buying more new stuff these days.

I was interested in these Snag Repair Needles but I do admit I was approaching them with some trepidation. I mean, they look spikey and rough and kind of like they shouldn’t be anywhere near my delicate knitwear. However, I have one cardigan (my favourite one) that seems to be knit with yarn that’s a bit like embroidery floss – its like it’s knitted with lots of really thin strands held together. It is my absolute favourite cardigan, it’s a RTW one from Palava but it is REALLY prone to snags. It drives me crazy! Especially around the wrists where I obviously reach for stuff and snag the tiny threads on things – sometimes it looks really scruffy and I can’t count the amount of times I have sat trying to pull the snags through to the other side with a regular needle.

SO despite my trepidation I was pretty keen to give these a go. The needles come in a pack of two – a thinner, finer needle and a thicker, rougher one. At first I tried to use the thinner needle as I was really wary of causing more pulls to my precious knits, but it didn’t do anything. So, I gave the thicker needle a try and, you guys – it was like MAGIC.

You basically poke the pointy end of the needle through the right side of the knitwear. This is such a revelation after spending hours at the wrong side of garments trying to find the right thread to pull through to the wrong side. With these, you poke the needle through the right side at exactly the point where the pull is starting, then pull the needle all the way through the fabric to the wrong side. At some point during pulling, the rough sides of the needle grab on to the pull and drag it through to the wrong side of the fabric. Just like that!

I cannot say anymore about it, IT WORKS, so now I don’t have to spend hours trying to keep my lovely cardigan looking nice. I don’t know what it says about me, but I actually found it quite fun and starting going round the house looking for pulls to fix. I don’t know if the thinner one will be much use for any knitwear as I can’t imagine any knitwear with any threads finer than this, but I do have this viscose twill skirt which had a couple of pulls and the finer needle worked a treat for that!

I hope you found this useful and if you have any top tips for garment care, I would love to hear them!

For more information you can head over to the Clover website  https://www.clover-mfg.com/ and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to drop them an email at clover@stocksitenquiries.co.uk

Disclaimer: ⭐️Clover Snag Repair Needles were provided free of charge in exchange for a review. All opinions are totally my own, and I wouldn’t recommend something I didn’t like!