Solace for the soul

Coincidence, or destiny, or maybe the 134 bus, brought me to Kentish Town, where the London Bead Co has a shop, right opposite the tube station. I have long needed some blue darning wool, so it was imperative to visit the shop immediately. The front room is full of beads and the back room is full of embroidery threads, and oh what a luscious display the colours make, guaranteed to lift the spirits ...

The "darning wool" is appleton's tapestry wool, 2 ply - which comes in quite a few shades of blue; slightly problematic as I knew the holey jumper was dark blue but - what sort of dark blue? (Shade card is here.)

 

Shade 784, next to the pinks, was my stab in the dark. It turned out to be ok, once blended with a very thin bit of black wool, because the holey jumper (cashmere and merion) was on closer examination, knitted from a thin mottled yarn. I thought I'd found all the areas of weakness and (moth) holes, but when the jumper was washed after darning, another hole appeared. (Here is some advice on getting rid of moths, though it doesn't mention freezing, the textile curators' treatment of choice.)

A silky little present to myself, much more satisfying (and only slightly more expensive) than a cup of coffee. The colour is gorgeous in real life - perhaps the feel of silk enhances the hue?