Scanfil mending wool

Scanfil mending wool is ideal for darning socks and other thin-ish to medium-weight knitwear, and for embroidery. It's made from a blend of wool and nylon, similar to sock yarn, for added strength. You can also combine it with sock yarn when knitting socks to reinforce heels and toes.

This is one of the few places where you'll find the complete colour range*, with something for everyone: exciting brights for colour lovers, standard school-uniform colours for the kiddos, and neutral colours for conservative dressers (and those who love them). The pink sock featured here and in Modern Mending the book was darned using Scanfil mending wool in the colours 90 orange and 85 peacock.

Overwhelmed by all the colour choices? Select one or more 'ELF's choice' cards and I’ll pick for you! 

Made in the Netherlands from 55% wool / 45% nylon, wound onto cardstock. Each card contains 15m of 2-ply yarn.

NOTE: Scanfil mending yarn is produced in a few different factories, and dye lots can vary greatly. I take and colour-match my own photographs (not stock images) and keep a close eye on inventory, updating images here whenever a new dye lot begins. (I take it very seriously – with headlamps and spreadsheets – because it drives me bananas!) If you are planning a large mending project or there's a particular shade you love, it's best to buy multiple cards at a time; I will ensure you receive cards from the same dye lot when I pack your order.

* Technically speaking, this is beyond the full colour range – more than you will find anywhere else in the world! – as I add my own colour options when dye lots get really wacky, to give you more choice.

For a more colourful, special, locally made mending yarn, try Mend it - limited-edition upcycled mending yarn. If you’re darning cotton or other plant-based fibres, try Scanfil cotton mending yarn or Cottage Garden Threads embroidery thread. For a thick option if you need to darn chunky, hand-knit clothing, I recommend using knitting yarn instead (not available here; ask your knitter friends for scraps or support your local yarn shop!).

Want to see how it’s done? Modern Mending the book includes 32 pages of darning instructions and 18 pages of hand-stitching instructions, with photographs and illustrated diagrams.

Weekly dispatch

This shop dispatches orders once a week so I can do alllll the things – including running this shop and running after two tiny tots – and enjoy my life. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated.

Shipping carrier

I ship via Australia Post. If you select Express Post at checkout, it will speed up Australia Post's delivery timeframe but won't speed up my process.

After your order has been packed, you will receive an email notification with your Australia Post tracking number, which you can use to check on the delivery status of your order.

International customers: click here for current Australia Post international delivery timeframes.

Shipping fees

Shipping is currently a flat rate of $12 within Australia ($17 Express Post); international shipping is calculated at checkout. Gift vouchers are delivered electronically and do not require shipping.

International shipping

I ship worldwide with the exception of the UK, due to VAT regulations that came into effect on 1 January 2021. If you are in the UK you can order the UK edition of my book from your local bookshop.

Local delivery

Customers in Northcote, Thornbury and nearby suburbs (subject to capacity) can select local delivery at checkout. Local delivery is extra-slow and coincides with my pram-walking / kid-wrangling schedule, up to one week after purchase.
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I choose to reuse

When shipping orders my first priority is to reuse packaging materials whenever possible – boxes, padded mailers, cardboard, paper, tissue paper, bubble wrap and egg cartons from neighbours, second-hand shops and recycling centres. I cannot guarantee the materials used to ship your order will be plastic-free for this reason.

I buy recycled packaging

If I don’t have suitable second-hand packaging to use for your order, my next priority is packaging made from recycled materials. It's important to me to support Australian companies making good products from our recyclables, and to make sure that material gets a second life.

Tape

I use compostable, gummed kraft-paper tape to seal my parcels whenever possible. I have a second-hand tape wetter that I love, purchased from my local op shop. Gummed paper tape is available at most art-supply shops if you want to make the switch yourself!

Express Post orders will have official plastic "Express Post" tape added.

International orders will have a plastic pocket taped to them, to accommodate paperwork required by customs.

Individual product packaging

Every item for sale on this website has its packaging components listed and in most cases photographed, so you can make an informed decision.

Upstream packaging

When I speak to my suppliers I specifically ask that my orders be supplied to me without plastic packaging, whenever possible, to avoid waste and single-use plastic. This isn’t always possible, but I’ll keep asking, forever.

Here's how one of my suppliers has my name recorded in its database: