Clothing Rescue: Vintage Pure NZ Romney Wool Vest with Swiss Darning and Re-knitting

This vintage 80s vest is sideways machine knitted from pure nz Romney wool, with smocking effect panels running vertically front and back. It has a deep V neck and ribbed welt and cuffs, and is an oversize style that has a lovely drape when worn.

Since the vest is oversize in style, it will fit a range of sizes - from 10 to 16.

When the vest made its way to me, it had several fairly large holes in it and some damage to the ribbing but looked otherwise to have had very little wear. I've repaired the damaged areas with a combination of swiss darning and reknitting, in various patterns because eclectic is my thing. I choose to mend visibly, which is what I've done here, because I love the idea of a garment showing the life it's led - sort of self-documenting - and I think the life of a garment should be celebrated, not hidden. Any mending will extend the life of a garment, but visible mending means you get to have a bit of fun with it too, so this one has a bit of plaid going on, little overlapping bubbles, that sort of thing.

As always the mending materials have come from my nutty reserve of leftover and short-end vintage wool yarns.