I knitted my son a blanket with the lionking cashmere. Here’s the problem my now nearly 2 year old son has loved this blanket nearly to pieces. A few of the squares are nothing but string and some of them are starting to really fall apart. Any ideas as to how to fix it or if I should knit a new blanket? Yarn sugestions and or patterns would be great. Please remember I’m still what I’d call a beginer knitter.
Thanks!
A lot of those blankets are really tough if not impossible to fix. You could make him another blanket, but the old one will still be special to him. There are some options which allow him to keep it: you can sew it up in a pillow case; you can have a blanky to take out and a blanky for home; you can sew the blanky up in a build-a-bear, or another stuffed anomal. One of my friends used the build-a-bear option with her DD recently - Blanky was pretty much in tatters!
I’m new to this forum, hello everyone.
My grandmother, who taught me to knit, made me an afghan many years ago. Often I just crochet closed any holes or tears in it now with some matching yarn. No, it doesn’t look perfect at all but it keeps that treasured keepsake intact.
Could you darn it? Like a sock? It’ll be obvious but at least it’ll keep it in one piece.
I tend to agree with the idea of using it to stuff a toy or knitted pillow for him, and then make another blanket with a little bit sturdier yarn. I make a lot of baby things and always use a machine washable wool blend such a Lion Brand Wool-Ease or Plymouth Encore. I want the recipient to be able to keep it clean without a lot of hand washing or even dry cleaning.
You can let him pick out the colors for the new blanket, maybe make it with a smaller needle than the yarn calls for to make it a little sturdier, and when your new blanket and matching pillow are done, he can help you fold up the old pillow and put it into the new pillow to be sewn up where it can still be close to him.
I wish I could get the blanket away from my son to get a picture of it. A few of the squares are just strings with little bits of fluff attacted where the cashmere used to be. He spends all day carrying that blanket around then if snuggles under it at his nap time then sleeps with it at night. All of those are great ideas I just don’t know or if it can be done since quiet a few of the squares are just string.
I am thinking in terms of the child and his feeling of security. Obvioously it is his security blanket and he does not care how it looks. Let him pick the yarn for another blanket and maybe knit a square from yarn from the other blanket into it to that the first blanket is in the second blanket. Explain to him that the blanket is worn out and needs to rest just like when he gets really tired and sleepy. Involve him in the process so that he makes the transition without trauma.
BTW: I crocheted a blanket for a baby shower gift 3 years ago before I learned to knit. Every Sunday morning, I see that blanket at church with that little red-haired girl who wont go anywhere without it. Thankfully, I used a sturdy yarn!
You mention that some of the “squares” are tattered. Couldn’t you simply replace those squares? Make some new squares of the same size, snip out the tattered ones and sew in the new ones? I’ve done this with afghans made of Granny squares where one or two squares were torn or worn through and replaced them with new ones made to match (if not in the actual yarn, then in a matching color).
I’m new to this forum and this is my first response actually. How old is he? Is he going to go insane if you ‘change’ his blanket around by fixing or replacing certain damanged parts? My son would have flipped out. Heres a thought… if he likes it the way it is… tie off or weave in any loose yarns that might cause strangulation and fix any soon to be loose strands.
You could always ask if he wants to donate that one to a baby that needs one…(ie, getting rid of it…) and then let him pick out new yarns for a new one…for a bigger better big boy blanket. Save his old one and fix it later when he’s asleep and tuck it away for when he’s older to give him back as a keepsake.
Good Idea!
Thanks to everyone for the great ideas, I’ve knitted new squares to try and sneak into place. Now if I could just get the blanket away from him lol. There are more squares than needed and they are smaller than the other squares so I’m going to have to get creative with putting the blanket back together. Thanks everyone for the help knitting a replacement blanket is tottally out. Although I might knit each of them a dishcloth blanket. Not sure what kind of yarn to use maybe I’ll pick up a cotton in a nice color.