My grandma's crocheted blanket finally gave out after 35 years

I pulled out this old green and yellow blanket my grandma made in 1989 for a nap on Saturday and a whole section just unraveled in my hands. It got washed maybe twice a year and sat folded on the back of the couch most of its life, so I guess the yarn just got brittle over time. Any tips for fixing a hole like that without having to learn how to crochet from scratch?

3 comments

3 Comments

clairen851mo ago

Happened to a buddy of mine with a throw pillow his aunt made. He just took some yarn that was close in color and used a darning needle to weave it back and forth across the hole, kind of like patching a sock. It wasn't pretty but it held together for another year until he got around to asking his mom to show him the basic stitch.

burns.jenny1mo ago

Honestly, that darning trick works way better than you'd think for small holes. My grandma taught me to use a darning egg but a lightbulb works in a pinch if you don't have one, just be careful not to break it. The key is to weave the yarn tight enough to close the gap but not so tight it puckers the fabric around it. Tbh, a little patched spot adds character, makes the thing feel more like yours.

the_nathan29d ago

I had a buddy Mark who found his late grandmother's afghan in a box after moving. It had this big gap near the bottom edge where the yarn just snapped apart. He watched a five minute video on darning and fixed it with a yarn needle and some leftover red yarn he had. It looked a little off color wise but honestly it gave the blanket a new story to tell. He said the whole process took him maybe an hour and the hole has been solid for three years now. Sometimes you just gotta try the simple fix first before assuming you need to learn a whole new craft.