Such a sweet baby boy! Love them blanket kiddos...my oldest had a mini quilt made by my grandmother. It was a double sided quilt, but he managed to wear it through. It went under the sewing machine several times to the point it was almost thread with very little material. We finally put it to rest when he was 9, but I do still have it tucked away, I just can't bear to part with it entirely...someday I'll find a way to "save" it...

Thank you for sharing your boys...

Awwww. I guess everything dies. The goldfish, the little plant in the foam cup, and blankies.

Would attaching a flannel backing to the blankie help?

That's so sweet. My daughter has her blanket that she loves -- she joke that she's going to walk down the aisle with it. Luckily, it's made from Polarfleece.

My brother was like this with a stuffed toy that my mom made for him - "Horsie." Eventually there were two or three Horsies so that one could get washed and one could get repaired while one was in use...

Ohhhh the "favorite corner" just kills me. I'm mush.

What stitch pattern did you use? I love how lacy it is while still being masculine! I have a brand new nephew that could really use a blanket. I just found your blog a few weeks ago from the link on Knitty and have really enjoyed looking through your archives. Entertaining writing! Great knitting advice! Cute pictures!

Same thing has happened to my son's handknit blankie. It was knitted by a family friend, so it has been less hard on me than if I had knitted it myself. But, I'm knitting him a new one right now, so I'm sure I will go through the same mix of emotions one day with that one!

That's how my daughter's favorite blankie got (it was flannel). There were patches and repairs all over it and finally we retired it. It's still nearby in her bedroom but doesn't go everywhere with us any more (thank goodness, she's nearly ten years old now).

What about B's blankie? It can't be far behind. Poor little boys. Poor little blankies.

Oh, and I was wondering if you spoke German at home with the boys (since they know "Fensterplatz"). Being bilingual is a wonderful thing. I truly regret that I don't speak my native language or communicate well with my relatives.

I love reading your blog, as much for the boys as for the knitting! I have two sons who are now 20 and 18; around the age of 5 we decided that the blankies needed to stay in the house, and gradually corralled them to the bedrooms. I think my older son kept his under his pillow until mid-high school. I love every unraveling shred of that blanket and will never part with it.

Knit the new one and make it bigger, because he is growing up so much.

Sounds like the "holes" are crucial to the design of the blankie. Otherwise, I would suggest some incredibly soft yarn like Berroco's "Plush" or "Plush Colors" which everyone loves for their softness. I suppose you could still knit that with holes....

What about snipping off his favorite corner, and framing it to hang in his room? That way part of his blankie is preserved forever. Would he buy that? :) And maybe some of the rest of the yarn could be worked into a new blankie.

My brother wore his blankie (a standard store-bought one) down to a little tiny square of fabric, which he would gingerly place over his closed eyes when he went to bed at night.
What would happen if you ran rows of machine sewing in the same color throughout? Then maybe only one small section would get bad, and eventually the outer edges would turn to fringe. ??

Ooooh, that makes me so sad for him. I like the idea of trying to preserve the center (intact) section. Then knit another one so that the 2 blakies overlap and he will have gotten somewhat use to blankie 2 when blankie 1 finally goes to heaven.

:-(

I hope next blanket you knit, you'll use double yarn throughout the corners. ;) How about converting the slowly-dying blanket into a pillow or use some of the yarn to knit a special teddy bear. It breaks my heart to see S so sad about his blanket. Awe!!!

I wish I knew how to knit way back when and that my kids had special blankets. Oh well, at least now I'm knitting a blanket for another baby and hopefully it'll be special for the baby's parents. ;)

what a sweet tale of a boy and his blankie! you are such the loving mama to repair and repair and repair... they are a lucky pair!

I always like the blankie updates and the comments they inspire!

Awww, how sad for him. I hope his next blankie is as good to him as this one has been.

I love that first shot. There is nothing that makes me happier than seeing a little one love a handknit "to death". Good luck on keeping it alive.

Oh, how sweet.

My mom kept my blankies (I called them fuffies, cause I couldn't/wouldn't say fluffy correctly), and when I graduated form college I "stole" them back and they now "live" with the rest of my bedding.

You can grow up, but it's nice to hold onto our childhood possessions too.

Poor S. But it's such a joy to knit for someone who loves it so much!

Mine is a stuffed animal, not a blankie, but he has been refurbished so many times--my mom basically just sewed new layers of fabric over the old disintegrating ones. But alwaya, always, always, she left the ear (the part that I held onto while I sucked my thumb) intact--it's the only part of him hat's still the original fabric. It is completely threadbare now, but still hanging on.

All of which to say, I am totally feeling for S and his attachment to the favorite corner.

That's such a sweet story!

That is so sad:( At least they'll be getting some new special blankies.

Sweet Boy! Keep fixing that blankie--it's so important. None of my kids ever adopted a blankie, but each one, boys and girls, loved the fur off of a special Teddy, and still have them. What sweet memories. Thanks for sharing.

Nothing warms the heart like a much loved blankie!

That's so sweet. Much loved blankies.

My son's "blankie" has a ton of holes too. I made him a new one and he gave it to the cat. If you knit your son a new one, don't invest much time in it, it will never truly replace this one!

I noticed you used Galway. I use Galway a lot for my kids - mostly because of the colors, the gauge (ligth worsted fits a lot of patterns) and how soft it is given it is all wool. How do you care for it because it is 100% wool. I've had great luck just cold water machine wash and air drying.

I've still got my blanket (you can't get rid of your best friends just because you don't need them anymore). Granted, he's in a terribly deteriorated state and is contained in an Archival Pillow Case in the back of my sock drawer, but still. You could ease the transition from old to new by preserving the Original for Posterity. Whatever you do, don't read the Velveteen Rabbit - I am scarred for life.

Awwww...poor thing...it's kind of sad...but also kinda cute. :p

I have to tell you- the wonderful thing about children is that they are not so concerned about aesthetics- he loves that blankie no matter what- try to save it at all costs.
P.S. my nephew was 15 before he gave up his stinky-binky- that may or may not make you feel better.

Poor little guy. It's hard to find out that things in life don't last forever, especially special knitted things that Mommy made.

Hey, at least it's a blankie. My boy sucks his thumb and twirls MY hair. It makes knitting a little difficult at times.

Aww sucks -it's such a shame when a blankie is dying. My 'bigger' boy loved his blankie number 1 so much it fell to pieces, so I found identical blankie number 2. He accepted it, but like your son, he had his fav corner and was upset when that too sadly died. Fortunately I was going on a big overseas holiday, and he asked me to knit him a replacement blankie before I left - guess it would remind him of his mummy in her absence. Well I'm happy to say that the sturdy knitted blankie (satin bound too) is still alive. I used a doubleback knitted thermal stitch which I found in an old book, and worsted weight wool. So it is either these factors, or the one that he's getting older now and doesn't resort to it much, except when watching TV these days. So go ahead and make your son a new one - you and he will never regret it! But get him to assist with a limited wool choice so he will 'own' it (and it doesn't have to be huge either)

awww. HOWEVER, unlike pets where stuffing them is a bit...odd, though understandable, you could frame this blanket or keep it in a special box so it will not wear out completely and knit him a new one.

Now I know most purists will cringe at this thought - but I agree with the idea of machine sewing the frayed edges. I did this 17 years ago on my daughter's blanket after it got caught in the wheels of her baby carriage. She is now 19 and attending college - with an intact blanket (minus the broken edge). It doesn't hurt that it was originally knit from a soft pink acrylic. It has worn like iron, been through many machine washes and is still pink!! So, because you never know how much it's going to be loved, and kids don't care if it's "organic" - go for iron clad acrylic for babies.