"Can you mend it?"

my youngest nephew asked.
He dropped a mustard yellow coloured cardigan into my lap. I had been told about this cardigan the last time he came to visit from interstate. 
     "It's her favourite cardigan," he added.
It is Aran weight cotton-acrylic mix. 
      "I said I'd ask you," he tells me.
It has been worn - a lot.
      "It doesn't matter if you can't."
I rather suspect it does.
I do not like mustard yellow as a colour. It suits nobody I know, not even my Indian friend P.... who can get away with wearing yellows most people cannot wear.
I do not like that sort of cotton-acrylic mix. To be honest I do not care for acrylic.  Yes, I am a "yarn snob". I like natural fibres. 
But, this is obviously a much loved garment and it does matter to the owner.
Just how many of these garments did they make - and in this colour? I wonder what it cost. I suspect it wasn't cheap. It has clearly had a lot of wear so I suppose it was a good buy for the owner. If she divided the number of times she had worn it into the cost then it is probably very little per wearing. I have garments that are down to a few cents per wearing if I  think in those terms. The Senior Cat's Harris Tweed jacket, made by his father 70yrs ago, must be down to a few cents per wearing as well. It is one way to think about how much a garment has really cost us.
I wonder too whether there is something more in the relationship than "just a friend, someone I work with". I keep that thought to myself but Youngest Nephew knows what I am thinking and says, "She really is just a friend, someone I work with, but she likes it and I said I'd ask."
He shares my opinion of the colour. 
I have found some silk/linen mix - a scrap of  yarn leftover from a leftover sent to me. It is not as dark as the original garment but it might just do for mending. The job won't be perfect but, if I can do it, then a favourite cardigan can be worn again.
It's just a pity about the colour.