Black Arm Bands, Please

We are officially in mourning for the Plain Vanilla. R.I.P., my beloved.

Comments

[claudia]

That sucks. What is that stain?

[Kristen]

Ack, ack, ack! I highly suggest you go run and get some White Wizard. It has an unfortunate name, but works wonders on all delicate fabrics.

[Aarlene]

ugh that looks really gross. Overdye it but I guess that still would be the demise of the Plain Vanilla. The sweater could live on in a new incarnation.

I'm sorry for your loss.

[jessie]

Oxi-clean in hot water overnight.

What have you got to lose?

[sandy]

I feel sick. SICK!
PV. We hardly knew thee.
~SOB

[Kathy]

Oh.No. Coffee? Poor, sweet PV.

[Laurie]

Aiiiieeeeee my favorite Norma sweater in all the universe! So so sorry.

[Carole]

Oh NO! I think I'll go have some vanilla ice cream for breakfast. Just out of respect, you know.

[Karen]

I am so sorry...

[Cara]

I am SO SO SORRY. I've heard blue is really pretty this time of year.

[jodi]

Oh shit, Norma.

Did you need PV for this weekend?

[Judy]

Sounds like there are some ideas out there. Try 'em all.

[Teresa C]

My heart is breaking, truly. I know just how that feels. You should try something, although read the Oxi-clean container carefully, I'm not sure how great it is to use on animal fibers. You must try to save it! Bring PV back to life.

[Marcia]

Now, that looks like something I would do.....only I'd probably use spaghetti sauce.

[Lucia]

OH NO! What is the liquid? If it's black coffee it may wash out. Coffee with cream, much easier. Try oxi-clean, or lemon juice, or... just about anything, really.

If all else fails you could dye PV chocolate.

[adelaide]

I loved that seater, and it looked wonderful on you. You'll just have to make another one.

[Jan]

Speechless. I loved PV....

[Vicki]

Oh no!! WHAT IS THAT? Diet Coke, chocolate, tea -- is that Diet Coke??

[rock chick]

Well, I hope at least making the stain was fun...

[Kirsten]

Okay, someone may lay the smack-down on me for this, but can you bleach those spots? I've rescued a few white (or white-ish) garments that way.

[nipper jenn]

No, Cousin, nooooooooooooooooo!

I'm so sorry.

[B.]

Yeah, that's it, black armbands. You undo the sleeve seams, snip a thread, frog the stained part, pick up with black yarn. . .

[Julie]

Sending my deepest sympathy for the loss of your loved one.

[Lauren]

Oh no! Weird that it happened the week of Rhinebeck too.

[Melanie]

What about using one of the Carbona Stain Devils? I believe there's one just for coffee and cola stains. They work pretty damn well and are safe for hand-washables (except silk).

[regina]

Oh, what a drag! i have to second the Oxi-Clean idea. So sorry.

[Katy]

Oh man. That sucks.
But--NO oxy-clean on wool--I learned that lesson when trying to get a stain out of a baby sweater I made. It discolored the whole sweater unevenly. But--you could try Fels Naptha soap--just don't felt the spot by rubbing on it too much.
Or--the horror--possibly dry cleaning would help??

[--Deb]

Oh no . . . I am so sorry for your loss . . .

[julia fc]

Norma! Say it's not so!
You can't get it out? How about a dye job? It's too dear a friend to just write off without a fight.

[Dawn]

If all else fails, you could 'stain' the rest of the sweater with the offending liquid ;)

Hi, I'm Dawn and you're among my squares... would that be you sitting on the rock wall wearing a gorgeous red scarf?

[Carrie]

My stepdaughter told me that if you squeeze the liquid from a baby wipe on a stain, then use the wipe to blot the stain, it comes out. She says she got blood out of a white satin gown that way, I have used that trick on many things. Oh, please say it isn't ruined!

[Jena (the yarnharpy)]

My suggestions, as the queen of stains:
1. OxiClean
2. Carbona Stain Devils (they make 10 different ones for each type of stain)
3. Fels Naphtha soap

As a last resort, if the stains don't come out completely, would be a nice walnut ink or tea stain dyejob that would flatter a natural fiber.

[Julie]

Oxi-clean for sure. Save the Vanilla!

[Kathy]

Nooooo! I'll third, fourth, or fifth the Oxy-Clean recommendation. Let it soak for a looooong time (like at least 24 hours), then re-assess. Then go for the Carbona Stain Devils and see if *that* works. I'll be amazed if it doesn't come out eventually - I've managed to get out some really impressive stains in the past between those two methods.

[Ruth]

oh, DAMN!!! Oxy clean or bleach ... what do you have to lose?

I'm so sorry.

[Beth S.]

What? What?! WHAT!?!?!

Surely you are not going to give up on PV. There has GOT to be some kind of product that will remove, uh, whatever that stuff is... And if not, oh geez, could you duplicate stitch over it, or cut it out (aiee!) and graft in a little patch or something?

Seriously. There has got to be a way! Anything to save PV!

[mamacate]

OH NO! NORMA! I'm with the oxy clean. Desperate times...

[freecia]

I recommend pre-pre-treating the stain with a "Tide to Go" pen. It lifts out coffee and tea stains pretty well and saved a few items of my clothing.
Then I followed it up with the new "Spray and Wash with Oxy Clean" stain remover and that gets out many things, including some "WTF is this?" stains.

If all else fails, you could duplicate stitch over the stains or rip, cut, and reknit.

Plain Vanilla will once again achieve Plain Vanilla-ness!

[Julia]

NO! Say it ain't so, Norma, say it ain't so. How about a dye job, hmmm? I have coveted that lovely, delightfully simple thing since you first made it. Could it be plain chocolate, perhaps?

[Laura]

Ohhh NOOOOO! Did Margene do it? Did you spew your coffee laughing at a joke? Hurry - Oxi-Clean right away!!!

[Mia]

I think that you will now need to knit another Plain Vanilla. Good fortune that you are going yarn shopping this weekend. Wnad what in the world did you spill on it? If you can't get it out, could you over dye the sweater into a color you like?

[Tish]

Ouch! If the stain doesn't come out, perhaps it could become milk chocolate or espresso in its next incarnation? (And if you coffee dyed it you'd have the Starbucks crowd following you around with blissful expressions on their faces.)

[cari]

You two were meant to spend a lifetime together. Surely your love can survive a few stains?

(is it chocolate?)

[Kelly]

Oh no that really sucks!

[liz]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

You poor thing.

I guess Plain Vanilla will have to become Plain Chocolate (No Nuts).

[Sharlene]

OH NO! Well, it sounds like there have been lots of suggestions so maybe PV will be reincarnated as another flavor.

[moiraeknittoo]

Oh noes! *cues up Taps* Maybe you can dye it and make it "Black Coffee" instead? Dark Chocolate? Cocoa Bean? Great. Now I want a sundae.

[lyssa]

Those aren't scorch marks, are they? What a bummer.

[Cathy]

Okay, Missy... WTF is the stain? You are killing us here. Or was that your intent?

You will look fab in the green sweater.

As usual.

[denny Mcmillan]

May be a jump in the dye pot. It could be a "kick the can" sweater.