I was at the Jones Mansion in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, from last Wednesday night to Sunday. Now that's what I call a weekend. And what a place! It's a hundred year old house with a studio that's been fitted out just for quilters and crafters with great lighting and places to sew, cut, and press. Owner Lori Bartol does a wonderful job of making quilters and other groups feel welcome and cared for.
And Mineral Point itself is chock full of charming old houses, intriguing galleries, shops, and restaurants. It's a great place to spend a few very relaxing days.
A dozen friends and I had a terrific time sewing, eating (some meals were collaborated upon at the house and others were enjoyed at some of the many cool eateries in town), and catching up on each others' lives.
There was one heart-stopping moment. One evening I was knitting while others sewed. The vibration of sewing machines on the table caused a glass of red wine to tip over all over me, a table mate, the carpet, and worst of all, on THE WHITE KIDSILK HAZE SHAWL. Arrgh.
Two of us bolted downstairs with the shawl and two balls of yarn, which were also dotted with red wine. We rinsed everything out and I was reasonably optimistic that things would be OK. Then Lori, the owner of the house, appeared with a spray bottle of this stuff. Let me tell you, it's a miracle in a bottle. After treating the shawl, the yarn, and our clothes and shoes, and the carpet with it, all appeared fine. HIGHLY recommended.
We spread the shawl out to dry and the next morning it looked perfect. Thank goodness. When it was all dry, I picked up the knitting, needles still poised in mid-stitch, right where I was when the wine glass flipped over, and I was able to go on knitting like nothing had happened.
I'm not much for believing in miracles, but that may be as close to a miracle as I'll ever see,
Perhaps the wisest course is to NOT enjoy red wine while knitting with white yarn? But if the worst happens, all is definitely not lost. And I'm living proof.
7 comments:
Thanks for the tip -- and perfect timing! I pulled a tablecloth out of the dryer yesterday with a stain I hadn't noticed, and I don't even know what it is. Going to get some of that stuff!
Oh, how scary! I'm so glad you were able to get the wine out of the shawl and yarn. To think about all the hard work you have put into it ...
Nice save, Kathie! That shawl is so gorgeous . . . a pink stain would have been really sad. I can match your miracle, though. My kids gave me a sage green cashmere shawl for Mother's Day, and I wore it Saturday evening for dinner and a show. When we dropped friends off on the way home, somehow one end of the shawl got caught in the car door; it dragged two miles home on the dirty, wet asphalt. I was just sick. I washed it carefully right away. Yesterday I crossed my fingers and looked -- it was clean and dry, unstained and undamaged. Unreal.
Lucky lucky save. That delicate shawl is sooo beuatiful!
I'm glad the shawl was rescued--it's lovely. Congrats on your daughter's graduation!
Good save on the shawl!
We once had a cup of coffee spilled onto a group donation quilt that we had just put the final binding stitches on. Darn quick action was taken that day too!!!
The retreat location you mention sounds wonderful!
Ok, when I saw the words "red wine" and "white kidsilk haze" I just about had a heart attack. Whew! I'm finally crawling out of a hole around here -- so, congrats to your daughter too. Graduating from law school is a huge deal!
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