I just want to cry

[sjkmaurice]

I've been working on an afghan for two weeks now and have done 122 out of 132 rows. The thing is 65 inches across by about 72 long (when I finish). I live in gosh darned Canada and it's still chilly so we have the heaters on at night, and for some crazy reason, the heaters are attached to the baseboards along the walls instead of being vents in the floor or ceiling. Anyway, somehow my "medium thyme" green afghan got too close to the stupidly placed heater that just happened to be running and now, about 1/4 of the way from the START of the afghan, there's an awful yellowish 3-inch spot! I've worked on this thing for about 45 hours so far! What can I do besides frog it? I really don't want to do that. I really REALLY don't want to do that! I'm so MAD at myself! :angry :angry :angry :angry

 

Here's the picture. It's right on the edge of the blanket.

[diamond]

I agree with Froggy....blanket binding, permanent markers, ribbon around the edges, etc. Sorry this has happened to you & wish I could give advice but I haven't had this happen yet so have no experience in it. I do hope you find a way to repair the damage, which I'm sure with these ladies/gents (didn't forget you, Drew) expertise, they will guide you correctly. Good luck.

[sjkmaurice]

When I finished the edge of the afghan, it pretty much covered the worst part. There was just a little showing, so I decided to leave it.

 

Angelique - I've never heard of Haley, but it wasn't exactly scorched like burned crispy. It was more like heat dyed. I'd actually never seen that happen before. The yarn itself was OK, it just changed from a medium green to a light orangy-yellow.

 

ALL of you had such great ideas about saving the afghan. Thanks so much for making me feel better about the whole situation!

[Angelique15]

Went to get my handy Haley's Hints book out to see if he had any answers. You may have heard of him since you are in Canada also. He says for scorch stains to: dampen a piece of cloth with a weak solution of peroxide and press over the scorched area. Mind you this is for scorch stains made by an iron, but if there are no other solutions, who knows it might help. Or try dabbing it on?

It is a sick feeling when you see it, i feel for you, made a poncho, it tore in the washer, right at the first 8 rows and I don't have anymore yarn to fix it. It is discontinued.

Hope this helps, take care, Angie

[crochetdiva]

Wow, what great ideas!!! I know where to come for ideas! I think I would try all of them, but personally I agree with Colleen, and would try to duplicate stitch it with a needle. If it didn't work it would be easy enough to remove. I would definitely use scrap yarn to test the dye (but then I have never used it) Some fabric stores carry Dylon dye. It is for material, but might work.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. It is a lovely afghan, and will be loved, even with a slight inperfection.

 

From a fellow Canadian,

[Captain Hook]

You know what I would do? Make several little patches in a color that compliments the rest of the afghan, either sqaure or round (round for polka dots), and dot them creatively over both sides, of course being sure to place one over the offending splot.

[Aggie May]

Dont try to dye your afghan as the discoloured bit will still be different

Why dont you try taking some of your thread and separating some of the strands off and overstitching, a bit like you would if you were knitting and adding colour. Make sure the strands will hold up to the pulling through but it could be worth a try anyway.

Or, you could add a fringe around the edges as there are perfect loops in place to hook them into. Not too longor it will become heavy.

You know the expression, " Nothing is perfect" so just tell the recipient of the little adventure the afghan went on while it was being made.

There is only such a small area damaged it is not really worth worrying about.

Satin Ribbon blanket binding with mitered corners would be nice too.

Panic not!!!

Have fun.

Colleen.

[RebeccaVelasquez]

well, the good thing is that the yarn isn't damaged

 

if you don't get a green dye thats close... you could go dark purple or something.... also i'm agreeing with the fun fur edging / strips woven through

 

good luck. let us know how it turns out

[sjkmaurice]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. It's a mother's day gift for my husband's grandmother. That's why I'm so mad at myself. I don't think repair is going to work because it's actually almost a third of the way up on the left turning edge and I wouldn't know how to do that. I never thought about adding a special edging or ruffle - as it is, it just calls for sc evenly along the edge. It's a valentine's day pattern and has popcorns all over with three hearts in the middle, so I think a little ruffle would be cute. My husband says it's not as bad as I think and because the yarn itself isn't damaged (just the dye), he thinks we can try dyeing it. And he's quite crafty with color matching, so he's going to look for dye with me. I just keep looking at it and all the work I've done and I still can't believe my carelessness. And Tiggzie - if the dye doesn't match perfectly, I agree with you. I'd rather it be darker green than yellow! Thanks again, guys. I do feel better about it.

[Tiggzie]

My Sharpies have saved quite a few things before. I agree with the marker idea. Better to have it a dark green spot than a yellow spot I always...actually I've never said that before but it makes sense *huggles* I'm sure there's a good solution out there.

[earthwhisper]

I can't see the stitching very well. Is there a way you can sl stitch into right before the spot and then do the pattern, then sl stitch back into the blanket, repeating, until you have it replaced? It seems since it is right on the edge you might be able to do that.

[wrenlover]

I would definitely put an edge on that. You should be able to cover it up for the most part. Is it a gift or is it for yourself? I'd add a light colored edging or a novelty yarn as someone suggested. If its yours then I would just appreciate the fact It did'nt burn, and that you did not have a fire.

 

Lisa

[kahud48]

Just pull out back just past the problem.

Tie on, and continue to finish your work.

You don't have to pull all that work out.

[CrazeeMoi]

OHHHHHH the blanket binding sounds like a really great idea!! I was coming up with blank ideas lol

[froggy]

Maybe if you can't dye that portion, this is just a thought now, is there a permanent marker close to that color of yarn. Maybe you could color that spot. Or maybe run a ribbon through the edging. The ribbon would hide most of it. Hope you find something that works for you. Or you know what, what about blanket binding??? You could sew blanket binding around the whole afghan.

[crochetfun]

What about adding an edge (somewhat solid) from the row past the damage and extending it beyond sort of like a frill. Then doing the same on the opposite end.

 

?

(I keep thinking, sorry, have not found the site yet)

[Mom w/a Motif]

I am so sorry that happened to you! Do you have RIT dyes in Canada? Maybe you could dye that one little section? Other than having to rip it out. Just a thought.

 

Tina

[csabers]

How about a novelty yarn edging? Make it fabulous with some fluffy feathers or fur. You could dc (2 or 3 in the larger, one in the smaller) around the edges holding a couple of strands together. No one will ever see that spot (or your cute edging, either - sorry!)

 

But dear god, don't use Bernat's Fur Out - it's been recalled for being a fire risk! You be careful up there! I'm really glad it was your afghan and not your toes (or house, etc.!). Careful!

[sjkmaurice]

The scorched area is completely through the yarn. I guess I should be grateful that the thing didn't catch on FIRE and ruin more than just the blanket. This is a sad day in crochet for me. And although the picture is of the back, it's on BOTH sides. Sad, sad, sad.

[crochetfun]

there is a site that gives step-by-step directions for repair of crochet-work.

 

 

I'll try to find it, I'm sure something can be done.

Someone might have it bookmarked.

I had to take the beginning of one of my ponchos out, managed to fix it.

[Frangipani]

Oh gosh! I'm so sorry! I had to frog about 16 hours of work once on an afghan. I know how you feel!! Without being able to see the yelloy patch myself, is there a way to covre it up with a crocheted flower or patch of some sort?

[Julie]

OH NO!! My mind is racing trying to think of creative ways to frog that area (snip here, snip there ) without having to go back and start the whole thing over again. Maybe someone, hopefully someone will have some ideas better than the scary ones I've come up with so far. Does the scorched area go all the way through or is it just on the surface of the yarn?

[2goofy]

Oh, noooo!

 

I'm still a beginner so I'm not sure what else can be done. I just wanted to tell how sorry about what happened.