In which a terrible thing happens!

So remember a few days ago when I proudly reported finishing some knitting projects? One of them was a little peach-colored dress for Maddy that I started knitting ages ago, and finally got it sewn together and bought the ribbon to tie around the waist, and tonight I gave the dress to Rachel to take home. I also gave her the package of ribbon, because you know I didn't actually sew that on yet.

I saw Rachel carry the dress out to the car when she took Maddy home tonight, but half an hour later she called me on the phone to ask if she had left the dress here, because she couldn't find it!

I glanced around the living room, but I didn't see it and anyway, I know she took it with her, and I told her so. She said she had checked to see if she left it in the car, but it wasn't there, either, and I said, "I know you didn't put it on top of the car and drive away with it," and she kind of gulped and said that's what she was afraid might have happened!

So I put on my shoes and went out to check the driveway and the road in front of my house, but I didn't see a little pink dress. Rachel came over after she put the baby to bed, and she hadn't seen it in the street on the way here, but we both needed to go to the store, so I got in the car with her and we drove back toward her place, which is the way to the store, and then, in the middle of the road, there it was!

It was a soggy peach blob in the middle of the street that had been so mashed down into the sloppy snow that you could barely see it! We pulled over and Rachel jumped out and grabbed the dress! She gently laid it on the carseat and said she would wash it when she got home. She was sure she could save it.

She just called me and said she washed it carefully with shampoo, and again with dish soap, and got the tire track washed out (!) and she had rolled it up in a towel to soak up the excess water, and it was spread out to dry. Wouldn't you know a tragedy like this would happen to something that has to be handwashed? (The dress is made of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino.)

She also said that she found a spot where I had dropped a stitch, so I'll need to go over to fix it when it's all dry. That poor dress. It took forever to finish, and it's still not quite done.

I need to knit something for Jenna's new baby, but I think I'll use Encore yarn - it's machine washable!