7 quick takes

1. I am apparently searching for something more elusive than the Holy Grail, or Loch Ness Monster, or Big Foot.

I am trying to find a kettle that is inexpensive and not a piece of #*@(. I had a kettle that worked well for 5 plus years but then it broke or something (I honestly don't remember what happened but after 5 plus years, it was ok).

So then I got a pretty red kettle - because I love red.

The handle broke off in less than a month.

So I got a metal kettle.

About a year later it has sprung a leak.

There is a hole in the bottom of it, no where near any joining or anything.

So last night I went to w*lm*rt to get me a new kettle. My w*lm*rt is apparently no longer selling kettles of any kind.

Stupid stuffmart.

2. While I am at it, let me tell you about my newish stove. We got it a year or two ago, and for the most part I love it.

Except that it does this
That is my now broken kettle on to boil. The stovetop warps when heated, at first I thought it was heavy stuff - like a big pot of cooking pasta. Nope, the kettle does it too. The spoon actually fits in the gap created with room to spare.


Here it is with nothing on top of it, the gap is still there.

And the black spots on the drip pans is where the paint has chipped off. They just do that when they are used. It has nothing to do with anything. They haven't been dropped or anything.

We got the extended warranty and called the guy out to look at it.

He all but said that it is cheaply made and there is nothing that can be done about it. Nice.

It's a Frigidaire by the way.

3. I have to confess, I have been sucked into the Twilight vortex. When I first heard about it, I wasn't remotely interested in some stupid vampire thing. Then with all the fuss over the movie, and again when it was released to DVD. So I finally suggested Hubby and I watch it (he likes those sort of shows, you know like supernatural, paranormal, scifi, etc). We both enjoyed the movie and then when I saw the book at Sams for $7, I thought I would pick it up.

I have to admit it is a very enjoyable series to read. I haven't read the whole thing yet, just 1-3. I have the 4th on reserve at the library and am impatiently waiting for it.

4. Daisy decided she wanted to learn how to knit. Just between us, I think this was the reason.



Maybe it is only part of the reason or it could be that she thought knitting had to be easier than crochet. She has the very, very basics of crochet down - chain and single crochet, we are working on double crochet - but she decided she had to learn knitting.

Honestly, I would prefer her to proficient at both. From a very limited study (like 2 or 3 people) it seems that whatever you learn first is what you think is easiest. So if she learns them about the same time . . . she will either find both easy or ridiculously hard.

So I thought I would sit down with the instruction book and follow their directions in case she had any problems and needed help. I taught myself to knit from directions I printed off the internet while I was on bedrest while pregnant with Junior. I was bored and needed something to occupy my mind.

So anyway, with the Princess knitting kit, (I used my own needles, I could quite bring myself to use the pink plastic needles). Following their directions I did the slip knot. Unfortunately it seems that the knot slips the wrong way. But anyway.

Then I cast on about 15 stitches. That went well, I was pretty happy.

Then for the knit stitch, the directions put the yarn in the wrong (right) hand. Stupid book giving little girls the wrong directions.

Then I started wondering, what if I was wrong.

Nahhhh.

But, I wondered. So I got on the internet and pulled up directions for "how to knit".

The first 3 sites had directions for knitting while holding the yarn in the right hand.

So how on earth did I start knitting while holding the yarn in my left (which feels much more natural to me.)

I finally figured out that there is two ways of holding the yarn, American (or English) and Continental. I just happened to have taught myself the Continental style.

So now I am practicing in the American style - somewhere I was looking pointed out that being able to knit both ways made it easier to do the 2 colors.

5. So I decided to try my hand at socks. I had made slippers while I was on bedrest, and baby booties, and half of a blanket, but no socks.

The challange is, I don't have any double needles the right size (going to get some today). So at first I used 4 regular needles,and kept turning them around - because I couldn't wait to start.

Then I thought of using 3 sets of round needles (I inherited a bunch of needles from my great aunt, she apparently liked the round instead of double). For those of you that don't knit - and have made it this far - those are two needles tied together with plastic cord-like stuff.

It works, although it is vaguely spiderlike. And then because it is knit 2 purl 2 and I kept forgetting where I was I put rings on it. Before the knit 2 is one style of ring, before the purl 2 is another, so it is a decorated spider.

And it is using some of that yarn with the strings hanging off - so now it is a decorative hairy spider.

I gotta get those other needles.

6. Finally a quick one - my kids still haven't eaten their chocolate Easter bunnies.

The Easter bunny brought this cute one for each that was a chocolate parent bunny with a white chocolate kid bunny molded separately. They both at the baby bunny but haven't touched the parent.

I really don't get it, especially since I hate white chocolate. Ok, maybe hate is a strong word. I barely tolerate it. I wouldn't pick it out like it was a raisin, but wouldn't go out of my way to eat it either.

7. Modern things are not going to survive long enough to be passed down to the next generations. I have my great aunts sewing machine that she received during the cleanup in post WWII Japan, it still works beautifully. In fact, If I were going to sew anything with any thickness I would use it over any modern machine.

Those old fans may cut your fingers off but they still work well, and if they don't they can be repaired - so can the sewing machines for that matter.

Now I love some of the modern stuff, I am not a complete Luddite. I just want stuff to last and not break in the first year and a half.