Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Perking Along

Hello on a damp drizzly morning. The view outside my window is dreary but a few daffodils near the basement door are up out of the ground. It is March and the Spring Equinox will be here soon. I look forward to the return of color in the landscape. 

The big news is we replaced my Grandmother's Corning Ware coffee pot. I don't think she used it often but we made up for that in the last forty years. The coffee maker was one of the first Corning Ware models with the little blue flowered pattern and a good sturdy handle. We loved the coffee. Other models with plastic handles were recalled and the company quit making coffee pots. This one had a good run. Several weeks ago, the cord and the plug-in area on the coffee pot (I don't know the correct terms) became unsafe. Reluctantly, we retired it. 

I read reviews and ordered a Black and Decker drip coffee maker with a thermal carafe. The unit shut off after brewing. Theoretically the carafe kept the coffee hot but avoided the burnt taste of cooking on a hot plate. However, the coffee cooled quickly and tasted terrible. The basket and reservoir were plastic and the coffee had a bitter chemical taste. I wondered if chemicals from the plastic were leaching into the coffee. Since life is too short for bad coffee, I did more research and ordered a Hamilton Beach electric percolator with stainless steel parts. The coffee tastes great to us. It works much the same as the good old Corning Ware. It also cost $10 less than the Black and Decker. Egad. Next week I'll write the story of our thirty year old clothes dryer. We seem to be wearing out around here. 

As usual, I'm linking with Kat and the Unravelers to post about making and reading.  I made progress on both the Misti Woodlands Shawl and the Spring Hitchhiker. I'm enjoying both pieces. The purple shawl has become a meditative knit as I slow down to make sure I'm catching both strands of yarn. I pick up the hitchhiker when I have a few minutes here and there or for some variety.

Just because I felt like it, I cast on a pair of socks. The pattern, Strawberry Milk, has a small easy eyelet pattern running down the side of the sock. It's barely visible in this yarn but it keeps me entertained. 

As for reading, I found The Master Butchers Singing Club excellent. Erdrich writes well and this novel is no exception. Humor is sprinkled throughout the story and beautifully written descriptions are the norm. Although Native Americans play a small role in the story, their actions are important. I'd say more but don't want to spoil the story. Currently I'm reading The Bingo Palace by Erdrich and Tales of a Journey Through Scotland, Walking, Spinning, and Knitting Socks by Debbie Zawinski, published by Schoolhouse Press. The photographs of rural Scotland and her trip are gorgeous. On her adventure, she collected bits of breed specific fiber left by sheep and then used a spinning stick to spin and ply yarn. She designed and knitted a pair of socks for each yarn. Patterns are included in the book. I will never take that kind of journey so reading about it in this beautiful book is the next best thing.  

Sometimes I get carried away with words so thank you for sticking with my stories. Until the next post, have a good few days and keep perking along. (I couldn't resist.)


Ravelry Links

Birthday Shawl

Spring Hitchhiker

Raspberry Cordial Socks


11 comments:

  1. I love the color pink, so really like the colors of both the shawl and the socks. So glad you found a good coffee pot. Makes me sound really old to say this, but I truly don't think that things are made as well as they used to be. Glad you are having a good week. See you again soon!

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  2. I'm sorry about the demise of your grandmother's Corning Ware coffee pot, but glad you got the making coffee thing figured out. I hope this new one makes good coffee for 40 years. Both your purple shawl and pink Hitchhiker are quite lovely, and raspberry cordial socks sound delicious. You've got color covered in your knitting and here's hoping you see plenty of color outdoors in the coming week.

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  3. I think that coffee pot lasted a lot longer than anything you'd find on the market today! It's difficult these days to find any sort of appliance that is made to last.

    Your knitting is looking beautiful and is certainly spring-y. The purple shawl reminds me of all the crocus flowers I've been seeing in the neighborhood.

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  4. My mom had that same Corning coffee pot with the little blue flowers. I loved it so. She ultimately replaced it with a Mr. Coffee . . . trying to "modernize" . . . but she always said the coffee was never as good. So glad you found a new coffee pot (so sleek!) that you like. I hope it lasts a long, long time! I love The Master Butcher's Singing Club. Another winner from Lourise Erdrich, for sure. XO

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  5. I once "inherited" a Maytag washer and dryer that my grandparents used, they gifted to my parents, and then I got them. That washer and dryer lasted almost 45 years and I can't even begin to imagine how many loads of laundry they cleaned and dried! Since then I have had 2 washers and dryers... nothing is made to last any more. It is a sad state of affairs. I think your coffee pot story is one for the ages though! Well done you and I am glad you could finally find something that makes an equally good cup of coffee!

    Your knitting and reading always inspire me, Jane! I have added the Scotland book to my TBR list!

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  6. We now use a French press almost exclusively for making coffee. It doesn't make a lot, so we make a new pot somewhat frequently, but it tastes so good.

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  7. oh my, a Corning Ware percolator! life is indeed too short for bad coffee and I'm glad y'all found a coffee maker you love. Wendell Berry has Some Thoughts about the quality of appliances these days ... your story mirrors his. and now you and Katie are reading Master Butcher and I wish we'd had time to include it in our Erdrich-along. It's still on my TBR and I'm so glad to know it's going to be good.

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  8. I used a Corning Ware tea pot (blue cornflower design) for years and then flat top stoves became popular. Needless to say, the tea pot was retired because it scratched the glass stove top: I miss that tea pot. Your knitting projects are pretty, especially the pink Hitchhiker.

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  9. Your knitting is lovely. The colors just scream spring! Can't wait to see further progress this week. I love to knit shawls, but don't wear them much. I think I need to start.

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  10. Somehow I missed this post the other week. Very pretty knitting - both projects. They sure don't make things like they used to. We have found that the drip coffee makers never keep the coffee hot enough. I use an old fashioned stove top percolator.

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