Tuesday, December 15, 2009

My kid is damn smart.

Made a trip to the yarn store today. (Natural Stitches. They remembered the Goober from when we were there two weeks ago for the Fiber Splurge. Good customer service.) I got some Cascade 220 to knit mittens for my father-in-law. The glove suggestion gave me the idea. He still does a lot of car-clearing and walk-shoveling in winter, enough that he'd appreciate something that kept his hands really warm. Plus I've made him a fan of natural fibers. So, well, the obvious choice seemed to be...

Thrummed Mittens. It is an adventure. But I bet they're so damn warm I wind up knitting myself a pair.

Anyway.

Very near the yarn store was a McDonald's, and the Goob's favorite thing is a Happy Meal, because we don't get them often (I try to avoid fast food). She was told if she was good, she could have a Happy Meal. She was good, so the meal was acquired. She ate it on the way home. (I'm instilling those bad eating habits early.) When we got home, I gave her the toy. I thought it was just some dumb plastic horse movie tie-in with Avatar. But no. Within the hour, the Goob had found the on switch, flipped it, and then found the button hidden in the horse's mane that triggered all the LED lights hidden in the thing.

She was quite pleased with it. I was impressed as all get-out, because she'd figured out a toy that I hadn't.

Next she'll be building a plasma generator.

6 comments:

NeedleTart said...

I knit thrummed mittens years ago and all I can say is: be sure to "fluff up" the thrums. Mine have matted and made little lumps in the mittens. Not really all that extra warm with the wind coming through the bits between the lumps (do you suppose *I* could fluff then up this many years later?).

Anonymous said...

Ok Never heard of thrummed mittens and I followed all of the links, looked at the pictures and I still have no idea.

Please psot a picture when they are done.

One picture had the thrums hanging out all over the front while the other mitten looked like the thrums had been put inside the mitten.

They even had a thrum a long.

I don't know why you are suprised that the Goob is so smart. We already knew that.

Pam

Pam

FeyRhi said...

I have yet to attempt thrumemd mittens, although it's on my list. They look so cozy.

On the 30th, at my LYS, I'm taking a class on a thrummed crochet cowl. I'm really looking forward to it. Just the idea of something that soft and cozy around my neck makes me want to take a nap. LOL

Unknown said...

Kids these days and their happy meal toys that do stuff. My sister in law is a Resident's Director at a college, so she gets a free apartment in a dorm. Her 2 daughters (ages 4 and 6) hang out with college freshman and are given happy meal toys all the time. If you hand them a toy, they ask, "What's it do?" We showed them a little doll we take with us on trips to take pictures of in front of tourist stuff (Eduardo in front of the Mona Lisa, etc.). She asked what it does and we explained about the picture taking. She showed it to her mom and said, "You take it's picture."

Pam, the thrums go on the inside. You see pictures of them on the outside because they've turned the mitten inside out so you can see how it looks.

Barbara said...

Of course the Good figured out the toy; she's related to your gear-head Husbeast.

I've been dieting for 6 months, I'd kill for a Happy Meal. French fries! Mmmm. (No, Barbara, no fries. Fries are bad.)

I've always thought thrummed mittens looked too hot. I can sweat in below zero.

Emily said...

I say, get used to the Goob figuring out stuff before you do, and the Husbeast will eventually find himself left in the dust, too. Besides the fact that she's brilliant (all too obvious!), kids just "get" new technology much faster than we old heaps. Spooky.