The Tale of Four Sewing Machines (Only Three Pictured)

I never thought I'd see myself type this type of drivel but it is sort of true: What is it with the kids these days?

Wait, I take that back. Girlfriend is cool. She is. She's not as interested in all the same things I was when I was her age, but we didn't have hand-held video games or great TV other than The Newlywed Game (I had a friend who was a latch-key kid), Kimba the White Lion or Popeye. Now, the kids, in many cases, have access to games galore: the Wii, those DSI's, even their own iPads.

Shoot, it wasn't until I was about 15 that our family finally got our own video game meant for the television. I remember distinctly hooking up the box that would hold the game, Pong, and the roll-up piece of stick-on plastic we'd have to adhere to the TV screen so we could actually see where the boundary lines were supposed to go. We were so enthralled with it, we practically wore it out. Nowadays? Don't ask.

But the sewing machine, my original Gameboy, still holds mystique for me. So much, that I remember learning to use my mom's: it was a mint green Singer and it weighed about a half-ton. No, I take it back. It weighed about 45 pounds. Seriously. And that thing could sew two elephants together if they stood still long enough. That thing is somewhere, probably in a closet in a garage owned by my now-gone step-father's girlfriend (Does that make sense? He's actually gone-gone and she's gone but just "gone"). And, my guess is, she has no idea where it came from or how to use it. Heck, maybe she's sold it already to buy more green apple martini mix.

When I was 22 I bought a Kenmore. That one, it weighed about 30 pounds. That magical piece of machinery brought me hours of love and frustration and a peach Chanel-like suit that made people stare at me. Not sure if THAT was the best situation because I can't for the life of me figure out what they were looking at (I did have fabulous heels that went with it), but oh, my Kenmore. Loved it and still do.

Except, after all these years, more than 25 more, it needs a major overhaul and rather than spend the $150 that it would cost me, I decided to move to a portable quilter's machine based on a recommendation of a friend.

To say that I fell in love immedately is an understatement.

So here is the Tale of the Four Sewing Machines part:

1. On a whim, I decided to order Girlfriend a three-quarter sized Hello Kitty Janome

2. It never came, or at least 5 or so days after they said it was already delievered, it hadn't been

3. They were out of stock, so I requested a refund from Overstock.com and promptly ordered another small machine suitable for a child, also a Janome, but without the fancy wrapping

4. Then my unfortunate-behaving neighbor had her boyfriend come over and drop the original Hello Kitty machine on my doorstep when he was visiting, days and days after I rec'd the refund for it

5. The second Janome arrives

6. I call Overstock.com and tell them that my neighbor finally brought over the original delivery and that they can re-charge me for it, because I wouldn't be able to sleep nights knowing I got it for free

7. They give me an "honesty" discount

8. Now I have four machines in the house, one that needs help, one that I use, one that has Hello Kitty Fantastic all over the place, and another one, even smaller, but is portable! I can take it camping!

So here's the thing: Girlfriend is eight. Do you suppose that I should give it to her for Easter? And how will I react if she isn't interested? I will probably feel sad, but then again, I might get some use out of it behind her back.

BTW: You know that I'm buddies with the folks at kpixie.com. They are the best and have fantastic customer service. Anyway, unless you have been living in a cave the past couple of weeks, you have already seen Jared Flood's latest marvel, the Rock Island Lace Scarf in Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace. I asked him if I could use one of his beautiful pictures to show you (And I can't believe we haven't crossed paths before; he's such a great guy). Anyway, Kpixie.com is having a kit special and you can order the Brooklyn Tweed pattern and the specially dyed yarn (he came up with the color) required for the scarf at a discounted price, here. I already bought the pattern myself and am waiting for a couple free weekends to give it a shot.

I have to admit, there was a day when I never thought I'd wear a scarf or shawl like this, but the way he shows it makes me want to!