Twisp of Fate

When we were over in Seattle the week before and including Thanksgiving, one of the things we did was pack up and move my mother-in-law’s things to her new retirement home in Ballard.  This involved quite a bit of “down-sizing”, and one of things I came home with was her Sunbeam Mixmaster, which she had held on to for all these years.  It worked, but had no bowls, although the beaters were in pretty good shape.  You can remove the mixer from its stand and use it as a hand mixer, so maybe that is what she had in mind.

Mixmaster after initial clean-up

So on the way home, Rick wanted to stop at the antique malls in Cashmere (near Wenatchee).  He half-jokingly said “maybe we can find a bowl for the Mixmaster” (what he is really looking for is woodworking hand tools).  Hmm, sez I, not a bad idea!  I asked the ladies at the first place if they knew if they had such a thing – it is such a big sprawling place I didn’t want to seach it high and low.  They actually knew their inventory and brought me several choices!  Only one fit the base of our mixer, and it is the small bowl, but for 6 bucks at least I had something that would make it usable….

Mixmaster with small white bowl

Then we went across the highway to the other antique mall, equally big and sprawling.  I found a lot of candidates but none that fit my mixer (notice it is now MY mixer).  I really wanted the big bowl, too.  Then I found these two beauties hiding on the floor in one of the booths….

beautiful jadeite bowls for MY Mixmaster

Wowza!!!

Everyone I have shown this to has said “My mom had one exactly like that!!”  So did ours!  I am ridiculously pleased with this thing and will leave it out on the counter and use it.  It’s not like I don’t have a Kitchenaid (my mom’s actually – thanks Dad!) and that one will always be the workhorse mixer.  But I just love the Mixmaster.

I have since found some information online about Sunbeam Mixmasters.  This one is a model 7 and they were manufactured starting in 1941, with a hiatus in production during World War II, up until about 1948.  It had the largest production of all the Sunbeams, with over 3 million made.  Like previous models it came as 7A in cream with jadeite bowls, or as 7B in black and white with white bowls.

Final picture:  some of the Blue-faced Leicester as a 3-ply yarn:

We’re off to Seattle again this weekend, for various reasons, but the driving should be easy since it remains dry and cold up here in the Northwest.