Two degrees of separation

Remember that game with the premise that everyone enjoys six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon? I know a couple of Hollywood actors, so I probably have that covered, but I've come to think of my nearness to Covid cases in terms of degrees of separation. My granddaughter is quarantined because someone in her class tested positive. I consider that one degree of separation for her, two for me. Needless to say, we did not make it to the gem and mineral meeting this past week, although she remains symptom-free.

Crochet: Work continues on the lavender baby blanket. I've completed about 7 out of 24 inches, then there will be several rounds for the border.
Knitting: I am basically done with the 'Past Peak' mittens except I am not satisfied with the thumbs, so will fiddle with those a bit before I consider this project complete. Meanwhile, I started another pair of mittens, Lithuanian Ribby knit mittens, in gray with some red. 'Past Peak' are worsted weight yarn on US7 needles; Lithuanian Ribby are worsted weight on US1, which is making my hands hurt a bit.

Spinning: Almost halfway through the 'Jailhouse Rock' top. Originally, I wanted to create a two-ply worsted weight yarn, but the merino top would not cooperate. Now I would like it to be three-ply, with one ply in black. The only problem is I can't seem to find any black merino superwash top. I may have to buy white and dye it myself.

My son and his girl friend sent me an Instant Pot for my birthday. I've tried several things in it, but am not sold on its usefulness. For one thing, it does not save on labor - you still have to chop those veggies. Sometimes it doesn't save on cooking time. And the results are not going to taste the same. So far, I like it for hard boiled eggs - so easy to peel, everytime! White rice is just as easy (and tastier) cooked on the stove. Yesterday I tried a pot roast - 1 hour of cooking instead of 4 - but I didn't care for the results. Another angle of IP cooking is it takes some of the enjoyment and sensory pleasure out of cooking. I'll keep trying, though. It might be like shopping at Costco - it takes a while to make it work for you. If anyone has any recipes to recommend, please leave them in the comments.