First Socks Complete

My very first pair of socks are complete & I don't like them! Sad but true & what's a girl to do? (give them away I suppose). Problem is, I made them in my size & nobody I know has a foot as long as I do. I have some yarn from KnitPicks that I intend on using for my next two pairs of socks & hopefully I like them better than these.

On the plus side though...I got the stripes to match on both pairs!

Pattern: Cable Top Socks

Source: Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles by Cat Bordhi

Yarn: Lion Brands Yarn Magic Stripe #205 Brown/Blue

Needles: 2 pair of Addi Turbo Circular (2 US)

Modifications: Omitted the cable top & opted for a 1" ribbed top (k1,p1)

Hat Chart Love

I'm absolutely loving this Shedir pattern! This is my first pattern using a chart & although it's challenging, my projects generally have to be. I tend to get bored easily, which is why I seem to always choose projects (work, home, etc) way beyond my capabilities. So far I've noticed that if a knitting project is too simple, it gets to be a UFO really fast! (I'll be posting these UFO's soon).

I realized today when I was setting up my site for photos of past & current projects, that I really have been awful about photographing anything I've knit. In fact, most of the projects I've knitted in the past 7 months haven't been photographed! (i.e. 7 childrens hats, 1 baby cardigan, 3 baby hats, childs scarf, adult hat, 2 pairs of mittens, and prayer shawl. That is just too sad I didn't capture all of those items in pictures. Maybe I should contact each recipient & have them send me a photo of them wearing their gift (good luck with that one I'm sure!)

Frogging

A frogging I will go,
A frogging I will go,
High ho the dairy-oh,
A frogging I will go!!

I purchased yarn & downloaded a free pattern from KnitPicks and I've spent mutiple days knitting, then frogging then knitting, then frogging -- 5 TIMES!! I think the short row sequence section is awful! I may be knitting it incorrectly (highly possible), but it just doesn't look good in the back (there's a visible seam) so I'm abandoning it for a different pattern.....(as soon as I figure out which one).

So many shoes.....so little time

I was fortunate enough today to indulge in my guilty pleasure of trying on expensive shoes at Nordstrom. Fortunately/unfortunately my husband was with me and insisted I buy the Cole Haan mules that I kept eyeing. I insisted that I only "liked" them and didn't "love" them, but the disappointed look on his face let me know that he really wanted to buy this guilty pleasure for me..... so he did. Mind you, I've been stewing about it for 7 hours now wondering if I should return them, but I think he'd be more devastated then I would. Now how do I get the semi-matching Coach handbag?

title change again?

I changed my title today to Guilty Pleasures. For now, it seems to fit better than the last title (which I honestly thought was stupid - to put it nicely).

A few of these "guilty pleasures".....

• Working on knitting projects in front of the tv, instead of working on the abundant amount of cleaning, laundry, etc.
• Drinking margarita's on the rocks, instead of water on the rocks
• Playing with the dogs instead of poop scooping
• Shopping without a budget or a list
• Making cards for upcoming occassions but keeping them because "they're too pretty to give away"
• Trying on expensive shoes & handbags that I could never afford to buy
• Staying up until 2 or 3am & sleeping until 9 or 10am
• Eating chocolate instead of a piece of fruit

And the list goes on & on. Maybe I should start a side link of my top 100 guilty pleasures... hmmm.

I love packages!

Isn't it great that when you're having one of those typical mundane kind of days, that you can get a simple suprise by doing the regular mail check & discover that a package is waiting for you? Since I order yarn & card-making supplies online (along with various other objects), it is always a treat to see which of my online purchases has finally arrived!

Of course I believe in supporting the LYS (especially when you want the yarn "right now"), but I love it that I found a company online called Knit Picks that sells quality yarn for a great price.

In my package I received my first 2 pairs of size 2 Addi Turbo Circular Needles I intend to use for my socks although I'll probably also have to buy a size 1 also. I also have 2 skeins of Simple Stripes in Storm, and 2 skeins of Essential in Cocoa. These are intended for socks if I can ever decide on a pattern! Last but not least, I received 2 skeins of Shine Sport in Sand to make the Chemo Hat project to donate to our local chemo unit. I'll update as everything progresses.

I think I finally figured out how to link web pages. It's been driving me craaaaazy!

socks

AHA! The knitting portion of my blog has finally emerged!

Since this is my first pair of socks, I didn't venture into any expensive yarn, I just used Lion Brand Magic Stripes in the Brown/Blue Pattern. This pair is going to cost $8, and of course I could buy a pair for less than that on sale, but that's not the point.

The pattern is from Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles by Cat Bordhi, but to be honest, I've had to rip out and re-do the heel turn 5 times!! Am I stupid or is it the pattern? (Don't answer that)

These socks are also not really my style (I guess you could say I like classic solid colors), but I'm sure someone in my family might appreciate them.

Who celebrates a dog's birthday?

Happy Birthday Dame Kya California Dreamin'

I can't believe I'm posting birthday greetings for my dog. I really thought this would end up being more of a knitting blog.

So our Kya is 3 yrs old today! I love my dogs like "kids", (not to the point where I buy a cake & party hats & things like that), but this year I decided to get her a present. Her favorite all time toy has been what we call "Booda Bone". Unfortunately it's made out of threads all twisted & knotted together so it only takes Kya & Duke about 3 months to completely demolish it. It's still cheaper than having real kids & buying real toys I'm sure.

I also got her the HOLT harness system yesterday to try & prevent her from pulling my arm out of the socket when I take her for walks....bad purchase....didn't work at all. I'm off today to exchange it for the Gentle Leader system instead which is more money, but hopefully worth it.

Introducing....

So here it is, my very first blog! I only knew these things existed for a couple of months & whenever I speak to family/friends about it, they have no clue what I'm talking about.

So why is my title Sunshine & Rain? Well.....2 reasons:

1. Sunshine: I currently live in California & I think sunshine is a reference to not only where I live & who I'm with, but also everything bright, happy, & fun.
2. Rain: I used to live in Seattle for 10 years & I think rain is a reference to washing negative things away & re-inventing yourself.

My "kids" are out of dog food, so I jumped in my car about an hour ago & wouldn't you know it..the car battery is dead! I called my DH & he's going to rescue me (hopefully soon). I'm sure the dogs are a little upset about not getting breakfast, but it's not like they'd starve if they miss a meal!


My "kids": Duke (background) & Kya (foreground)