Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

Hubby and I got the family room painted today. Had started yesterday, but the paint we needed to match was only available from a store that is no longer near us! So we got something that *looked* to be close - but you *know* how those store florescent lights change color. So, yes, indeedy, when it started to go on the walls, it was peach, not the sandy tan it was supposed to be. But thank goodness hubby had 2 tubes of tint - one yellow and one black, so we experimented with a small amount of paint then tinted the entire gallon, and we got it darn near close to what was here in the adjoining rooms.

We also bought an oval mirror for over the kitchen sink, as it doesn't face a window, as sinks tend to do, and a wall cupboard for one of the upstairs baths, so we have a place to put our stuff, while we gut most of this bath downstairs. And we want to acid etch a band around the edge of that kitchen mirror to make it more interesting - it's rather ordinary now and that won't do.

I also managed to get a pair of cozy corduroys and a thick cotton ribbed pullover sweater at my fav clothing store in the mall - the only store that *ever* has pants to fit my figure, and fit it well. And I only ever shop their clearance racks, as I don't, yet, have $40 to plop down on one pair of pants, but I do often manage to find pants marked down to $9.99. I may only find one pair I like on each shopping outing every few months, but that's OK. Eventually, I'll have a full wardrobe! And the sweater was 1/2 price at $15.

If we didn't have to spend so much on this house, I could probably splurge a bit on wardrobe, but the house comes first, just as the kids came first before it. Thank goodness I work at home. I can't imagine the cost of maintaining a *current-styled* wardrobe to work elsewhere.

Designing work. I wrote up the pattern for that new design the other day and only need to reproof it. What a breeze compared to the aran cardigan design. Arans are SO much work to write up. That's why it's going to be a $6 pattern, instead of my usual $5 patterns. I should remember this more often, when I get that hankering for another aran sweater, then think twice and NOT do it! I so prefer colorwork designs, anyway. Love cables but I am happy with simpler cabled and ribbed sweaters, they don't *need* to be multi-cable and stitch pattern complexities.

I am taking and retaking the aran's photos, trying to get just what I want. It would be easier to get what I want by taking them outdoors, but not in winter.

And tomorrow is yet another trip to the ophthalmologist for yet another lens. I'm hoping this one works - the last 2 didn't. Surgery was in October, and this is February and I still can't focus out of the stupid eye.

Maybe tomorrow I can get to cast on another sample for the new beaded cashmere hat and scarf design. And I still need to slot in time for more samples to knit for the next design collection booklet......