He's Home

For those just catching up, The Husband's contract was canceled and he is home for the foreseeable future. Now, not that I don't love the man and am glad to have him home, but dude! I'm practicing the piano and he's sitting right behind me tearing out coupons. I need to sneeze and I run for the tissue box and he's moved it! And the trash can. While he was gone I spent a lot of time sitting in the quiet and reading. All day long he plays music and all night long, he snores. I'm amazed by how much I miss the silence. I guess we both have some re-adjusting to do.
Otherwise, I spent the morning doing some gardening. No matter what you have read, digging your nails into a bar of soap does not keep the dirt from under your nails. The only thing that has worked for me is a double layer of gloves. Thin plastic ones under heavy leather garden gloves. As I have lately started getting professional manicures (these are not cheap), I want to preserve my nails as long as I can.
On the knitting front, I am still working on the ribbon vest. I got one whole side knitted and the shoulders didn't line up. As long as I was ripping, I figured that I should make a swatch (yes, I made one before I started for gauge) to test the button holes and the decreases. The instructions have you K2Tog for every decrease and I wondered if SSK would look better and make paired decreases. Good I tested the button holes. If I had followed the instructions I would have to use 1/8 inch buttons. Rather that knit through the back loop on the second row of 2-row button holes I just knit plain and I can use a 3/4 inch button. Much more in keeping with the look of the vest (and more likely to stay buttoned!).
Happy Fourth!