Making up for lost knitting time

Finally, I'm posting some FOs!  I've been waiting for a new camera to arrive since our overpriced Nikon went wonky on us for the 3rd time.  VK's aunt bought it for us and it was WAY more camera than we needed (especially since we are loath to read a manual) and expensive.  When I told VK we could get a camera with 2 more megapixels for about a 10th of the price, I think he didn't quite believe me.  The aunt is a strange sort of technology early adopter.  She doesn't use technology but must own it immediately.  She has a beta video camera.  Seriously. 

I had about 2 weeks between knitting projects and I knit like a fiend.  I installed the zipper in Rogue.  (Whenever I accomplish a new knitting technique, I hear Tom Hanks in Cast Away when he says, "I. Have. Made. Fire."  I. Have. Installed. Zipper.)

I love, love, love this sweater.  I've only had a chance to wear it once.  Not that I'm complaining.  I have no problem whatsoever if spring is here and I have to wait for fall to wear Rogue again. 

Pattern: Rogue, from Girl from Auntie, cardiganized with the help of Claudia's instructions
Yarn: Cascade 220
Comments: I did wuss out and skip the hood grafting in favor of 3-needle bind off.  Life is too short to graft in pattern. 

I had barely finished the bottom border of this vest when I had to put it aside.  When I picked it up again, I realized I hadn't exactly been following the pattern.  It's a 1x1 ribbing that offsets by a stitch every 4 rows.  I however was just doing 1x1 ribbing.  So I snipped the yarn and started over.  Having less knitting time focuses the attention because I finished the Clock vest, buttons and all, before the next indexing project started.

Pattern: Clock Vest from Folk Vests (the 3rd vest I've done from this book)
Yarn: Cascade 220 in a heathered peach color
Needles: KP Options, #7 or 8?
Comments: Love it.  I've done a bit of colorwork lately (Moose? What moose?) and I'd forgotten how much I love cables.

I wanted to try out Knit Picks new cotton/acrylic yarn, Comfy.  And I wanted a nice mindless project to work on, so I cast on for Sitcom Chic.  So far the yarn is lovely to work with.  Very soft.  It's only 25% acrylic, so I hope is doesn't stretch too much. 

We made a dent in raking all the leaves we left last fall today.  I anticipate being really sore tomorrow.  Those leaves are heavy after soaking up moisture all winter.

Crocuses!  It's our first really springy day.  Hallelujah!

Of course the dogs had to help.  This is Lucy and her stick pile.  She has taken every one of those sticks from elsewhere in the yard and put them on a pile up on the hill.  It would be nice if she would pile them where we could burn them, instead of up a steep hill that we have to climb to move the sticks to the burn pile.

This is Shane and his soccer ball.  He simply loves this dirty, slightly deflated ball.  I tried to lure him inside with a piece of bread.  I tossed a piece to him.  He picked up the bread and tried to eat and hold the ball in his mouth.  When he discovered it couldn't be done, he dropped the bread and kept the ball.

Zoey stayed inside.  She is singularly unimpressed with Lucy and Shane's antics.  She takes cute to a whole new level though, doesn't she?

We watched some neighbors down the way put their pier in today.  Honestly, the ice just broke a week or two ago.  But the truly interesting thing was the cheers and high fives when they were done because they were the first on the lake to have their dock in.  On the other end of the scale, we reached the point a few years ago that we quit putting it in all together because then we'd just have to turn around in a few months and take it out.  Sort of the same way I look at trying to keep the free-floating dog hair under control  ;o)