Domestic Thursday: Resting Mittens, Flying Monkeys

Oh God, Christmas knitting. I'm ready to convert so I never go through this madness again. Anyway, here are two sets of mittens- both versions of Elizabeth Zimmerman's Mitered Mittens from The Knitter's Almanac, and both made with Ontario yarns- that were mailed out to BC a few days ago. The red ones are, once again, Briggs and Little Tuffy in Red Mix, and have longer cuffs. The whites ones are made from Upper Canada Village yarn. It's spun on-site using fleece from the village's own flock, so think of it as the fibre equivalent of last week's beer.

The pattern has you knit the hand, then make the thumb by snipping one stitch and unravelling the others. Eeep. I did it this way, reluctantly. Apologies to my friends if the thumb spontaneously explodes once they put them on. Between this and her love of garter stitch (the devil's stitch!!), I'm not sure I trust Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Pattern: Lace Cable Socks by Véronik Avery, Knitting 24/7
Yarn: Lion Brand Sock Ease in Circus Peanut
Since we're on the topic of garter stitch, these lace cable socks, with their garter stitch heels and toes, are now completed. And not a moment too soon, as most of my knitted socks are hanging by threads. Literally. Well, they're not hanging, but patches have been worn down to the polyester. Now my feet can be chipper and warm in these orange socks.

Something that may not make me warm, but will definitely make me chipper is The Flying Monkeys Smashbomb Atomic IPA. Made with Citra hops and varied malts, including Crystal malts, this is a pale ale that drinks like a bubblier version of last week's Black Creek IPA. The taste reminds me a lot of Florida-fresh grapefruit, and the assorted malts keeps things chugging along smoothly enough that the 6% AVA goes by unnoticed. Before you drink too many, check out the brewing information on The Flying Monkeys site. You'll learn just how often and how much hops were added, that is, at all possible times and in great volume. And now we finally have an answer to the question of which beer would go best while watching The Wizard of Oz.