Domestic Thursday: Short 'n Sweet 'n Lagered

 

Pattern: Short and Sweet by Angela Best, in Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, "Musk"  
Hook size: 5 mm

 

Here it is, my Short and Sweet, all finished. I was worried that this bumpy, rustic cotton yarn would create a stiff piece of fabric, and that every time I slipped it over a sundress I would feel like an extra in a Lady Gaga video. But it blocked out nicely, with just enough drape to avoid the dreaded "power shoulders." Sigh. Now I'll have to send that laserdisc player back.

 

Also, my mom found this awesome vintage Mary Maxim pattern. It's got a Cowichan thing going on with that shawl collar, but that diamond pattern, maybe in brightly dyed yarn, would hopefully avoid any accusations of cultural appropriation. Should I knit it? I think I should!

 

And, finally, beer. This is Beau's Lug Tread Lagered Ale. Beau's comes from Vankleek Hill, Ontario, and is noted for doing all sorts of endearing and/or socially-conscious things like getting home brewers to plan beers for Beau's to brew, and partnering with Operation Come Home to bring Beau's to Ottawa-area doors. The difference between ales and lagers is mostly in the yeast. Ales feed at the top, and lagers at the bottom. But lagers are also usually aged at colder temperatures and conditioned for longer. Lug Tread bridges the gap by using ale yeasts, but finishing it off like a lager. It's their figurehead product, and what you're most likely to see in bars and LCBOs. But they also make stranger brews - beers spiced with peppermint and orange peel, beers made in bourbon barrels, and beers that use bog myrtle instead of hops. Lug Tread's taste isn't quite so bizarre as those concoctions. But it's a lovely, bready-tasting ale if you're looking to bring your lite beer-loving friends over to the side of taste and decency.