A Reward for Good Behaviour

Today’s Victoria day here in Canada – the reigning monarch’s official birthday (no matter when their actual birthday is) and the unofficial start to summer.  It’s the traditional weekend to open cottages, plant the garden and do outside things.  Lucky for me, Toronto weather got the memo, and this long weekend has been a lovely one – hot and sunny, with everyone outside making the most of it.   I took advantage of it by getting in a 60 km training ride on Saturday, and spent all day yesterday gardening, and then squaring away the back garden so we can sit out there when it’s hot and nice, which today – it is, which is bloody brilliant, since after a day of riding and a day of gardening I’m just about paralyzed.

Since I’d done everything I had to do (let’s overlook the condition of the inside of the house – the outside is smashing) today is a reward for good behaviour.  I sat and finished up Lou’s sweater and set it to dry in the back garden, and then decided to keep it company. 

A hot day, a cold beer,*  the start of summer, the start of a new project.**
It’s pretty nice over here. 

*Someone always asks.  The beer of choice today is Black Oak Nut Brown.  It’s good and local.  A little dark for summer, but I’m late switching to something lighter.

**I know. I didn’t give you the details of what I’m making. We can talk about what project I settled on tomorrow. Right now a beautiful day is calling me.
Have patience, Grasshopper.

73 thoughts on “A Reward for Good Behaviour

  1. That yarn is such a lovely color! and what a cute sweater for the babe.
    Enjoy the beautiful day!

  2. Sounds like a wonderful end to a long weekend.
    We’ve got one coming up next week and I CANNOT wait!

  3. You are obviously feeling better and that ROCKS. Kingston got the memo too, its been a marvelous weekend.

  4. Looks lovely! We had that kind of lovely weather in Madison, WI, this past weekend – just the right kind of weather for the bicycle races in my neighbourhood! (it’s a very odd feeling when your house is basically inside a velodrome and every minute 75 cyclists whoosh past). I will get some marking done for my class, and then I may join you in that beer:-B

  5. Lou’s sweater looks great. I can only hope my Memorial Day weekend is as productive. Of course, here in Texas, we’re already knee-deep in summer!

  6. No Timbits with the beer? Whatever happened to tradition? At least you’re playing Take on Me?

  7. Looks like it’s finally the start of summer here in London too. (cue another fortnight of freezing rain) Lovely jumper.

  8. That’s a lot of miles (yes, I know, kilometers) on a bike – I did 41 km yesterday and am just about paralyzed today. I am very impressed at your level of energy!

  9. The sweater is darling! (Can I say that about a boy’s sweater). I am hoping to get to a time where I could whip out a little sweater without a specific patter, so impressive.

  10. Love the sweater and glad summer has arrived for you. I’m crossing my fingers we may see the sun in the UK this week. 🙂

  11. It’s been a lovely Victoria Day weekend here in Rockwood – I remember 10 years ago this same weekend it was snowing, so this is more like the official start of summer it should be. Nice sweater!

  12. Yes, keep an eye on the sweater. What if the squirrels try to steal it?

  13. Of course the one day I have to call Canada it´s a bank holiday 😉 Go figure! ha ha
    What a wonderful weekend for you.

  14. what a gorgeous sweater, hope we get to see a photo of him wearing it.
    60 ks ???? I hurt just thinking about that, so I do hope you have a Gel seat on that bike for the Big ride.

  15. OK. Looks perfect to me! Gazing on the fruits of your labor (little Lou sweater), a new cake of yarn, needles, a refreshing drink, and an iPad. Perfection! I have taken to reading directions right from the iPad. Makes me feel tree friendly. I hope you spend many a lovely day right in that spot!

  16. I love it when you blog about Canadian holidays. I find them so interesting and I love to hear what your and your family do to celebrate them. It’s part of enjoying the wonderfully diverse world we live in. Happy summer to you! Enjoy your knitting.

  17. Once I start working in the yard, it’s either the yard looks good, or the inside of the house–certainly can’t be in two places at once now, can we??? Good for you for rewarding yourself for getting your chores finished! It must have been nice to keep that drying sweater company (someone has to, for goodness sake), with a good book and beer to aid in your accompanying…

  18. I have been told that ice-cold baths are GREAT for training pains! That and your favorite NSAID. And possibly a foam roller to roll over the tired, achy muscles.
    Personally, I prefer a hot tub…and the ice-cold bath would put me off exercise forever!!!

  19. Oooooh! Looks like a miniaturized “Must Have” cardi! I love it! You’re making me want to cable and also drink a beer!

  20. Lou’s sweater is sweet. I agree the weather is glorious – befitting a rum&gingerbeer drink in the backyard. I reigned in the clematis – that’s enough for the day.

  21. Such a sweet sweater! And your reward for good behaviour sounds soooo comfy! Wish I was there with you…

  22. Oh, dark beer goes with knitting much bettern than those pale ales. You see, dark beers (my favorite is Guinness)make the mind work much better. It is better able to process complicated st patterns than the paler varieties. Unscientific study to be true, at least according to me. ha.

  23. ..as my husband LOVES, LOVES LOVES, to make his own beer from all grain..I MUST get some of this beer here in the states and examin it’s formulary via a taste test.
    We have almost 15 gallons of home made beer and by close of day tonight another 10 gallons shall be in the house..via a co-brew that he did with a friend. Next weekend is brew day for him and me. I will be making a sweet honey mead and he will be making a beer for our home brew shop keeps to test a recipe for a book they are writing.
    I meant to give you a home brew he made when I saw you at Rhinebeck last year but I forgot the bottle. I did not discover this until I was the 2nd in line and the wonderful woman from Niagra Falls was dancing because she finally got to meet you.
    Oh well….

  24. I fear sweaters. I am glad there are folks like you that know and understand them. Yeah Lou!!

  25. What a beautiful little sweater. We are looking at a possible high of 107 this week in Tucson. Time to break out the cotton yarn:)

  26. What a lovely sweater! Enjoy your day off. Being outside gets my vote way before house cleaning.

  27. Lou’s sweater looks lovely. Good thing you decided to guard it — or do the squirrels only like batting?

  28. I hope we get to see some photos of Lou in his handsome new sweater. I’m sure we’ll have some more cool weather before summer is well and truly upon us. The yarn looks cushy, for lack of a better word. There was a great Globe article this morning on the history of Victoria Day–check it out!

  29. My grandson looks wonderful in Baby Yours–wore it for his pre-baptism dinner party. He will probably need another sweater soon, in case writing this one up were possible. Or is this incentive to Go and Do Likewise, aka make up your own sweater, you’re a grownup knitter, not a wimp?

  30. Great sweater! (I finished my sister’s hat. Hat a gauge accident. She could use it for a tube top. She’s getting socks instead. I always have pairs of those laying around).

  31. I am in awe with how quickly you can finish a project—for a wee one or not—you are quick!!!

  32. Okay, so I have been thinking about the post where you finished the Color Affection shawl at a hotel in Indiana (I think). I can’t stop trying to figure out how you blocked it on the hotel bed. Do you always carry some kind of covering or did you think you might finish and brought it just in case? Or am I just dumb about the creative places you can block a large shawl?

  33. What a wonderful day that sounds like! I think I need to build a deck now, so I can knit outside.

  34. You know, the day before the skein hadn’t been wound into a cake! You are really efficient with your time if you got that done on top of the bike ride, the blocking, the gardening!
    Enjoy the beer! Happy Victoria’s Day to you! Next week, we folks south of the border get to do it on Memorial Day. I hope I’m knitting on Monday too!

  35. I so hear you on the paralyzed part! I get a little enthusiastic with gardening, mowing, rock moving and boy I pay dearly for it the next day. But the yard looks great!
    Happy Victoria’s Day to you!

  36. Lou’s sweater is perfect! I am glad you had nice weather for the long weekend. In BC our only nice day was Saturday, which at least allowed me to finish planting the garden. It has spent the rest of the weekend getting watered by Mother Nature. 🙂

  37. That sweet baby sweater looks a lot like the Must Have Cardigan that I just finished today! Can hardly wait to see a photo of it on little Lou. (I started mine last September.) Happy Victoria Day! We’re pretty soggy here in Bellingham WA.

  38. Still hoping for a picture of Lou in the sweater. Sounds like s perfect holiday!

  39. What a charming kittle sweater! Is there any chance that you could us directions for making something like this? It is, truly, lovely.

  40. Judy in Indiana swiped my first idea upon hearing Lou’s cardigan got blocked outdoors! The cardigan is very handsome and makes me envious of your abilities again. Can’t wait to hear what Lou thinks about it.
    And any type of weather is good weather for a truly good dark lager, brown ale, or English-style bitter. It’s all a matter of how cold the beer is!

  41. So glad to see that Louis will have sleeves! Lovely, lovely, all around, especially the out-of-doors part! Happy summer!

  42. and the start of summer means a reduced need of more sweater for Lou…well for a while at least ;0) (whispers, don’t say it too loud as it will jinx it) It also looks like summer has finally arrived here in the UK too :0)

  43. Its a beautiful day here(north west UK)the sun is out ! and the trees are greening up. I’m in the office… can’t wait for lunch so I can get out side and knit for a bit. Sunshine really lifts the spirit.

  44. I have a grandson, just a little younger than Lou – any chance you will be selling this pattern on Ravelry??
    And it’s almost winter here in the tropics – freezing, morning and night, until the sun gets up – then it is glorious.

  45. I’m always amazed at knitters who can knit into the summer heat. I might still have a desire to knit through the summer, but the heat simply makes doing much of it impossible (unless it’s the cool of the evening or an air conditioned location – read: not my house). The yarn will eventually just stop flowing across my fingers as they get too warm, and the thought of trying to knit something in a light colour…well…more power to you Mam’!

  46. I love the sweater!
    We’ve been gardening here, too. Not because it’s finally nice, but because it’s still nice in Texas. Very soon it will be in the hundreds, and then there’s no way gardening is going to happen.
    Looking forward to seeing what project you’ve chosen for the yellow.

  47. I really don’t things get better than what you wrote. Love the little one’s sweater as well.
    Congratulations on your biking/training! When will we be able to sponsor you???

  48. Okay, am I the only one who attempted to zoom in on the iPad in the photo to see if I could guess what Ravelry page it’s on? (Please tell me I’m not the only one…)

  49. … and then in my sneakiness, I think I figured it out. (Won’t spoil the surprise, though 🙂 lalala… that a lovely lil’ sweater!

  50. Is that the Trellis sweater? I did that one as a vest for my nephew last year 🙂 I love that pattern! It’s such a pretty knit!
    Too hot to garden (plus, I don’t have a yard), too hot to ride a bike, and too hot to knit! I did manage to sweat through finishing a crocheted baby blanket last night. I had to finish it though, because it was for a co-worker, and today’s my last day at this job!

  51. You are drinking beer with a squirrel on the label? I’m not sure how to interpret that. Beth

  52. You have to watch the sweater, or the squirrels might take it. Little rascals that they are!(I called them a kinder word than i wanted to use. i hope someone is proud of my restraint.)

  53. Could you please tell me where I could find that adorable cabled baby sweater pattern? I would adore to make it as well. Thanks.

  54. Oh please say you will be making the pattern available! We have four 2012 babies in our family and I LOVE that sweater.
    It is absolutely perfect.

  55. For those who can’t wait for you to make a pattern available, that beautiful sweater looks a lot like Trellis, which is available on Knitty. I’ve made if twice, and can vouch for it being a fun, well-written pattern.

  56. Lynne at 11:11, Luis’ sweater is not Trellis. Trellis is pretty but this one is prettier, IMO!
    So hoping Steph will make the pattern available, I absolutely love it, and we have a bumper crop of family babies this year.

  57. Aaaahh, the sweater is so lovely!!! You deserve your beer after coming up with the design and getting it all knit up.

  58. I haven’t knitted much recently, but I did a lot of it when I was in university. Every Saturday I used to get together with the same friends for conversation, chips, and beer, and I always took my knitting. One of those friends talked a lot about opening a brewery. Eventually he did, and that’s where your Nut Brown came from. So there you go: all stitched together.

  59. Yup, perfect perfect weekend. Weather and everything:
    Cottage opened – check
    Beer bought – Mills St. Organic – check
    Dock put into water – check
    Kayak launched – check
    Fell into water between kayak and dock – check
    Set record for earliest cottage swim – check

  60. I. LOVE. Black Oak Nut Brown. I don’t usually like darks at all, and I’ve certainly never found a nut brown I like better.
    Fantastic that an earlier commenter knows the guy who runs Black Oak. I toured the brewery once – it took about 15 minutes. At the time he had a hand-cranked bottling line that handled a whopping 6 bottles at a time.

  61. It looks like you had a stellar day. This past weekend, I got a sunburn. I’m currently telling myself that it is how I know I had a weekend well spent.

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