Here we go again!  Konrad and I have begun our second KAL.  This time we're knitting Trinity with Rowan Pure Linen.  My goal is to have a casual, lightweight yet elegant summer sweater with positive ease.  I plan on wearing it with black capris or white jeans.  (I hope you're not cringing at the thought of white jeans.  I don't know about the rest of the world, but in my neck of the woods we wear them all summer.  Or at least I do.  But I'll have to look around this summer and see if I'm the only one!)  Trinity has beading at the top and while I think it's very pretty, I have a feeling I'll eliminate that touch.  If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know I like my knits best if they are a bit plain.  But I'll decide at the end.  I can always sew them in when I'm finished if I think the sweater needs it.  What do you think, beads or no beads?  One more thing, I might begin the "V" a bit earlier for a deeper V-neck.  I like that for summer.

Konrad's goal will be to change the pattern to work for a man.  Sometimes he feels that it's slim pickins' in the men's sweater arena.  So what's a guy to do?  Well, take a woman's pattern and make it work for a man.  I'm guessing he will enlarge it a bit, remove the waist shaping, shorten the "V" and eliminate the beading. 

Well, we're off and running.  Konrad and I have given ourselves 4 weeks and we've got 3 more to go.  I've got my back almost finished.  The linen is surprisingly easy to knit.  Sometimes linen is more like kite string, but this, not at all.  Also, it softens as you work with it.  I had to rip out the same 2 inches twice and the yarn held up well and only got softer.  I played around with needles a bit and liked it on my Knit Picks Rainbow straights the best.  The linen can be slippy, it likes to do it's own thing a bit, so it needs a needle with a bit of grab to tame it.  The pattern calls for size US7 which makes an open, uneven fabric which would be unacceptable in a wool, but is perfect for linen.  It's earthy.  Almost fishnetty.  I love it.




We'll be back next week with a progress report.  Check out Konrad's post.  Oh my gosh, this guy has got to be the kindest and most patient man on earth!  And guess what?  I'm going to meet him in England this June!  We will have to wear our matching sweaters!  LOL!

I just made Maple Baked Bacon.  Check out the decadent recipe on my cooking blog.