Free Pattern Friday: You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman

So last summer, I bought a bunch of Berroco Natural Lin, a rayon/linen blend that looks great and feels great and... And then I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with it. Originally, I started to make a bag, but then I changed my mind. Then I found a pattern for this cute waist-wrap thing, but that didn't work for me either-- I realized, fortunately before I got too far into it, that my mind was doing that trick where I was convincing myself if I made the garment and put it on, I would immediately look like the model showing it off in the pattern picture. Since she's about twenty-five years and at least twice as many pounds less than me, it dawned on me I might wind up with a seventy-hour project on my hands that I would end up putting on one of the dogs like a superhero cape. Much as I like dogs in capes (or any costume really) this is the year of Selfish Knitting for me, where I want nearly everything I make to be something I really, truly wear and enjoy.

I started surfing around for patterns, something that would look really good, keep me busy but not be too complicated because it's getting hot (okay, it already is hot) and summer, for me, is all about doing what I can to try to kick back. Well, I found what I was looking for at The Purl Bee, blog for Purl, that famous knit store in NYC. I dropped them a line to ask if I might share this lovely, simple, knit mostly-in-the-round tunic and they said sure. (I just love the knit community.) So here you go, a link to the Leah Tunic. I hope you dig the simplicity of it-- that's something else I associate with summer. And if anyone else wants to take this project on, let me know and maybe we can get a little knit-a-long going over at KnitBuzz.

Happy Weekend,
Spike