It may still be the middle of winter, but I've held off for as long as I can on swatching with this linen & silk blend yarn.
I've been dreaming about a sweater. Something with a loose gauge and a simple stockinette pattern. So I'm swatching to see what kind of gauge I get, before I get my heart set on a specific pattern (my heart is secretly set on Mithril, but I'm trying to keep an open mind here). Unblocked, there is very little difference in stitch gauge between size 2 and size 4 needles, 5 stitches an inch, with a slight variation in row gauge. This isn't too surprising -- linen creates a loose, drapey fabric and it's important to keep this in mind if you're going to knit with it. It doesn't sprong back into shape like a nice merino wool will.
The color, Castle Stone (the yarn is Elliebelly Chemise) is a bit of a chameleon, here it is out of doors after swatching.
Here it is blocking, indoors. You can see it picks up the light because of the silk content. I adore this yarn. No matter where it is, it makes me very happy. (In case you're wondering, the two holes near the top of the swatch are how I mark which half was knit on the smaller needles -- two pair of yarn overs)
I'm hoping the blocked shape holds up because my informal measurement is that it's spot on for the gauge I need to knit Mithril. Fingers Crossed.
