Swatching With Linen

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.