Last night we had the first thunderstorm of the season. I didn’t realize how much I missed thunderstorms until the first rumble of thunder. One of my greatest pleasures is standing by the window waiting for the lightning to hit the Meadowlands and breathing deep the smell of rain right before it falls. Spring really is here.

My forays to the window were respite from my new project. I haven’t strayed far from my roots though. You know how sometimes you get a knit in your hands that’s a winner from the start? And some, well, some that aren’t? I’m decidedly in the latter category with my new project.

Before the miters took over and I blinked and a month and a half of my life had passed, there were other projects – being knit and being planned. This weekend I’ll be attending my cousin’s bridal shower and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to try some new things. My plan was to be wearing a gorgeous completed Katharine Hepburn Caridgan, carrying four gorgeous linen handtowels as my gift. Two of which were monogrammed.

It TOTALLY could have happened. Dudes. You know it’s true.

But, alas, we all know what really did happen. When the end was drawing nigh on the knitting of the miters, I knew I’d have to have something new to throw myself into – sort of trade one obsession with a slightly less obsessive obsession to wean myself off. The ever present in my life Kay (which is a GREAT thing) talks about linen yarn almost as much as she talks about cotton, and I never really believed her about the cotton, and do we really have to talk about what happened with that? Time to try the linen! Euroflax, to be precise. Sportweight variety.

I started off with 80 stitches, a seed stitch border and plans for a monogram. I found these letter charts and mapped them out on my knitty graph paper (which I made in Excel) and set to work. I’m knitting knitting knitting away on US Size #4 addis and I don’t know – the stitches seem kind of lose. But I don’t think that I can go down to size 3s and Kay has assured me that the fabric will look great once it’s been through the washer and dryer. So I knit knit knit and I finish the letters. I’m unsure. Sometimes, if I hold it in the right light, you can tell what it’s supposed to be. But most times? Not. G comes home. I ask him to look at it. He’s tired – it’s been a long day – he’s not feeling well – and he says, “You know I’m not good at this stuff, but um, I can’t tell at all.” Can you?

It’s supposed to be a J, a K, and an M.

The shower is on Saturday – and don’t you worry. I’m not planning on cranking four of these out. If it all works out, I will take one finished one and tell her others are coming. But I not convinced it’s working out. I could finish off the handtowel – wash it, dry it – see what it’s like and call it an experiment – I did want to knit with the Linen. Or I could rip it and maybe try to knit the letters a different way. I thought maybe if I made a square of reverse stockinette and knit the letters in stockinette against the rs square? Margene wanted me to use seed stitch, which was my first choice too, but then I have to rechart everything. Which I don’t feel like doing. What would you do, if you were me? I don’t have to worry about a gift so this handtowel can disappear with none the wiser. Would you finish it or rip it and go on to something else?

I’ll tell you – what I really want to do is cast on a sock in the gorgeous new yarn I bought. Sort of an “I’m finished knitting cotton let’s go back to super soft super fabulous merino for a while because you deserve it damnit” kind of gift to myself.

Artyarns Ultramerino 4, #227

Thanks again for all your comments on the miters. I really do appreciate it.