Update

Ok, so my swatch has dried. Actually, it dried out on Sunday, but I had to flash it around to my family and knit coven before I show it here. I'm really not quite sure what I'm going to do at this point, but for your edification:

Someone was kind enough to display it for me. He really, really did not like having a swatch of knitting on his head on a day when the temperature topped 90 but it felt like 110, but he got a freeze-dried chicken treat for his acquiescence, so it all evened out in the end.

Of course I buy my dog's compliance; what sort of weak willed, broken-spirited creature are you harboring in your home that you don't?

Anyway, here's a close up:


The patterns are from a book I found on Project Gutenberg, and are called (left to right): Rain Pattern, Pearl Pattern (modified by me) and Pearl Pattern (proper; I didn't like it much hence the modification on the fly, since the Pearl Pattern is the cast on end). Rain Pattern looks like a bog-standard chevron, so why call it rain, and the Pearls referred to in the other pattern's name are actually purls, not the jewels. I rather like the looks of the modified version and actually think it would be simple to convert to a top down shawl pattern. And it's garter based, so no rolling! Sweet!

Of course, this leads to a conundrum. I know there is a method around to block acrylic, called in charming fashion, "killing", but I sort of like how it looks on those needles, as is (because I can tell you there was no change in the swatch between the before and after on regular blocking attempts) and it's not going to roll at the edges. So, I can either just knit it on size 5 needles and leave it as is, or knit it on size 5s, kill the acrylic out a bit larger and more open, and hope I don't set the house on fire in the process. Because that is, as always, an actual option when I and irons are involved. Hmmm. A conundrum, indeed.

Well. There is the fire risk where irons are involved, so perhaps not so much of a conundrum after all.