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(If you want to see a bigger photo, check out this view.)

I guess that means my task for today is to soak and block the sweater. Of course, it's so humid here that it seems like a thankless task. Unless the thunderstorms I desperately hope we get this afternoon really clear the air, this thing is going to take forever and a day to dry.

I've decided to block before attaching the shoulders together because it seems like it will be easier to pin out two single layers of fabric than a double layer. You'll notice that the shape is somewhat of a modified drop sleeve, since some of the body stitches are not continued past the armpits. This will make accurate blocking a bit more difficult than it would be with a traditionally rectangular shaped fair isle sweater body, since I can't just block all parts of it to the same width. Not that it will be too terribly difficult to get it right, but I think doing it before the shoulder bindoff is done will make it a bit easier to fiddle around with things.

In other news, I have discarded my Lorna's Laces. I'll use it for a different pair of socks (or maybe even a non-sock project), but I decided I wasn't happy with how the striping was working with the lace. Instead of stripes, which I got on the ribbed hem, I was getting more of a mottled effect in the lace. It made the lace really difficult to see, even when I was concentrating on it. It was so difficult to even read my own knitting that I ripped it out and cast on with some solid Kroy. I was a bit cranky about that yesterday, as I was really looking forward to knitting with Lorna's Laces again. I was also not sure about whether I wanted solid orange socks. (I bought the yarn when Elann had it on sale over a year ago. I don't think I own any orange clothing. What possessed me to order orange sock yarn is beyond me.) Now that I'm a couple of pattern repeats in, I'm actually quite fond of the color. It's actually not as wild and scary of an orange as I always seem to remember, when the yarn is hidden away in a drawer.

And on another new note, I decided to submit the colorwork bag I recently knit to Debbie Stoller, for the new Stitch 'N Bitch book. It's going to be a book with more advanced designs, and I thought it was worth a shot to submit the design. I'm a bit concerned about the fact that the colorwork itself is from a different book, with just a minor modification, so I'm going to try to work on some original colorwork charts. If Debbie decides she doesn't want the bag for her book, I might try to put together an enhanced pattern (with a few colorwork chart options), to sell on my own.

EDIT: I thought I should take a second to thank all of the folks who have been leaving me flattering and helpful comments lately. The commenting system Blogger uses makes it a pain (or impossible) to actually reply to people, but rest assured that your comments are received and appreciated. One of these days I need to figure out how to switch to a comment system that will allow for easier replies...