Blocking matters, it really does and I know this now, more than I did before. I use bulky yarns and mostly make cowls which don’t normally require blocking. Well there was that one cowl that I had to block, it was the So Faux Cowl by Amy Keefer. If I remember correctly I probably sprayed it with a water bottle and then pinned it down with my Coco knits Knitters block.
I can and will say blocking intimidates me. I know you all have seen those pictures of things being blocked with those wires? Man I just learn how to knit, I can’t do that
Fast forward to the here and now, while I was suppose to be nursing my elbow I found the Textured Shawl Recipe and I had to get started. I had 3 skeins of Cascade Yarns Greenland in Burnt orange, so why not. This shawl is how I learned the textured stitch that I demonstrated in the last blog post. My arm is getting better so I was able to finish, which meant I had to block, *insert horror film music*
Luckily I have my ConAir Steamer, my BagSmith’s Block n Roll and my knitter’s pride knit blockers These tools make my life so easy. My Shelbey got the steamer for me as a Christmas gift; best gift ever. Below you will see pics of the before and after pics. #blockingmatters I promise you it does.
So how do you block? I am aware of two different ways
Ways to block your project
- Steam – this way of blocking is the easiest to me. Prior to getting my steamer I simply used my iron to do my steaming and then pinned it down and allowed it to dry.
- Wet – this is the way the scares me and I am so not sure why. This requires you to soak the piece in water, with some soak, squeeze the excess out, roll it in a towel, pin it down and finally allow to dry
Please remember you must check your fiber content to be sure you don’t ruin your piece. As for my shawl, it was super wash merino so it blocked like a champ. I didn’t make the ends long enough..but I will make it work. How do you block your items?
NOTE: the links for the tools take you to my Amazon store. Thank you in advance for our support.
Knit on my fiber friends…knit on
GG
I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A WET BLOCKER, LIKE MOMMY TAUGHT ME. BUT,I WANT THAT STEAMER.
lol I know the feeling!
I wet block natural yarn and steam block acrylic. And yes, I use the wires for shawls. It makes for a very straight edge, if that happens to be what you are going for. I invested in the wires, some rust proof t-pins and the Knitters Pride Knit Blockers. I bought two sets of children’s foam play mats from Amazon and I use those to do the wet blocking. For steaming, I just use my iron and an ironing board. I let the steamed section dry and then move on to the next section. It makes a world of difference in your final product!
Those wires scare me to death! I swear! LOL! One day I will grow up and be a big girl knitter
Depends on the garment. I usually wet block hats and some small scarves (yes I roll them in towels and then lay them out to dry) and steam (I have a handy travel steamer that works well for this) or spray-block larger items, like ponchos, sweaters. I use the interconnecting foam squares and (s)lightly stretch the garments out with the “T” pins.
I swear the wires scare me to death!
So…baby blankets I make and gift will be washed and dried in machines. New mamas like that best.
So…I don’t block. Should I?
The current one is all cotton, my first with this yarn.
What do you think, Gaye?
A blanket I would block because it just gives the end product such a nice finish.