A lot of people have been asking me what blocking knitting entails, so here is a basic primer on the technique.
First of all, what is blocking? Blocking knitting is a method of treating your finished piece of knitting (before or after sewing it to other pieces, or sometimes both.
) You wet the piece, stretch and smooth it to shape, and then allow it to dry.
This helps the knitting keep its intended shape.
You can also block a sweater after you've washed it - it works time after time to set the sweater's shape.
Why should I block my knitting? When you block, you reduce curling on the edges and make it easier to sew up into the garment, or other finished product.
It also opens out any intricate work to show the pattern more clearly.
But the main advantage of blocking knitting is that it adjusts the shape of the finished garment and removes slight variations in your stitches.
It's an easy way to make your knitting look more uniform and skillfully crafted.
How do I do it? First, you'll need a good surface.
I usually put a towel on my bed or table - any flat surface that's large enough for the piece will do, even the floor.
Some people use sweater drying racks, which allow air to circulate under the knitting and dry the piece out faster.
If I'm in a hurry, I usually use a fan or put the piece near a heating vent.
Next, you'll need something to hold your knitting in place.
I use stainless steel pins because it gives me flexibility to move the piece around until I get it just right.
You can also find blocking wires in a knitting or craft store, though I think they're more trouble than they're worth.
I'd rather use more pins to get the right shape, because it's less fussy than the wire.
Sometimes I wash the piece gently in a basin before blocking, but if it's dry, I dampen it either by spraying water on it or using a steam iron.
If you don't have a spray bottle or an iron, you can also lay a damp towel over the piece for a few minutes.
Then you wait for it to dry.
Once it's fully dry, you can remove the pins and it's ready for finishing.
Some don'ts for blocking knitting: - Don't block acrylic, polyester, or other synthetic fibre projects.
- Don't stretch ribbed borders on sweaters when you block them.
They should dry in the relaxed position to maintain their elasticity.