So I've never actually blocked any of my knitting or crocheting...I know I know you die hards out there...judge me if you will. I'm lazy and just glad to finish projects. Actually, I mostly make toys, booties, etc so I haven't had the need to block often but still.
Fast forward to today, finishing a baby sweater for my sweet little bun in the oven. The pieces were terribly curled up (see below) and hard to sew together so I decided to try this blocking thing. It was pretty easy and although the pieces didn't end up completely flat, the blocking definitely made it easier to sew everything together. There are many different methods for blocking. I chose the the spray damp method b/c of the yarn I used. See below for some resources I found really helpful.
What you'll need:
- Towel(s)
- T-pins or other long, straight pins
- Spray bottle with water in it
- Tape measure
- Your pattern
- Your piece to be blocked
How to:
1. Fold your towel in half, you want a bit of thickness, lay it on a flat surface
2. Pin out your pieces to the measurements in your pattern or desired size
3. Spray the piece until it's nice and damp. Smooth out the edges and any rumpled stitches (I tend to knit looser than I purl so I always have a lumpy stockinette stitch. The blocking evened it out nicely!)
4. Measure once more to make sure the work hasn't shifted during your smoothing, adjust pins as needed.
5. Let dry completely and voila! Your piece is now blocked and ready to put together.
(sorry for the terrible lighting on all of these. Crafty time is late at night these days since work is so hectic)
I've also made two lovely baby sweaters from Sirdar patterns and their instructions require you put everything together and then block. Haven't blocked those yet, maybe this weekend. Will post those soon. Still missing the buttons and flower embroidery along the bottom hem and sleeves of this one (I'm still thinking I've got a girl in there - we'll know for sure later this week! Squeal!!).
The Basics of Blocking, part 1 (Knitting Daily) - basics
Tools for the DIY Knitter (Knitty) - this is a great page on blocking methods based on yarn used
Roll Your Own Blocking Board (Yarn Maven) - in case you want to get fancy and make yourself one
Lots of baby crafty in the works. We started the mural in the nursery over Memorial Day weekend. Today I painted the clouds, tree and leaves. I've made a rough sketch of what else will go on the walls but having difficulty figuring out where to put all the little goodies. Will post about this soon too. I forgot to take a picture of the room before all cluttered and full of furniture (although here is a good view of my mountain of a craft table the week before I cleared it out of the room) but I've been good about taking pictures of the mural in stages. Can't wait to share!! It's looking good if I may say so myself :)
Alrighty then...good luck with your blocking!
Beautiful Sweater! So talented! Congrats on the upcoming baby:)
Posted by: Sue | June 03, 2009 at 10:07 PM