can someone explain blocking to me?
i thought only wool projects need to be blocked, but after surfing other blogs it seems like people block non-wool. should i be blocking finished objects that are made from plant and synthetic yarns? what about this poncho i'm making that is a mishmash of cotton, bamboo, soy, AND acrylic -- including some yarns that are "dry clean only"?
if i should be blocking vegan yarns, how do i do that?
any advice on blocking vegan yarn (or not blocking it) would be greatly appreciated.
if i should be blocking vegan yarns, how do i do that?
any advice on blocking vegan yarn (or not blocking it) would be greatly appreciated.
posted by jen at 10:44 AM
3 Comments:
I don't know, but I hope someone answers this question cause I have wondered about this.
I wet block anything that can be washed. Basically I soak it for 10 minutes (or until I remember that it's in the sink!) and then pin it out to meet the dimensions of the pattern, paying special attention to making the edges flat and thus easier to sew together.
Blocking the pieces to the schematics given by the pattern makes it fit together how it's designed to and makes sure that you've made what you started out to make.
I admit that when I wash stuff when it's done though I just hang it over the bannister to dry or on a drying rack, I don't tend to reshape anything as I've never needed to.
I don't block socks, waste of time in my opinion!
Hope that helps!
I feel cotton and cotton blends are great to block into shape, even if they don't have the same "memory" that people say wool has. I don't knit with wool, though!
For example, I'm about to start the picovoli tee with knit picks shine, which is a cotton/modal blend. My gauge swatch was curling like crazy (as I imagine the neckline of the shirt will) and blocking it tamed the swatch and it now lays flat.
A tip for cotton: after soaking your item and rinsing (if you used soap), lay the item flat on a large towel and then roll it up like sushi. Squeeze or step onto the roll to get the excess water out.
I often freak out a little when I unroll it and see all my stitches squashed and distorted, so I toss mine into the dryer for a SHORT period of time, just to "fluff" it. Make sure to remove it before it dries, we're talking 1-2 minutes total. Then simply lay your item out on a towel, window screen, couch cushion, etc. and shape to match your desired dimensions. Use pins if it's misbehaving.
It's also good to do all this for your swatches before measuring gauge, as cotton tends to "bloom" when wetted. It's important to know how you're item will change after it's washed.
Wow. Sorry I wrote so much!
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