Blocking

I wanted to share my blocking of a linen shawl that I knit while on vacation. It was made from Louet brand 100 % linen. In blue (my favourite colour!). Linen is very stiff and almost crinkly and a lot of folks don't like to knit with it - it is rough, it doesn't feel soft, it is like cotton, it doesn't slide off the needles. If you own any linen garments and have had them for some time, you will know that over time, linen softens up to be one of the most loveable feeling shirts or pants that you own. Cool in summer and very breathable. I love the almost squeaky feel of it while knitting.

Here is the start of the Augustine shawl (paid pattern on Ravelry). Even looking at the cake, it is all stiff looking, no drape to it at all. That will change as it is knit. It softens up as I knit and with 'folding' it and storing it in my knit pouch. One of my tour buddies commented on it while I was knitting - 'It feels very crispy, are you sure you want to wear it?'!

After your item is knit, it is usually a bunch of squishiness, especially lace, it is usually smaller than what it could be (taking into account your gauge and we all know that we all gauge swatch right???!!), needle size, chosen yarn, and the mood you were in when you knit (who hasn't had a bad day knitting) etc. Blocking will help bring the item to what the designed intended it to look like, usually increases the item in size, and will even out stitches. (You know when your tension is always exact and some stitches are larger or smaller their neighbours). Have a look at the bumpiness and unevenness of the stitches below.

In this pattern, it calls for you to drop stitches (on purpose - blows my mind!) Just dropping those stitches will not give the item the same look if you do not block it. The dropped stitch will tend to be curled giving the finished item an unfinished look as shown above.

I usually darn in my ends first. Some folks wait til after, it is up to you in my humble opinion. I fill my bathroom sink with body temperature water. If you want (you can lay out your item and measure it before you block. I do this but never remember to write down the measurements (like on Ravelry, sigh). You can use a basin, bucket, large bowl whatever you have available that doesn't need to be used for a while.

 I add in one capful of Eucalan. You can use Soak, hair conditioner, or just plain water. Make sure the water is body temperature. Eucalan doesn't need to rinsed out. I am not sure if conditioner needs to be washed out.  If I close my eyes and let the water run over my hand and when I cannot feel any change in temperature then I know it is at the right spot. 

 Throw your item in, and submerge it.

No need to 'wash' it , let it rest...ahhhhhh....for about 30 minutes or until you remember you left it in the sink. I am lucky as the plug in my sink leaks a little and it takes about half an hour for the water to drain out.

 Gently squeeze the water out of the item with your hand. Do not wring it out, just press it out as much as you can.

 I gently lift the blob of wetness onto a towel (an old one as some dyes may run) and roll it up.

 Press down on the towel and squeeze more water out of it, don't twist it just press firmly. It will still most likely be wet.

 I do not own blocking mats. I lay big towels out on my floor in an area that is not subject to a lot of foot traffic. Then comes the cool part. Pull your item to its intended shape and pin. If your item has points such as  picot edge, put a pin in each one to make the picots stand out if you want. If your item has a straight edge you may want to use blocking wires to keep the edge straight, you can achieve the same result using many pins too. I would recommend stainless steel blocking pins as they do not rust. I have used quilting pins as well with success.

Look at the difference between the pre and post blocking - sorry cannot get them to line up on the same line. I should have also taken a closer pic so you can see how the dropped stitches line up. 

Leave to dry. It may take a day or two or three depending on where your item is left and how much air flow is around and the air temperature etc. Un pin and wear!

Make your day beautiful!