Blocking a sweater

ALYNE wrote

on Jun 16, 2009 11:14 AM

 My directions for a sweater I purchased on line from Knitting Daily call for blocking the pieces before I stitch the seams together.  How do I do this? 

 I don't know much about blocking anyway, I just wash the garment and lay it out to dry, pulling and placing the sleeves, etc. where they should be.  Is there any more to the process than that?

ShelleyR wrote

on Jun 16, 2009 1:39 PM

in a word, yes.

You want to be certain that your pieces will dry in the measurements that you knit them to. To do that you will need to measure AND PIN! and then leave the wet items alone while they dry and work their way into what you want.

I use a blocking board with measurements on it. It is thick and reasonably water proof, though if a piece is thick and going to take a long time to dry I put something plastic underneath. I use good stainless steel T pins, make certain that they are not rusty or rust-able, whatever you use.

I know knitters who just use something sturdy (heavy cardboard, plywood) with towels on top, and then place the entire thing on top of a washing machine or something that won't be needed during the drying process. For me, a math-challenged sort, I benefit from the built-in measurements on the blocking board, so I invested in that.

Make certain that you put your blocking out of the way of children, pets and inquisitive sorts. If you have a spare bedroom or other quiet place so much the better. I would not use a garage or garden shed, you don't want your pieces picking up odors.

Oh, and this takes time. You will be pinning and repinning fairly often. Not so much if it's a pretty straight piece, but if you have lace, and curves, you are going to be pinning often. And then remeasuring. I also make sure that I pin equally on both edges of a piece. Everyone has their own methods, but the basics are wet, measure, pin and let sit.

good luck

PamelaB wrote

on Jul 6, 2009 12:52 AM

Do forgive me if   this has been asked and answered before but I don't seem to be able to find the answer. and it's such a basic question anyway that I shall look like a perfect fool just to asking it!

When you block a shawl or sweater, do you have to repeat the performance every single time you wash it or does the fabric stay blocked and just need a quick tweak?   I'm looking at the heavily scalloped lace shawl I've just finished and am rapidly losing the will to live at the thought of going through the whole blocking performance every time it's washed.

(I'm using the Russian method of blocking i.e. running a cord through the straight edges and others down the sides of the shawl through the scallops, then washing and pulling hard before pinning the cord to the measurements I want).

FionaC wrote

on Jul 6, 2009 3:15 AM

I think it depends on the yarn. I have some 100% wool sweaters that are not superwash wool, and  just need a tweak. I wash them on gentle cycle then lay them flat on towels, patting into shape, and just let them dry. On the other hand, I have a 100% wool Shetland lace shawl that my grnadmother made about 45 years ago, that I pin into place to let dry. I don't need 50 gajillion pins as you do when you block a wool shawl for the first time, but it does need pinning around the edges so that the scalloped points lie flat when dry. Like you, the whole thought of washing and blocking puts me off and I do take the recommended against short-cut of folding the shawl in half when damp and then pinning. This reduces the amount of space required and ensures that both sides are drying symetrically. Anyhoo, I've been drying this shawl this way for a couple of decades and it seems none the worse for it.

FionaC