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How do you take a warty frog of a knit project and change it into a handsome prince? The only way I know is blocking! If the fiber is amenable (most likely from a sheep, goat or various camelid animal), proper blocking will take a ho-hum blob of knitted stitches and transform them into an incredibly gorgeous masterpiece faster than you can imagine! The change is nearly as dramatic as the transformation of a lump of clay into a fine piece of porcelain.

Blocking Shawls

For example, the limp lump of magenta mohair pictured below is entirely without charm. The project is a design of Meg Swanson's called Mananita, which translates as "pretty little morning." It is a shawl, which I finally completed after a two-year hiatus. Yes, the lace got to me, and in a fit of pique, I put it aside until I had the patience to sort it out. The pattern is not that difficult, as lace patterns go. But I had been seduced into starting another project while this one confounded me, and off I went on a tangent in another direction. I am used to it now and rarely fight the urge when it hits. I have that in common with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka The Yarn Harlot, whom I idolize! But I digress ...

Photo 1. Hot off the needles but limp as a noodle.

Blocking generally involves a bit of water and exertion of will on your part, but only surrender on the part of the yarn. It can make all the difference between homemade and handcrafted. It can also even out the size of the individual stitches, making them more uniform.

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Today's Topic: Wet Blocking

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Several methods of blocking are favored by knitters, and each has its merits. For shawls and most lace work, I prefer wet blocking. Not wet as in a dripping and soggy mess, but the fibers are thoroughly wetted by soaking for at least 30 minutes to allow the water to enter the cuticle of the fibers. I like to spin out the wool in my machine with no agitation, of course, to remove as much moisture as possible.

It is important to find an area of the necessary size available for "dressing" the shawl, the term used for this process. In years past, many shawls were dressed by being attached to large wooden frames and placed outdoors to dry. A thread was run through all the lace points around the shawl; then the thread was tacked to the frame, making it unnecessary to hand-pin each point out to the maximum. Lacking such a frame, my carpeted floor has been the go-to spot for years, mostly because no other space of the needed size was around. Did I mention that I have a very large and invasive stash? Another digression and I apologize. My knees, however, do not appreciate this particular spot, so I have been looking for better venues.

For this project, I chose the cover of the spa in my sunroom. It was necessary to forego the use of pins though, as I did not want to ruin the faux-leather top, so I spread out a large sheet and hoped the cotton would provide enough friction with the mohair to encourage it to stay in place until the shawl dried. I spread the shawl out carefully, pulling gently to get each spoke of the wheel smoothly into place. As I coaxed the edging into place, I was encouraged to see the soft undulations of the S-curve forming.

Photo 2. What a difference!

An overhead fan provided fast and thorough drying, and there were no ill effects from the pin-less blocking. The shawl will hold this shape until it is wet again, and I will dress it differently since I now have blocking wires.

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New Knitting-Related Toys

A recent project provided the chance to use products now available from Knit Picks: blocking mats, wires and pins. Various forms of these useful tools have been around for years, but only lately has the online provider of luxury yarns for less sold these through their catalog and Web site at KnitPicks.com.

The blocking mat comes in nine 12-inch interlocking foam pieces; think of a jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces the same shape. It may be arranged to accept a large sweater in any format necessary, and only a block or two may be used if desired; it's the knitter's choice. I locked it in place, again on the spa top, and pondered just how to fit a very large shawl onto this nine-foot-square area. The shawl covered a queen-size flat sheet when I used the floor the last time.

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The Mission

This project is Pi Are Square Shawl, designed by Elizabeth Zimmermann (Schoolhouse Press). The yarn is mohair that I found on a cone long ago. It's all done in garter stitch, with the exception of one purl stitch per lace repeat on the edging. Part of it was knit on a trip to France in 1998, so there are memories knit into each stitch. Sadly, there were some badly soiled areas until its most recent bath, when I used 20 Mule Team Borax in the soaking water, and now it is brighter and really clean. (Please note I do not suggest you try this unless you are willing to be unpleasantly surprised if Things Go Wrong. It can happen, and I bear no responsibility in any case but my own!)

After gently rinsing and thoroughly spinning out most of the water, the shawl was folded in half. It was still far too large to fit the mat. I pinned out the larger square part of it using the blocking wires to tease out the edging points.

In this photo you can see that running the wires through the edge points is an easier job than pinning out each one. A T-pin here and there, and all the points in two layers are at attention.

Photo 3. Wires are inserted into the edging points.

I gently shaped the rest of the shawl as I drew more tension against the wires anchoring the other side, and the pattern began to really pop. The curved section gave me the chance to play with wires in tandem as you see in the next photo.

Photo 4. Close up of T-pins holding the wires taut.

Photo 5. I ran out of space, so I hung weights on a wire to complete the blocking.

Photo 6. See how the overlapping wires accommodate the curve of the shawl?

Photo 7. The four layers are ready to dry overnight.

After drying overnight, the shawl was totally dry, sweet-smelling and incredibly pointed in all the right places. The fold lines disappear now when I wear it. Writing this description has taken more time than inserting the wires and pins for blocking. If you haven't ventured into this area, hesitate no longer and take the plunge. You'll never regret the little time it takes to do a good job of blocking.

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Free Pattern
This light and lively wisp of a cardigan is so nice for an office, an evening out or a little something over a T-shirt. Make your favorite color and wear with pride!

Cat's Eye Topper Design by Kennita Tully What's not to love with this simple design with I-cord ties, knit in alpaca-blend yarn? Skill Level Intermediate Sizes Women's small (medium, large) Instructions are given for smallest size, with larger sizes in parentheses. When only 1 number is given, it applies to all sizes. Finished Measurements Chest: 36 (40, 44) inches Length: 20 (21, 22) inches Materials Plymouth Indecita Baby Alpaca Brush 80 percent baby alpaca/20 percent acrylic bulky weight yarn (110 yds/50g per ball): 5 (6, 7) balls celadon #1477 Size 6 (4mm) double-pointed needles for I-cord ties Size 9 (5.5mm) needles or size needed to obtain gauge Size H/8/5mm crochet hook (for trim) Stitch markers Gauge 12 sts and 18 1/2 rows = 4 inches/10cm in Cat's Eye pat with larger needles To save time, take time to check gauge. Special Abbreviations M1 (Make 1): Inc 1 by making a backward loop over right needle. 2yo (Double yo): Wrap yarn twice around needle. On next row, [p1, k1] in lps. Stitch Pattern Cat's Eye (multiple of 4 sts) Row 1 (RS): K4, *2yo, k4; rep from * across. Row 2: P2, *p2 tog, [p1, k1] in 2yo of previous row, p2 tog; rep from *, to last 2 sts, p2. Row 3: K2, yo, *k4, 2yo; rep from *, to last 6 sts, k4, yo, k2. Row 4: *[p2 tog] twice, [p1, k1] in 2yo of previous row; rep from * to last 7 sts, [p2 tog] twice, p3. Rep Rows 1–4 for pat. Pattern Notes When shaping sleeves, work incs 1 st in from each edge, being careful to maintain pat, and working added sts in St st until there are enough sts for a full pat rep. Back Cast on 56 (60, 64) sts. Purl 1 row, then work in pat until back measures approx 12 (12 1/2, 13) inches. Place marker at each end of row for armhole. Work even until back measures 20 (21, 22) inches, bind off all sts loosely. Place markers approx 6 (6 1/2, 6 3/4) inches from each edge for shoulder seaming. Left/Right Front Make 2 alike Working as for back, cast on 28 (32, 36) sts and work even until front measures 12 (12 1/2, 13) inches, place marker at armhole edge. Work even until front measures 20 (21, 22) inches, bind off all sts loosely. Sleeves Cast on 28 (28, 32) sts. Purl 1 row, then work in pat, beg on Row 3, inc 1 st by M1 at each side [every 4th row] 0 (8, 11) times, then [every 6th row] 10 (4, 0) times. (48, 52, 54 sts) Work even until sleeve measures 13 inches, bind off all sts. Assembly Block all pieces. Sew shoulder seams to markers. Sew sleeves between armhole markers. Sew sleeve and side seams. Fold back collar and mark bottom of collar for trim. Trim With crochet hook and RS facing and beg at center back, work reverse single crochet across bottom edge of sweater and up center front to bottom of collar; fasten off yarn. Join yarn at shoulder and work across back neck to other shoulder; fasten off yarn. Join yarn below collar marker and work rem of center front and bottom edge of sweater; join in first single crochet. Work collar trim on WS of work in same manner. I-Cord Ties Make 2 With double-pointed needles, pick up and knit 3 sts at base of collar, *slide sts to opposite end of needle, k3; rep from * for approx 12-14 inches, slide sts to opposite end of needle, k3tog, fasten off. Rep for tie on other front. Tack down corners of collar. Copyright © June 2005 Creative Knitting. All rights reserved. Click here for printable pattern page.

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