Blocking question

I don`t block knittind or crochet at all , but even if i did i wouldn`t put it on foam but on a towel Knitting isn`t something you waqnt to STRECH out !!!! you want it to rest ,,, mirjam

Thanks for posting this, Mirjam, because I rarely block myself, and sometimes I feel guilty about it. Now I won't!

Higs, Katherine

I knit a baby afghan once for my brother's new baby. I didn't block it either, although the directions said to block it. My big problem is not having a flat surface large enough to block something. So I sent it to my aunt, who lives down the street from my brother, and asked her to block it. She's got plenty of clean flat surfaces in her home. I don't know if she blocked it or not, but my brother liked it either way.

Only justification I can see for blocking something is holding it in the right shape (a rectangle can come out oddly like a trapezoid or other shape). I just don't have the patience (or space) to do it.

I don`t block knittind or crochet at all , but even if i did i wouldn`t put it on foam but on a towel Knitting isn`t something you waqnt to STRECH out !!!! you want it to rest ,,, mirjam

Me neither, though I found if I leave a scarf over the back of a chair or the sofa, the cats sitting on it blocks it nicely.

Lace however, is said to need to be blocked, to stretch it out for both size and to show the pattern.

sue

I've never blocked anything, mostly because it's acrylic anyway. I have two wool scarves I haven't blocked and they're okay. The edges fold over a little which seems to bother a lot of knitters, they want them `nice and straight'. I may try your damp towel idea on them to see if it `improves' them or not. One of the reasons people give for blocking is to get a piece to the correct size so it fits. Since I knit a pattern in my own gauge to fit me, and ignore the pattern gauge, I don't have this problem. I think some knitters are overly strict about getting the gauge right on. I'm very casual about it, but my things fit. If they don't I rip out and use a different number of stitches.

sue

Sue !! Wonderful reply , you touched some of the `problems`, that can and should be solved by knitting and not by streching or squeezing any thing ,,,, > I've never blocked anything, mostly because it's acrylic anyway. I have

If people Want their edges straight they should Knit them so that they will be straight ,,, all the people who knit shawls with lengthwise k X pX stitches should take into consideration that the side of only knit or only purl BY THEIR nature won`t be straight ,,, the only way to ensure their straightness is by working on them as EDGES just like one does at the Hems ,,, thus either k all the time the 4-6 last and first st,,, or make a sead st on the last and first 4-6 st,,,, Even when i ribbel a shawl i make the edges with Opposite st,,, keeps the shawls i made Straight for over 40 years !!!!! Or one can edge the sides with a crochet st ,,,

The RIGHT Gaugue is a PERSONAL matter different from knitter to knitter ,,,, mirjam

Christy,

I usually start at the corners. Then I pull the middle of each edge out to where it should be. Then I halve each section. Continue halving each section until you have as many pins as you need.

Hope that makes sense - it is kind of hard to explain without actually doing it!

Can't wait to see your pictures!

LauraJ

I think you can still get starch in some craft stores.

Sugar water has the drawback of possibly attracting insects.

=Tamar

Well yes, and since most of my knitting is with acrylic or blends, a trip through the washer really evens out the sts. I don't finish much either, I knit sweaters without seams or flat pieces or hats....

sue

Many supermarkets carry liquid starch and starch powder that you can make up yourself.

Craft stores carry products specifically for stiffen> >