Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Finishing Workshop: How to Block Lace

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lace blocking wiresYesterday we talked in general about how and why to block knitting projects, but there’s one case in which blocking is not optional, and that’s with lace knitting.

If you’ve knit lace before you may remember your first lace project and how it looked rather like wadded up tissue paper when you were done knitting it.

Lace straight off the needles is rarely pretty. But there’s an easy cure: blocking.

In this case, I would wet block unless your project is too fragile for that. A blocking board is great because you’re going to need lots and lots of pins. (Or blocking wires; they’re totally worth it if you knit a lot of lace.)

As you pin down the project you really need to stretch and straighten it to get those eyelets opened. This is what makes all your hard work visible, so don’t skimp. Take your time and try to enjoy it as the last step you have to do before you get to enjoy your beautiful new lace thing.

And if you want to see the real magic that blocking lace can do, check out this tutorial on blocking a circular lace shawl. The blocking itself is a labor of love, but it’s absolutely crucial to have a project you’ll be happy with.

Any lace knitters out there want to share blocking stories? Or are there some lace projects lurking in your UFOs because you don’t know how or don’t want to block them? I’d love to hear about it.

Comments

  1. I made a lace shawl out of premium (read: pricey and beautiful) mohair silk with sequins that I confess I didn’t test swatch prior to starting the project. When I finished it, it was as a prune is to a plum, and I presumed this was the price I paid for not having swatched before. Alas, it is still sitting at the bottom of a bag of scrap yarn. I’ve only just bought my first set of blocking wires, so I think it’s time to rescue that shawl!

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Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.