Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

How to Make Your Own Blocking Board

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How to make your own blocking board.Blocking knitting projects when they’re finished isn’t always essential, but sometimes it is (lace) and sometimes it just helps to make things look a little nicer or to get two pieces of knitting that ought to be the same size to actually be the same size (say, the front and back of a sweater).

I have a purchased blocking board, which is great, but it’s heavy, and they can be expensive.

This alternative from Jessica Joy is quick, easy and cheap to put together yourself with foam board and gingham, which is used not so much as a measuring tool but to allow you to line up edges on the straight lines of the fabric.

She notes in her tutorial that the foam board curled up at the edges because it doesn’t really like to be wet, but this is still a great in a pinch option for blocking, particularly if you need a really big space, because foam board is pretty inexpensive.

Have you ever made a DIY blocking board? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via Jessica Joy.]

Comments

  2. I bought the thick pink insulation foam board at HomeDepot/Lowes. Covered with gingham and stapled to the back of the boards. So that it wouldn’t be to big to fit under a bed, I did a kind of dovetail hinge where the two boards met so that the whole thing could be folded in half. Cheap, store-able and still working years later.

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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.