Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Where do you Block?

by

Many knitters do not spend the time to block their finished projects, especially if they knit with [tag]acrylic yarns[/tag]. A nice thing about acrylic is that it’s self-blocking – just toss it into the washer and dryer, and it springs back into the shape it’s supposed to be. Just make sure it gets dried thoroughly.

But, other yarns, like wool, do need to be blocked. This helps to set the shape of the garment, it helps to relax your stitches and it helps to show off your stitch design. [tag]Blocking[/tag] can also help the drape of your project and correct parts of the item that just don’t look or fit properly.

Most knitters block their piece where ever they have a flat surface: washing machine, dryer, spare bed, floor, kitchen counter – you name the place and an inventive knitter has used the space!

Other knitters feel the need to use a blocking board. Sometimes you just don’t have a large enough flat surface to fit your project and a [tag]blocking board[/tag] gives you a surface you can get wet and stick pins in! The inch grids on the board help you to square up your item and block to size properly.

This board is available through [tag]Webs[/tag] and it can be folded up and slipped into a closet when you are finished.

Comments

  1. I made my own blocking boards. I am very proud of them and find them imensley usefull. I wouldn’t be without them now and I would never NOT block my work as it really does make it easier to sew together and gives it a much more professional look.

  2. Thanks for the comment Rachael. The more I use natural fibers, the more I see how the knitting just “pops” after blocking. Really finishes the garment!

Have you read?

Knit a Log Cabin Blanket with All Your Scraps

I guess I must have had this pattern on my mind, because I had chosen this log cabin blanket recipe to write about, promptly forgot about it and a couple of weeks later started knitting a log cabin blanket using all my pink yarn. 

It might stay pink if it makes it to baby blanket sized, or I might add in some pastel green and blue, too, to make a bigger blanket. We’ll see. I’m also holding several strands of yarn together to make a kind of bulky yarn, which means it’s deeply satisfying how much yarn is used even as the project is still relatively small. 

In Kristen Finlay’s version, DK weight yarn scraps (or fingering/sock yarn held double) are used to make a simple scrappy log cabin blanket that’s lighter weight than my version. Log cabin is a great technique for knitters of any skill level because it’s worked in garter stitch. The only not completely basic technique you need for log cabin knitting is picking up stitches. 

If you’ve never worked a log cabin knitting project before, this is a good introduction, and it is really nice to use all your yarn scraps in one big project you’ll use for years to come. 

If you use a lot of DK weight yarn you can keep building on it whenever you finish a project, or if you use more worsted weight you can do the same thing with it, it will just be a little bigger starting out than the pattern calls for. How big it gets is totally up to you. 

I have really been enjoying working on my log cabin project, and it’s my current sitting at my desk and need a break knit (do you have one of those or is it just me?). 

Ready to start your own log cabin blanket knitting project? You can grab the free pattern from Kristen Finlay on Ravelry. 

Need more log cabin inspiration? Check out more log cabin knitting patterns. 

[Photo: Kristen Finlay]