Why You Should Wet Block Your Swatches

I’m guessing by now you know that you should knit swatches before embarking on large projects, especially garments that need to fit a particular person.

Not only is it important to know if you’re getting the same number of stitches per inch as the designer intended, it also gives you a chance to play with the yarn you’ve chosen, to see if you like it in the stitch pattern called for in the pattern and to get to know how it behaves.

Getting to know how it behaves is also why you should wet block your swatches instead of measuring straight off (or, worse, still on) the needles. YarnSub has a great post all about why you should wet block your swatches, but it basically comes down to the fact that gauge changes when you wash yarn, so if you ever intend to wash your finished garment, you need to know what your gauge will be after that point, not in its unwashed state.

When I’m designing something I always take the time to block my swatches, but I don’t always when I’m working from someone else’s pattern, even though I ought to know better because I have seen the changes that can come over yarns after they are washed. Some bloom and halo, others stretch, and you’ll never know what your finished garment might look like once it’s been washed unless you test it first.

Do you knit swatches? Do you block them? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo via YarnSub.]

Next Pattern:

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

Next Pattern:

Comments

Have you read?

Leave a Reply