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How to block your handmade projects?

 


urements
When I started to knit I had no idea what blocking was. After many years of knitting I learnt about it, and started to use it for my knit wearables. I find it very useful when I make lace patterns.

What does blocking do with our projects?
First, it helps our stitches look beautiful and even. Second, you can block your pieces to a certain measurements. How big can you stretch out your pieces? It depends on your material. Acrylic tends to stretch more, and probably wool has the least stretch to it.





Blocking methods:
  1. Wet blocking: when you use this blocking method, you soak your piece(s) in a sink with your favorite wool detergent. After it's equally soaked, squeeze the water out from the project very gently (be careful not to wrinkle it too much), roll it in clean towel to get the water out. Finally step on the towel to get out most of the water from your knit project. There shouldn't be any access water in it after the last step. Now the actual blocking can start. Lay your piece on your blocking mat, smooth your edges, smooth your stitches out, stretch your piece out (be careful not to overstretch it) and pin it into your measurements. The pins have to be rust-proof pins.
  2. Spray blocking: it's similar to the wet blocking, You spray your knit pieces before you block them on your blocking mat. So you didn't have to soak it, just to wet your pieces. After this, you can start the blocking explained above. My problem with this method is that you might not be able to wet it evenly, so it might be harder to block it (smooth out the stitches and block it to your measurements).
  3. Steam blocking (Blocking with iron and wet cloth): This method can be dangerous so I wouldn't recommend it if you're new to ironing! You only need an iron and a wet cloth for this method, but you have to be VERY CAREFUL if you use this one. What you do is basically iron your pieces with a wet cloth on top. You should not use steam setting, and officially you can only use this method with natural fiber. Acrylic could melt in the process. Why can it be dangerous to use it? The cloth has to be wet all the time before you iron it (with the project under it). As the water vaporize from the cloth it will get really hot, so you can burn yourself!!!!!! The hot steam, the hot cloth can burn your hands.

What is my favorite blocking method?
My favorite method is the wet blocking. In my opinion that gives me the best results. The only problem I have is that I don't have enough blocking mats for big projects. Solution: I need to buy more, lol

The other method I use, is the steam blocking. I like to use that when I have a bigger project to block, and as I mentioned above, I don't have enough mats and space. Unfortunately with this method it is really difficult to block your project to your measurements (see below), so I only use this for shawls/blankets.





Blocking to your measurements

Blocking could help you stretch your project out to your desired measurements. How do I do that? After I wet the project (explained above), I pin one of the edges to the size I want it to be, then I pin the top part to my desired measurement. Then I do the other edge and finally the bottom of my project. I always pin it right side up. This can really help with your finished measurements, but be mindful that not every material act the same way.
If you use different material than your designer, the finished project might look a little different (shape, size).




How I care for my handmade (knit, crochet) after the first wash?
So, we blocked our pieces, we sewn them together, everything looks great. What happens after we wash it?
The best way to care for our handmade project is by handwashing it and lay flat to dry. After you lay it down, you smooth the project with your hands, stretch it a little, and it should be perfect after it dries. We shouldn't put our handmade items in the dryer. We shouldn't hang our handmade projects (only for showing it off on Social Media, lol)



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Thank you for reading,



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