Blocking

[julesinottawa]

Do you block your pieces? If so, what method do you use? I'm terrified to ruin my pieces (working on a sweater) for fear of ruining the fibre. The current yarn I'm using is a wool/mohair blend or possibly a wool/cashmere blend (the owner of the store was away when I bought it and the staff weren't sure).

[abomgardner417]

Mostly bumping for you...but also, I have just taken my sweaters to the dry cleaner when I'm finished and asked them to block it. I don't particularly care for the chemicals from the dry cleaner but I just don't have the patience to do it myself and like you I'm terrified of ruining it. It only cost me about $5 to have them do it and it gets done much faster than if I would do it myself. Hope you get some better answers though!

[MeepyCat]

I didn't used to, but then I tried it once and WOW, the results were so much better than not blocking. (I have, however, never tried to block anything ribbed, and I hear there are special considerations for that.)

My tactics involve a sink full of water at body temperature, a measuring tape, and a lot of big towels. Fill sink. Put sweater pieces (it's easier to sew up after blocking) in water and fully submerge. Do not agitate. Remove, one at a time, and place on towel. Lay each piece flat, and stretch or scrunch it as necessary to achieve the pattern dimensions for that piece (check length and width with measuring tape, being sure to check length of key things like armholes as well as overall length). Remove all cats and children from the room with the knitting in it and shut the door. It'll most likely be dry in the morning.

[Think of Winter]

Did you get a band with the yarn with washing instructions? That might help you feel better about it. If your colors are vibrant, you may notice some bleeding into the wash water. You can add some vinegar to help set the color. I wash in my sink with cool water and baby shampoo, and sometimes add a few drops of lavender eo. I just squeeze the soapy water through it and rinse a couple of times. Then I spin it in the washing machine to get most of the water out, lay it on a drying frame, and nudge it into shape.

[melikahiwa]

I tried blocking for the first time the other day. Didn't work out so well for me so I will be trying again this week. I think I may just take it to the dry cleaners, that sounds like a great idea.