blocking a shawl - feline interference

Hi all,
I finished (except for weaving in ends) by Leah’s Lace Shawl by Sundaughter’s Knits. I am wondering how best to block this whilst having two cats in the house, one of which is a very curious kitten. I only have two rooms besides kitchen and bathroom in my apartment and because of the logistics, I can’t have either one of them blocked off for hours or days while the shawl dries.

Any suggestions are very, very welcome!

Claudia

I have the same issue but I have a big house and an extra room to use for blocking. A few years ago, we had to put the door lock on the outside of the door. Our one Maine Coon would wiggle the door knob and enter the room where I was blocking and her brother from another mother along with our tabby would follow her into the room.
I’d suggest blocking in the bathroom and if it isn’t big enough, I’d suggest blocking one half of the shawl at a time.

3 Likes

Try steam blocking.

Steam blocking works very well for lace, and a lot of other things. You can even block acrylic, contrary to popular opinion. Just steam very lightly, and when it cools and dries, check it. You may need to do this several times for it to be adequate, but you don’t want to overdo it, so keep it light, and repeat, if necessary.

The beauty of this is that if you leave it sit for about 15 minutes after blocking, it’s cool and dry.

I have a floor steamer, and I block on a quilter’s cutting/ironing pad. But there are hand steamers that are relatively inexpensive, and don’t take up much space. You just have to add water more often. BTW, make sure you add distilled water, not tap water!

1 Like