[CENTER]I have knitted quite a few projects in the past, but I never seem to be able to BLOCK my projects.
I’ve googled & googled, but I can’t seem to find out what the best way to block yarns such as [B]WOOL-EASE[/B].
I mainly use that yarn to knit with because it’s cheaper than most. I know that it’s mostly acrylic, but it also has wool in it. I dominantly knit hats & scarves & I just recently started knitting gloves/mittens. I tried to do a WET block for the hats, but they seem to come out the same way that they started.
I have done research & saw where a lot of people have said that it’s almost impossible to block acrylic yarns, but I have also seen some people state that it can be done.
I do not own an iron, so wet blocking is basically my only other option. Any suggestions on how to do a PROPER wet block for hats/scarves/gloves?
If that’s not possible at all, I guess I might have to look into getting an iron. I did see that some people thought that an iron would melt the yarn, but a few people said that they have done it before & the yarn doesn’t melt because the iron has an “acrylic” setting.
I can tell you how I block…and I have blocked everything from natural to acryllic fibers…I have two ironing boards, first of all, so that if I am blocking a large object I can put them side by side or even length to length (when I did an exceptionally large scarf). I use LOTS of blocking pins to get the shape that I desire…then with a spray bottle (I just use a cleaned out windex bottle…no need to purchase one)…spray the piece…some sites say to soak it, but I just make sure it is good and wet. Then I allow it to dry. I do have a screened in porch so many times I will block in there to get it to dry faster (just really depends on the weather!!!) If I block in the morning…it is USUALLY dry by the evening, if I have another piece for a project that needs blocked…I can allow it to dry overnight. I think the secret really lies in the pinning so that you can do the shaping. When I have two sleeves I usually block them together so I can see that they are exactly the size I need (especially sometimes if I made a miscount of rows, I can shape it!!) HOPE this helps!
I do much the same thing as usamacka: a mat, pins and a spray bottle. Because of the high acrylic content, it’s not going to block as nicely as wool but you may still be able to even out the sts with blocking.
Thanks! The spray bottle idea sounds great! Any suggestion on where to find blocking pins? I haven’t seen any anywhere. That’s probably what I’ve been doing wrong. Every time I’ve tried to block, I’ve never pinned the project down.
I bought nickel plated T pins at Walmart in their sewing section. I’ve not used them for blocking yet. I think they’re good for this purpose, I mean to test them on a wet paper towel before using them on a knitted item. Rust on a towel I can toss would sure beat rust on something I’ve made. HTH
The T pins work great…there are blocking kits you can purchase from knitting stores…that contain long straight wires too…they are normally used for lace work, but I also use them for scarfs and sides of sweaters…Then I place the t pins along side of the long wires. Wires usually come in several sizes…24 inch and 36.
I noticed blocking mats at Michael’s the other day. They’re little Styrofoam puzzle-like pieces that you can put together to use to block. Has anyone bought one of them before? If so, how well do they work?
I just went back and reread your first post. What are your expectations from blocking? WoolEase is mostly acrylic, so I think your best bet is to toss it in the dryer. IME the acrylic will get stretched in odd ways and washing and drying gets in back into shape. Be careful applying heat with an iron or other heat producing appliance to any yarn with acrylic. It can melt, obviously, but you can also kill the yarn and it won’t have any stretch at all. Blocking acrylics can be done, or so I’ve read, but I’m not sure what it accomplishes.
I have slippers knit very, very tightly in WoolEase Thick and Quick. I got about 4 sts/in. They will stand up on their own. They’ve not been in the dryer, I just let them air dry and they maintain their shape. I think it’s because they’re knit so very tightly. I’ve never been pleased with how other acrylic projects look if they don’t go in the dryer. YMMV of course.
I don’t use Wool-ease, but I use a yarn of similar composition (Plymouth Encore) to make my charity hats and baby things. I just toss them in the washer and dryer.
So basically, I should try throwing it in the dryer immediately? Or wet it first & then dry it?
I’m basically just trying to get my products to look more smooth. I’ve just heard that blocking something makes it hold its shape better - especially cables.
Like, for scarves, they always fold inwards on the sides, even when I do a seed stitch border & slipping the first stitch in each row. Scarves & fair isle patterns really need the blocking, IMO.
I always buy Wool Ease yarn because it’s semi-affordable & feels nice against the skin. I’m about to start a project with the Thick & Quick yarn you mentioned, too. That blocks well? When you do your wet block, do you use soap or just water? I’ve read people doing both.
I use the washer and dryer on gentle. Depending on what it is I sometimes put the garment in a lingerie bag to keep it from getting beat up. I’ve never had a problem.
As for cables… yes, blocking can help them, but since the yarn is primarily acrylic blocking won’t keep the shape as well as more mostly wool would. You most likely would have to block it every time.
Like, for scarves, they always fold inwards on the sides, even when I do a seed stitch border & slipping the first stitch in each row. Scarves & fair isle patterns really need the blocking, IMO.
Unfortunately this is the nature of the beast. Stockinette rolls if you don’t do any border and tends to fold in along the border when you do. If it’s ALL wool you may be able to get it flatter, but even then it’s tough sometimes. You just need to learn to love it foibles and all.
I always buy Wool Ease yarn because it’s semi-affordable & feels nice against the skin. I’m about to start a project with the Thick & Quick yarn you mentioned, too. That blocks well? When you do your wet block, do you use soap or just water? I’ve read people doing both.
Nothing wrong with Wool-Ease, I just prefer Encore myself. Thick and Quick won’t block any better since it’s basically the same thing as Wool Ease.
I use a hand wash if I’m going to block something. Soak or Eucalan are my favorite and you need very little and they don’t require rinsing.
Now… all this being said here is a site that says you CAN block acrylic and have it stay if you steam it. Just be careful when you do it so you don’t kill the acrylic. I probably wouldn’t use this for a hat, but I want to with the next baby garment just to see how it works.
As for primarily wool yarn, what brand would you recommend that is wool, but adorable & a decent amount for the price? I’ve always wanted to make a sweater, but the wool is so expensive & I’m a big girl, so it would be quite costly to buy wool.
Sorry, I’ve not used a lot of wool myself and so can’t help there. I can perhaps help you understand the nature of the beast when it comes to curling stockinette by giving you this TECHknitting link. http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2007/03/mysteries-of-knitting-part-1-tale-of.html She’ll tell you more than you ever thought you might perhaps maybe someday want to know about a lot of topics, including curling stockinette, but you can also get some good fixes for problems there. What I gleaned from reading multiple times there is that you have to have something of a balance between knits and purls to tame the curl. I don’t remember what the percentages were but if you care to peruse the blog, I’m sure you’ll find it.
What about your acrylic yarn cables are you unhappy with? I’ve worked cables in acrylic and thought they turned out pretty nice. As long as we know that acrylic behaves differently and won’t look exactly like the same pattern made up in wool, we can know better what to expect and accept the qualities of the yarn and not be so critical of it not being exactly right.
ETA I’ve seen photos of Jan’s cables in acrylic and they are outstanding.
As a fellow big girl,I’m passing along a recommendation I got from my favorite Knitting Book for us big girls, [COLOR=“Red”]Big Girl Knits[/COLOR].
Only use smaller gauge yarns, nothing above worsted, to avoid looking bigger. They recommend fingering weight yarn. The benefit to fingering is more yards to the skein and better drape for the fabric.
You’re right, using wool is more costly than acrylic. And a sweater is a huge investment of time too. I’d add to that to use a superwash wool for longer wear and ease of care.
If you want to go the self striping route, I’d suggest one of the [COLOR=“Red”]Jojoland[/COLOR] superwashes. The stripes blend into each other and have wide color repeats good for clothing.
Been reading this thread with interest, mainly because as I was getting toward finishing my blanket i was going to post a very similar question.
I have only ever knitted very long scarves up to this point, using mostly acrylic yarn. I blocked them using a wet towel and my iron, which is what the website i got the patterns from suggested. Even with the acrylic, i did notice that the scarves were looser and softer after blocking (I tend to knit tight and they felt a bit stiff pre-blocking).
I am currently knitting a blanket with Lion Brand Home Town USA yarn, which is acrylic/rayon blend. I’m not so much concerned about my stockingnette curling (as the weight of the blanket itself seems to have taken care of the worst of that) but as with my scarves, it seems a bit stiff and I was hoping that blocking would loosen it a bit. With a piece this size (I’m thinking that when it’s done it will probably be big enough to cover my queen sized bed) what are my blocking options, if any? It’s probably too bid for the iron/wet towel method, i think. washer/dryer? Or would that distort it? Pin and wet?
