Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Why Do You Need to Block?

Don't you love the feeling of finishing the pattern, binding off, and weaving in the ends?!? Ahhh, done! But wait, not really. Blocking is an important step to finishing your knits it helps even out your stitches, clean your fabric, and set your ends in. 

To show you the importance of blocking and why you want to do it see the two swatches below:) 


This first swatch shows my sample for Thirty, Flirty and Thriving. A stockinette base with purl bumps used to pick up and knit a ruffle. The top ruffle is knit with a 100% Superwash merino and the bottom ruffle is a mohair silk blend. Each part of this swatch needs to be blocked. The garter ends curl, the top ruffle won't lay any kinda flat and the bottom one could definitely use some help. 


This second swatch has been wet blocked and laid flat to dry. This is my preferred method blocking, I feel that it gives me the best overall effect and look for my knitting. The swatch now has straight edges and no curling along the garter. Each ruffle now lays flat (as flat as a ruffle can) and you can see the right side. What a major difference! Do you usually block your knits or are you about to start? 

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