Knitting - UK (2020-05)

44 knittingmag.com

YOUR VIEWS

WHEN SHOULD I BLOCK

MY BLANKET?

I am finishing off a large blanket made of

squares and I wanted to ask your advice

about when I should block it. Should I do it

before or after I pick up the stitches around

the edge and knit the border?

Liz Marriott, via Facebook

I love questions about finishing techniques

because this is the bit that makes all the

difference to the project! I have often

been asked this question when teaching

workshops, so will offer you all the hints

and tips I have picked up over the years.

There are a few things to consider before

deciding on the best way to block your work.

I know some designers prefer to block their

blankets after all the squares have been

sewn together. I have done this in the past

but have not always been entirely satisfied

with the results. However, this will largely

depend on the type of yarn you have been

working with. It is much easier to piece

together your squares and then block them

if they are made of acrylic rather than wool

or a wool blend. But even if you are working

with a manmade fibre I would still advise

blocking before picking up stitches for the

border. This will help to ensure you pick up

the correct number of stitches and prevent

the border from being too tight or too loose.

You mention that you are finishing off

a large blanket, so I am guessing you may

have been knitting this over quite a period

of time. The chances are that your tension

may have altered slightly during this

process and this is another good reason for

blocking the squares before piecing them

together. I am not sure whether the squares

you have knitted are all worked in the

same stitch. If so, there is less of a reason

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to block, but if you have squares that cover

a range of techniques then I would suggest

that blocking before piecing is essential

because of the different tensions involved.

Picking up stitches around the edge of

a blanket can be a tricky business. It is

definitely easier to pick up stitches from

row ends and edges that have been blocked

and are not curling up.

Having made your decision about

whether to block before or after adding the

border, you will need to decide on the most

appropriate method – once again this will

depend on yarn type. The first thing is to

check your ball band for fibre content and

washing instructions. As a general rule

I prefer the wet-blocking method as this

works particularly well for pure wool and

wool blends.

Using a suitable wool detergent, simply

immerse your block in lukewarm water and

leave for up to 30 minutes. Rinse in cool

water, taking care not to agitate the fibre,

squeeze gently and then roll in a clean

towel to remove any excess water.

Depending on the type of fibres used I leave

this for anywhere between 30 minutes and

a couple of hours. Complete the process by

pinning out your square to the required

dimensions to dry.

Some types of knitting can be pressed

rather than wet-blocked. If the iron symbol

on the ball band is crossed through, then it

is not suitable for pressing. Your best option

here is to gently spray the piece with cold

water and press out the blocks with a dry

towel and the pressure of your hands.

If the iron symbol has one, two or three

dots on it then it means the work can be

pressed at that setting. However, it is still

important to take the type of knitting and

the type of yarn used into consideration.

If you have blocks of stocking stitch it will

be fine to press these on the reverse of the

work with a damp tea towel. If your blocks

are made up of textured stitches like lace

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PHOTOGRAPH: NIKITAROYTMAN PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM