This is the latest knitted piece. It's being blocked on a towel using blocking wires and T-pins. I'll post the pattern for it later. Sorry about the crappy cell-phone picture!
Blocking wires are great for things with very long edges that need to be straight. For a DIY alternative, buy some fine-gauge wire from a hardware store or a beading store.
If you need to keep stuff flat and straight and don't have blocking wires, hundreds of pins are the way to go. If you pin it densely enough, you'll achieve the same effect as blocking wires.
Blocking wires are especially good if the object is lacy, open, or has a lacy border. For more substantial garments/objects, I personally just lay it out on a couple of thick towels and pin it with stick pins ever few inches.... pat into place. It's worked for 30 years for me. It's the animal fibers that "Block" (some would differ that you can't block mohair, but I think you can). The veg fibers, you can iron (I do it with a dampened muslin cover sheet.) Steaming animal fibers with an iron (barely touching or VERY light pressure) when it is pinned can also help. Test on your swatch first.
I have blocked cotton doilies, but I believe they have to be starched to hold their shape. At least, that's what I did and what Marianne Kinzel recommends.
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fuzzyjay
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Date: 2007-03-04 03:04 pm (UTC)I didn't even know there was such a thing as blocking wires...
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Date: 2007-03-04 05:18 pm (UTC)If you need to keep stuff flat and straight and don't have blocking wires, hundreds of pins are the way to go. If you pin it densely enough, you'll achieve the same effect as blocking wires.
blocking wires
Date: 2007-03-05 07:01 pm (UTC)Re: blocking wires
Date: 2007-03-05 09:16 pm (UTC)