The front/sleeve is done and being blocked.Â
I am sometimes asked about how I block: I almost always wetblock by soaking the piece in cool water and then spinning the excess water out in the washing machine. Wetblocking is great when you need to make the piece larger or you have irregular sts. In this case, I was knitting tighter to get row gauge, with the thought that I would stretch the width and length as needed — and I needed to! Here you also see the blocking wires that I frequently use. Blocking wires allow you to manipulate the piece you are blocking without putting in and taking out a million pins. You can see how straight the edges are, which is really nice for sewing the seams. With pins, you get a scallop effect. Once the wires are in place you can get it to size with very few pins. The wires hold all edges in place until the piece is dry. It is the perfect* size now, but I don’t think I could have achieved that with a different blocking method.Â
I started the second sleeve tonight. I’m on a mission because I want to get back to Ballerina, get that done, and move in reverse to Margery. Had I stuck with Margery at the time, I could start something NEW!! So, I must knit!!
*perfect remains to be seen!!Â
You’re really rolling on this — and WHERE do you get blocking wires? The mad shawl knitter wants to know. And don’t forget to pick-up your paycheck on Saturday.
Comment by Jennifer — May 30, 2006 @ 9:17 pm
Hey! It’s my paycheck, not hers. And I will pick it up.
I have two sets of blocking wires if you’d like to borrow them before you invest in a set. They are wonderful.
Comment by surly — May 31, 2006 @ 8:35 am