theraineysisters knitting and so much more

July 22, 2020

From Susan — Hump Day

Filed under: Updates — lv2knit @ 9:44 am

Blocking is magic.  Blocking makes things happen!!  And thank goodness for that!

I started the “Stars and Stripes” Wrap designed by Carol Sunday last April.  The lace work was challenging and the stripes boring, so I set it aside for a while.  After finishing my Sandness and Flora Cardigans, I had nothing fun on my needles, so I picked it up again.  Still challenging and it looked hideous!!

I soldiered on, but had my doubts.  I made some changes to the ends: I substituted a crocheted, scalloped edging that wasn’t flared like the original.  I also did a “pick up/bind off” edging on the long sides of the wrap to give it a cleaner look.

But just how much difference could blocking make?  I mean, if it was a full on lace shawl I would have no doubts whatsoever, but this wasn’t full on lace!

Mount Vesuvius??!!  Kilauea??!!  What the beep??

I really didn’t think the miracle of blocking could fix this thing…but, I gave it a go.  Blocking wires assured a straight edge and consistent width:

Mount Vesuvius disappeared!  The color in the next pictures is very true.

So, blocking took it from hideous to gorgeous!  Yay!!  Speaking of gorgeous, the Together Apart Shawl that Surly made me arrived on Monday.  So stunning and more than thoughtful.

Two FOs for the price of one!!

PS to Heather T.: The “pick up/bind off” method I used is very basic.  The edge on this wrap consisted of k2, p1.  Using the same size needle as the wrap, I picked 3 sts for every 4 rows into the left leg of knit st number 1.  This left me with an unbroken knit st to follow.  Then I bound off with a needle one size larger, as to knit from the WS.

For the Weather Scarf, blocking alone might be enough to smooth out the edge.  I don’t know what yarn you’re using, but I had a tough time blocking my Tukuwool.  It ended up looking very nice however!

5 Comments »

  1. Looks fabulous! What a great lesson for future projects with the same humps to get over!

    Comment by Joyce Triezenberg — July 22, 2020 @ 2:53 pm

  2. I have the kit for the Carol Sunday shawl — now that I’ve seen yours I may be inspired to start it (although I may need a slight break from shawl knitting).

    Comment by surly — July 22, 2020 @ 4:07 pm

  3. What is the pick up/bind off? I’m curious because I’m doing a temperature scarf and have utilized your method of splicing ends as I go. But my right edge is looking a little “rugged” and not as smooth as the left side.

    Comment by Heather T. — July 22, 2020 @ 6:39 pm

  4. What a gorgeous shawl.

    Comment by Chloe — July 23, 2020 @ 6:32 am

  5. I had a similar Mt. Vesuvius in the middle of my Hemlock Rings (? was that the name?) blanket and it also disappeared. I love the mods you made to take this one up a notch, you got it all the way to super-duper.

    Comment by twinsetellen — August 1, 2020 @ 12:55 am

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