Blocking Hand Knits - How & Why

BLOCKING - Yes, you should!

 

I am always surprised by the number of knitters I know who've a) never heard of blocking or b) don't bother with it. Let's demystify this easy step that will make a huge impact on your hand knits!

What is blocking?

Blocking is a simple process of setting the stitches in your hand knits. You've worked hard, spent many hours, perhaps shed some tears, and I know it's really tempting to take it off the needles and consider it done, throw a party, never look at it again, wear it immediately, or whatever it is you're in the mood to do. But, it's not done yet. Really, it isn't - don't get ahead of yourself. Blocking only takes a few minutes of your time and some drying time - trust me when I tell you the minimal effort and wait is well worth it!

There are many different methods of blocking. I'll discuss my favorite below.

Why is blocking beneficial (aka why bother)?

Yarn is a fickle thing. It feels one way on the skein, another way once it's knit up, and changes again once it's been blocked. I cannot tell you how many times I've selected a beautiful yarn and been surprised by the stiffness of it once it was knit. But, guess what? I'm often surprised by how soft and supple it becomes again once it's been blocked.

 

Here are the most compelling reasons to block:

• Softens up hand knits
• Sets/evens out minor variations in gauge
• Items can be stretched slightly to correct size (especially useful in garment construction)
• Keeps edges from folding, twisting, furling, or otherwise being malformed

See the difference here - it's huge!
Curly cue beforehand, nice and flat afterward

How to block

So, let's get down to the knitty-gritty.

First, your supplies:

• Blocking mats or cardboard. My favorite are Knit Picks blocking mats. They're basically foam puzzle pieces that you can set up to whatever configuration you need. Long and narrow for a scarf? No problem. Large square/rectangle for a blanket or sweater? Yes, you can do that to. Just need a small surface, no problem, just use 1 of them. Easy to use, easy to store!

See how many you can fit on 1 square?
Here I am blocking 4 newborn photo props

• Pins (preferably ones that don't rust). Again, my favorites are from Knit Picks, but really you can use anything. I just prefer the T-style because they are sturdy and don't bend on me when I'm pinning my work
• Water
• Towel

 

Steps

1. Take your finished, curled up, too small, and/or stiff knit to a sink

Poor curled layering blanket.
Fresh off the needles and completely useless as is

2. Hold it under running *cold* water until it is nice and wet. Some blocking instructions will tell you to use a water bottle and lightly spritz your work. Nay, I say! Spritzing results in uneven application and often cannot get all the way down into the knits. And, don't even talk to me about overspray. Just use the sink - you'll be happier.

3. Squeeze out as much water as you can. Don't wring it out - you don't want to stretch it oddly and unevenly. Squeeze and move on.

4. Lay out your towel and spread your wet work onto it. Roll it into the towel and press & squeeze and get as much water out of it as you can.

See how the edges are already behaving themselves more properly?!
I haven't even rolled it yet!
As I rolled it into the towel, I tried to keep the edges uncurled,
but it's not necessary to be precise here

5. Spread your work onto the blocking mats (or cardboard covered with a fresh/dry towel).

6. Start pinning. I start across one side to anchor my work. If you are going to stretch it slightly, pull gently and pin on the opposite side as your anchor pins. Then, pin the other sides.

I stretched this piece slightly, so pins are a-plenty!

7. Let your work air dry. The amount of time it will take will depend on a lot of factors, including the fiber content, temperature of your house, thickness of the knit, how much water you extracted when you rolled it into a towel, etc. Plan 1-3 days and check it periodically.

8. Once dry, unpin and you're ready to go (and be amazed)!

Unpinned and uncurled.
MUCH BETTER!

Notes:

- The number of pins you'll need to use will vary depending on if you're stretching it or dealing with rolling. If you're just blocking to improve the texture, you won't need many.
- Don't over stretch. You can only accomplish so much with blocking. Use a lot of pins when stretching and be careful it's not causing it to pull where the pins are and nowhere else (this will create somewhat of an unnatural, scalloped edge).

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Bias Striped Knit Baby Blanket - Free Pattern

BIAS STRIPED KNIT BABY BLANKET
Super easy, fast, and fully customizable!

Recently, I was asked to knit a baby blanket for an upcoming baby shower. Naturally, I started scouring Ravelry and Pinterest and the Internet in general for ideas. I came across a lovely blanket at Rust & Sunshine and fell in love with the overall look. I thought I'd hit the jackpot when I saw a link to a pattern, but, as luck would have it, the pattern had been removed. "Oh, well," I thought, "I'll just write my own." And, because I like to share, the pattern below is for free. However, I ask that this only be used for *personal* use and not commercial use. This pattern is fully customizable to whatever yarn & size you desire. I used a bulky weight yarn and changed color every 4 rows - it knit up quite quickly! Gauge is unimportant, except for the binding - instructions for figuring out how to adjust the binding for your project are included. Enjoy!

Bias Striped Knit Baby Blanket

*PERSONAL USE ONLY*

Yarn: Knit Picks Biggo Yarn. I used 3 hanks each of Wonderland & Bare and 2 hanks of Dove, with plenty left over for a matching hat or two!

 

Needles: Size 11 circular needles (40 inches) & size 10.5 circular needles (32 inch)

 

Gauge: Unimportant

 

Finished Size: approx. 30x30, but you can make your as large as you'd like.

 

Abbreviations:

kfb - knit into the front and back of the stitch

k2tog - knit 2 stitches together

 

Instructions:

With size 11 circular needles, cast on 4 sts.

Rows 1-4: kfb of 1st st, k to end

Row 5: change color, kfb of 1st st, k to end

Rows 6-8: kfb, k to end

Repeat rows 5-8 until side measures your desired length, changing colors every 4 rows. Carry your alternate color yarn up the side of every odd row by twisting the two colors each time you begin an odd row.

 

Begin decreases:

Row 1: On next color change row, k2tog, k to end

Rows 2-4: k2tog, k to end

Repeat decrease rows 1-4 until you are back down to 4 sts, continuing to carry your alternate color yarn up the side.

Bind off purl-wise.

"Right" side without binding. You could stop here, but the sides where you carried the yarn look a little less than finished, so keep that in mind.

"Wrong" side, which I actually completely and totally love!

 

 

Binding:

Here is where you need to worry about gauge, but only to figure out how many stitches you'll need for the length of your blanket and your unique gauge.

 

Here's how: Knit a swatch in k2, p2 ribbing, using 10.5 circular needles.

Measure your gauge by counting how many stitches across = 4 inches. Its best to measure in 4 inch increments because gauge can vary a little depending on where you measure, so taking a 4 inch area helps average out the differences and will increase the likelihood you'll have an accurate measurement.

In my case, my gauge was 18 sts = 4 inches.

Now, divide that by 4 to find out how many sts per inch (4.5 sts per inch for me).

Now measure the length of the side of your blanket and multiply it by your gauge.

So, my blanket is 27" (it should be a square). 27x4.5 for my ribbing gauge per inch = 121.5 sts. Obviously, I can't knit 1/2 a stitch and because I'm doing a k2, p2 pattern, I want an even number so I'm going to round up to 122.

 

So, for the binding, I'm going to pick up 122 sts across one side of the blanket. (You pick up however many stitches you figured out above!). The best way to evenly space these picked up stitches is to put a marker at the 1/2 waypoint (I like to also put them at the 1/4 waypoints too) and then keep track of how many stitches should fill that space.

 

After you've picked up your necessary number of stitches:

Work 5 rows of k2, p2 ribbing.

Bind off in pattern (k the knit stitches and p the purl stitches)

 

Repeat on the opposite side.

Here it is with binding added to 2 opposite side.

Now, you'll have to do a teeny bit more math as your measurements for the remaining sides have changed with the addition of the binding. In my case, the binding added 3" onto the measurement. So, 30" x 4.5 gauge = 135 sts. Because I need an even number for the ribbing pattern, I picked up 136 sts evenly spaced across.

Just as before, work 5 rows of k2, p2 ribbing
Bind off in pattern
Repeat on opposite side.

Weave in all ends. Enjoy!

All finished. I absolutely love the way this yarn knit up. Its soft as a cloud, yet sturdy and "clean" looking!

Here's how the edges of the binding come together.

 

 

 

Knit Tutu Ballerina Dress for Waldorf Inspired Doll - pattern

Last year I designed a knit tutu dress for my 3 year old who desperately wanted to be a ballerina for Halloween. She absolutely loved it! Fast forward to this week and I thought it'd be fun to utilize my pattern for a custom ordered waldorf inspired doll. An evening of knitting and pattern editting and this is what I came up with. This is my first attempt at posting a pattern, so I hope its relatively clear.

This pattern is for a 14-15 inch waldorf inspired doll. The circumference of this doll at the waistline is approx 11 inches.

Yarn: Bernat Satin
Needles: Size 7
Gauge: 4"=18 sts in stockinette
Other supplies: 48 strips of tulle cut to approx 3" by 7"

Bodice (make 2):
CO 26 sts
Knit 2 rows in st st
Row 3: K1, *k2tog, yo, repeat from *, knit last st
Work 3 rows in st st
Repeat Row 3
Work in st st until piece measures approx 4.5" from cast on edge.

Shape Armholes:
Bind off 3 sts at beginning of next 2 rows (while maintaining st st pattern)
Next row: ssk, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog
Next row: purl
Work 2 more rows of st st

Shape Neckline:
K3, attach another skein or section of yarn, bind off 12 sts, knit remaining 2 sts (you should now have 2 separate sets of 3 stitches at each end of the piece, each with their own working yarn).
Work 3 rows of st st
Bind off remaining 6 sts.

Finishing:
Seam together the shoulder and side seams. Weave in ends.
Cut 48 strips of tulle to approx 3" by 7"
Hook a strip of tulle to each yo opening at the bottom of the dress to make the tutu. There are two rows of yo holes and tulle should be hooked through both sets of holes in order to ensure a nice, full tutu. Below is a step by step picture tutorial for how to do this.

Step 1: Fold strip of tulle in half lengthwise

Step 2: Feed the folded end of the tulle through the hole created by the yarn over

Step 3: Open the tulle at the fold line

Step 4: Grab the tails of the tulle strip and pull them through the opening created at the fold line

Step 5: pull tight

After both rows of tulle have been hooked through the yarn over spaces, you should have this result:

Organizing my stash

Anyone with a yarn or fabric stash knows that organizing it is a daunting task. You ask yourself dozens of questions: Do I organize by color? fiber content? weight? quantity? The dirty little secret is it doesn't really matter how we organize it. The reality is that organizing it means we have to own up to our stash addiction, something we'd rather not do. We tell ourselves, "I love this and I KNOW I can use it in a project in the future." The problem is the future rarely comes along. Instead, when we have a project in mind, we run to the local yarn or fabric shop and pick up what we have in mind, completely neglecting our growing stash which is collecting dust in a closet, under the bed, still in their store bags, etc. (Come on, you know its true. Somewhere in your home, you've got a bag of fabric, yarn, or craft supplies that you've completely forgotten you own.)
In our new home, I have an entire closet dedicated to my crafting supplies providing me no excuse to be disorganized. So, I started my organizational journey with my yarn stash - a couple of trips to target and an hour or so of assembly - and here is the result:

The upside: I LOVE organization. It makes me smile and gives me inner peace just to peek in on my stash.
The downside: I now realize I have a ton of yarn that I really need to use before I go out buying up more yummy fiber. Of course, I'm getting ready to start a project and realized that I'm a little light on boyish colors, so perhaps there's still some room for stash improvement.....

Now, onto the fabric....

Waldorf Love

Here's my issue with crafting....I get bored. Easily. I'm always in love with my project when I begin, but by the time I'm halfway through, I'm ready to move on to something new. Enter Waldorf Dolls. I was introduced to these little gems by a  post on a local The Mommies Network site (look them up in your area - seriously one of the best mommy networks around!) and I fell in love with them immediately. But, would making one stand up to my crafting ADHD? The answer, in a nutshell, YES!!! Each step provided a new challenge/skill to be conquered. I made two of these for my girls for Christmas and I enjoyed every last minute of them. From forming/shaping the heads to sewing the bodies to hand painting and spinning yarn for the hair to knitting and sewing the clothes. I think I may have found my crafting true love! If you are at all inclined to try your hand at these, I highly recommend giving it a go!

Now, down to the knitty-gritty of the how-to's. I found loads of tutorials online, so I'm not going to reinvent the wheel or add extra internet clutter by posting one of my own. But, I will help you navigate the tutorials I found and used.

First off, for shaping the head I compared these two tutes: The flickr tutorial by toureasy47201 is easy to follow and written very clearly AND consisely (big bonus). I *highly* recommended readining through the entire toureasy47201 tutorial before reading any others. It gives you a really good idea of the overall project.  When you are ready to read something more detailed/complex., the Silver Penny tutorial is loaded with details and walks you through everything nicely (even though the format it a little more difficult to read/follow and could be overwhelming if its the first doll tutorial you're trying to read).

For forming the nose and embroidering the eyes and mouth: hands down, my favorite is the aformentioned Silver Penny tutorial

For head and body patterns: I liked the contoured shape at the end of the Silver Penny tutorial, but found it too small once printed, so I used that for a launching point and roughly enlarged in (eyeballed) and then fitted my enlarged fabric cutout around my formed head and trimmed until the shape was a good fit. For the body, I really like this pattern, but again, found it too small for my needs. I chose to make a 15-16 inch doll and although this pattern is for that same size, it seemed really scrawny to me, so I upsized for my needs. Consequently, there is a complete tutorial from which this pattern came located here if you are interested in reading up some more before starting.

For sewing up/securing the head and arms to the body: I thought the flickr tutorial mentioned above was the easiest to follow - why complicate things if you don't have to, right?!?!

For hair: I found only one that fit my needs published by Crafty Sheep. In case you get stuck with covering the back of the head, she clarifies her technique here.

If you are interested in hand painting and spinning your own hair: well, let's just say that's a whole different topic. Stay tuned, I'll likely post about spinning since I'm enjoying this newfound fiber craft.

Easy, Cute, Knit Skirt

So, a timeout from working out (or at least blogging about it) to share with you one of the knit projects I worked on during our move.  About the only upside to being away from my sewing machine for months was the time it allotted me to knit.  I decided to knit a skirt for each of my girls.  For Olivia, I selected a free pattern off ravelry (Barefoot Knits Twirly Skirt), picked out some reasonably priced yarn and went to work. I had just finished learning how to knit fair isle, so I added a little pattern at the bottom of the darkest green band in white.  Unfortunately, the skirt naturally rolls up a bit and the pattern is mostly lost in the fold. Ah well, lessons learned.  I absolutely love the way this skirt turned out.  It took me about a week to complete and was super easy.  Of course, Olivia wanted nothing to do with it for the first 2 months, but now she's taken to it and is starting to wear it regularly - YAY!!

Can't forget Kailyn

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from my little bunny

pattern here

Hats, Hats, Hats

With autumn in full tilt, I've been inventorying the girls warm clothes and have found them lacking.  Living in So Cal means there is not much need for really warm clothes, but we are headed to WA for a wedding next week, so I decided to knit up some hats. 

I logged into Ravelry (if you're not a member and you knit or crochet, it's time to sign up!) and pulled up this pattern: spur of moment baby hat.  I love that the pattern includes instructions for making it any size you need!  I wasn't able to complete it in 1 hr, as stated in the pattern, but one evening (or about 4 hrs) per hat isn't too bad. 

Here is Olivia sporting hers:                                                                  And Kailyn chillin' in hers:

I created my own embellishments instead of using the flowers in the pattern.  See the directions below - all embellishments were crocheted using spare yarn and an appropriately sized hook.

Big flower (Olivia's hat):

Ch 4, sl st in 4th Ch from hook to form loop.

1st Round: Ch 3(counts as first dc), [dc in center space] 11 times, sl st in 3rd Ch of first dc

2nd Round: Ch 4, sc in top of first dc, [ch 3, sc in top of next dc] 10 times, ch 3, sl st into 1st ch of ch 4, finish off.

Leaves (Olivia's hat):
Ch 6, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, ch 3 sl st in 1st ch of leaf to close, finish off.

Small flowers (Kailyn's hat):
Ch 4, sl st in 4th Ch from hook to form loop.
[Ch 5, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3, sc in center space] 4 times, ch 5, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3, sl st in 1st ch of first petal to close, finish off.