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).

Sulfate Free Soap in 15 minutes

We decided over a year ago to limit our use of sulfates, especially in skin and hair care products. Why? Sulfates are harsh and drying and some say they're carcinogens (the evidence here is murky, at best). With dry skin and curly hair, the last thing I need is a harsh, drying ingredient in my soap & shampoo (more on that later).

At first, we bought sulfate free soap from the Farmer's Market, but with a price tag of $5 per bar, it wasn't sustainable. So, I set about doing some research and discovered just how easy it is to make your own soap. Off to the craft store we went to see what soap making supplies they carry. I was giddy to see glycerin soap, a small selection of scents, molds, and colorants. Everything I needed to get started, right? Wrong. Here's what I bought:

Craft Store Soap. Sulfate Free FAIL

 

I thought I was in the clear. I couldn't find any "ingredients" so took the "Glycerin Soap" at face value. I even made up a batch of the soap and tried it out, but something seemed off (i.e. my skin felt drier than it had when I was using the soap from the Farmer's Market). So, I read over the label again and found it....the smallest writing on the entire packaging that has, admittedly a lot of text. See it, there? I underlined the fine print, for your sake - sulfates x2.

 

Out of local options, I took to the internet. Enter Bulk Apothecary. They have a large selection of raw materials, including many options for sulfate free melt and pour glycerin soaps. Each of their items has a clear list of ingredients - be sure to read them. They do offer Crafter's Choice (the same brand you'll find in craft stores, like the one shown above), so be sure you're buying what you think you are by reading everything. They also have lots of nicely concentrated, yummy smelling scents.

 

Ok, so now you've got your supplies. How do you make the soap? Simple. Gather your supplies.

 



Pyrex measuring cup, glycerin soap (these are 1 lb bars), molds, colorants (optional), scents (optional), dropper, & rubbing alcohol. You can get most of this (except the sulfate free glycerin soap) at the craft store - don't forget those coupons!

Step 1: Cut the 1 lb glycerin bar. I cut it into 6ths. You don't *have* to cut it, but if you don't, it takes longer to melt and ends up hotter. Hotter glycerin means you stand a risk of burning off the scent, but even worse, of melting your molds (if you have the cheap plastic ones like I have). Trust me, melting your molds is a messy situation.

Step 2: Throw your pieces into a large pyrex measuring cup and put it into the microwave for 1.5 min. Swirl it around and nuke it for another 30 seconds or so. At this point, I prefer to just stir the melted glycerin until the last of it melts. (I might be afraid of melting another mold - maybe).

Step 3: Add you color, if you opt to color your soaps. I like to color them because I make a different scent for me, hubby, and the kids. Colors make it easier to differentiate without having to take the additional time to print up labels. Adding your coloring in first allows the glycerin to cool off a bit before adding the scent, thus minimizing the risk of burning off some of the scent before you even have a chance to lather up in the shower.

Isn't it pretty?

Step 4: Add your scent(s). Feel free to get creative here! The amount of scent you'll add depends on how concentrated it is and will require a little experimentation. I use about 10 drops of the scent I buy off of bulk apothecary and 20+ drops of some less concentrated scents that hubby bought online from another site. You can also use essential oils (I've done a citrus scented soap using my oils)

Step 5: Pour the melted, colored, and scented glycerin into your molds. Here is where using a measuring cup to melt your glycerin comes in handy! A 1 lb bar of glycerin almost perfectly fills a craft store mold of 4 bars. The mold will be brimming, and I tend to fill them to what appears full and then go back and top each of them off with the remainder.

Step 6: Spray with rubbing alcohol. This pops the bubbles that will have formed on top of the bars and make your bars pretty.

Step 7: Let it harden (1-2 hrs or so). Release the soap from the mold by turning over and pressing on the bars out of the mold.

Step 8: Let them cure overnight. This is probably not necessary, but I find it helps them harden. The next morning, you can wrap each of the bars in plastic wrap and store until needed. The plastic wrap will protect the bar from moisture while in storage.

Now, unwrap a bar, hop into the shower or bath, and lather up. Enjoy that fabulous scent while your skin screams thank you! Oh, and feel free to donate all of those expensive lotions - you're not going to be using them much anymore.

And, on a final note, let me reassure you about the lather in these soaps. A friend of mine was asking about them and said her hubby was a lather lover. One of the primary complaints of sulfate free is lack of lather. But, the soap from bulk apothecary contain a saponification agent, so they still lather nicely. Still hesitant? Let me demonstrate what clean up look like:

I don't think anyone will be complaining about lack of lather here, do you?

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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.