How To Block A Knitted Blanket

Posted on by Aronale Hanna
How To Block A Knitted Blanket
13
Apr

Have you ever spent hours knitting that perfect gift for your loved one but realized that the end result wasn’t ideal? There may be some uneven edges and borders or your work doesn’t look very aesthetically pleasing.

That’s how to block a knitted blanket expertly. In fact, blocking is a simple but essential process that will improve the look and feel of almost any knitting project.

When knitting, blocking is a crucial but sometimes disregarded process. Once a project is complete, contouring is like waving a magic wand over your knitwear to take it from good to great – yarn expands with incredible softness, the lace stitches become a delicate beauty when they are smoothed to have a consistent appearance.

In this post, we’ll show you a basic wool-blocking technique that makes the perfect gift, as well as give tips for specialized knit fabrics. If you want to follow more knowledge in caring for and renewing your blanket, visit our website 9Blanket for more information!

1. What Is Blocking?

Perhaps many people still do not know how and how to create blocks and how it works. Blocking is the process of stretching, shaping, or wetting a finished knit piece to even out stitches and set the final size.

This is the final step in most knitting patterns that will give your project a smooth, professional look. It is a basic technique that makes your knits neat and tidy in no time.

You can use stoppers to make your knits an inch or two larger, and you can even cover up some knitting mistakes you don’t want. However, you cannot shrink your knitting by blocking.

You can use any flat surface to block your clothes just make sure there are a few basic conditions that we outline below. First, make sure your knitted piece lies flat and completely dry so its shape is stable.

Second, we always recommend that you always block your finished pieces before pairing. By flattening and shaping the pieces of fabric, it will be easier for you to arrange the stitches to put them together.

2. Is It Always Necessary to Block Your Knitting?

As I said above, using a stopper or not is entirely up to you. There won’t be anything too serious about your finished product, it’s just that it’s not as nice and neat as when you use blocking.

Actually blocking will greatly improve the look of almost any project, but if you don’t care about your knitting form, you don’t necessarily have to.

Choosing not to block your knitting won’t have too much of an impact on your knitting, but it can have some negative consequences. You may not be able to get to the exact size specified in your knitting pattern, and it will be significantly more difficult to create sheets of the exact same size for stitching.

In addition to improving the aesthetics of your work, the stopper also plays an important role in maintaining the correct tension of the knitting string’ Knitting gauge specified in most patterns is measured after work.  Therefore, it’s critical to understand your “blocked tension” while selecting the appropriate needle size.

Before transferring your swatches to your actual project, stop working on them to identify your “blocked tension” and how to continue knitting.

3. Blocking Tips for Different Fibers

Natural fibers like wool and alpaca often benefit the most from a full wash compartment, when you fully soak your item first. For more delicate items like cashmere and acrylic, a spray lock is recommended.

An alternate technique that makes use of heat and humidity is steam blocking. Never apply heat to silk because it is too delicate to resist it.

If you apply heat to acrylic through steam blocking or ironing the fabric directly, the resin fibers in the acrylic fibers will essentially melt together, creating a whole new soft texture. This is called “killing” acrylic and it’s sometimes a good thing if you’re aiming for the super pleated type.

But once you’ve “killed” a piece of clothing, there’s no turning back — you can’t block it to restore it to its original form. So think twice before you apply this technique.

4. Blocking Tools

  • Sink or bucket big enough to hold your stuff
  • Gentle or organic detergent for wool washing wool washing
  • Two towels, one to absorb excess water and one to block
  • Blocking mats
  • Fixed Pins
  • Measuring tape

5. Instructions for How To Block Your Knitting

5.1. Step 1: Wetting

Before taking your knitwear to soak, be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions for use printed on the packaging. Soak your knitwear in warm water with a little mild detergent.

Allow your knitted fabric to be completely immersed in the dissolved solution. Let it soak for about 15 to 30 minutes, making sure all the fibers are fully stretched. One note that we always repeat is not to use hot water, as it can deform your fabric.

Drain, then wring out your knitting and roll it in a towel to absorb as much moisture as possible. Be careful not to squeeze out the water as you will damage the delicate fibers. For the fastest results, we recommend using a super absorbent towel that will help you quickly remove excess water.

5.2. Step 2: Blocking

Next step you need to set up the surface you will use for blocking. If you are using blocking mats, assemble the bricks to make space for your project.

If you’re using a knit block, place your gauge fabric check on the assembled cells so it’s under your knit. Each check measures approximately 1″ square.

Use the checks as a reference while you lay your knitwear out on the surface, right side facing up, to get the precise finishing measurements.

Start gently stretching the cloth to the desired size and form. Place the damp knit right side over the blocking surface, then gently press the fabric to the desired finishing size.

Pin the knitwear around the edges, placing the pin at an angle so that the tip of the pin is facing the garment. As you pin the piece to the proper length, start with the first pin in the top center and work your way down to the bottom.

After that, pin your design to the appropriate width (start blocking a sweater at the bust width). Always refer to your completed measurements as you fill in the borders. Launder naturally to dry.

5.3. Step 3: Steaming (optional)

Set your iron’s temperature to the lowest that allows steam. While the iron is heating, moisten a towel with water and wring it out until it is thoroughly wet (not just damp).

Place the wet stopper on top of your pinned piece. Then gently use the iron to iron the entire garment in an up-and-down motion with very light hand pressure to avoid damaging the fibers.

Using too much pressure can ruin your knitting process. Just lightly touch the pressed fabric with an iron and hold it there for a few seconds. Move to the next position until the entire piece is steamed.

To prevent moderate/heavy, leave the cloth in place until dry. If your knitwear is still damp, let it dry before removing it. Regardless of whether you steam block or not, make sure your pieces are dry before moving them.

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Aronale Hanna