Blocking (textile arts)

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In knitting, crochet and other textile arts, blocking is a family of techniques for setting the stable dimensions of a finished textile piece by pinning it to the desired size and annealing it with heat and moisture, e.g., with a steam iron. Blocking is typically carried out after the piece is finished but before it is assembled into a garment.

Blocking can not only increase the size of a textile art fabric, but also decrease it. The malleability of textile art fabrics under blocking depends on the type of yarns used, with wool being the most adaptable.

Blocking allows the gauge of the knitting to be adjusted after the fabric is knitted. Surprisingly large changes in the gauge are possible, especially with wool.

Since many knitted stitches curl, blocking can also be used to dry knitted items into a straight edge. This is many times done by simply wetting the item, pinning it around the edges, and leaving to dry.

[edit] How to Block

[edit] Wet Blocking

• First check to see if the material used can be washed.
• Fill sink or tub with lukewarm, not hot water. Use a mild soap and add it to the water and mix.
• Submerge the finished object into the water.
• Stir gently and let soak for around 20 minutes. Do not agitate or rub the piece too much.
• Empty the soapy water and fill the sink with lukewarm water again to rinse. Repeat this step until the water is clear.
• Lay down some towels and lay the piece on them and roll up the towels. Press down on the towels to get rid of excess water. Repeat with fresh towels as often as necessary to remove most of the excess water. Do not wring or twist the work! Gentleness is key.
• Lay out the item and measure to see how long and wide the piece should be. Gently stretch the piece to this size and then run your hand over the piece to smooth it flat. If needed, pin the piece down with rust proof pins.
• Replace the towels until the piece is dry.

[edit] Steaming

• Lay the piece out and pin in place to the correct measurements.
• Hold a steam iron about 10 inches above the piece and let the steam dampen it.
• Do not touch the iron to the cloth for risk of burning your finished piece!
• Do not steam block ribbing, garter stitch, or cables because it will flatten them instead of helping them pop out.
• Do not steam acrylic since your piece might end up melting.