We're expecting a nice batch of new hand knit sweaters to be finished this month, thanks to "Bang Out A Sweater"knitalong. For some it will be that milestone FIRST SWEATER!!! The final and finishing touch for sweaters is blocking, which serves to even out stitches and shape the sweater into proper measurements. You may have heard "that shit will block right out", and we find it to be true!
And so we give our tried and true blocking tips:
1) Soak your sweater with no-rinse wool wash, such as Soak or Eucalan. You can leave it in this bath for quite a long time, but 15-20 minutes should be the minimum. If you are concerned about color bleeding (normal for most any yarn in our experience), add some vinegar to the bath to help set the dye some more.
2) Drain the soaking bath and gently squeeze out excess water. Then roll sweater (kind of like rolling up a struedel) in a few towels to blot out a lot more water. Then do a happy dance to get out the excess.
3) Lay sweater out on blocking mats, measuring and pinning as needed according to the pattern schematic.
4) Let it dry! Lucky for us, our dry air helps this along fairly quickly.
We have tools to help with all steps in the blocking process. And they'll be 15% off from March 1 - 16!
CocoKnits Blocking Kits have everything you need to make your sweaters and shawls perfect looking.
Cheers to Blocking!
