knitting

Hi, I'm new(ish) to the community, and also fairly new to knitting. I've just got into knitting lace, which I love, but I'm having problems with the blocking. I've been improvising using a yoga mat, but I tried to block Traveling Woman (a lace shawl) recently, and the pointy edges didn't come out right at all - the mat's not solid enough, so it kept warping out of shape. The shawl looks OK, but it could look so much better.

Does anyone have any suggestions on better methods/ equipment, preferably from UK suppliers? I'm on a tight budget, but I'm willing to spend a bit, given that I really enjoy knitting and my cheapskate solution wasn't much of a solution *g*

I'd be very grateful for any hints, tips, or suggestions.

vampirefan

i started this shawl in march of 2011 and it got worked on occasionally while i finished various other projects but i'm finally done! and OMG I ONLY HAD ABOUT 12 - 15 INCHES OF YARN LEFT OVER! although i had done my best to measure/estimate how much yarn i would be using toward the end of the project, i was so worried that i had calculated wrong so i was freaking out as i finished binding off, watching that tiny ball of yarn get tinier and tinier, but it worked out perfectly! \o/

i love the subtle variegated colors and it works out perfectly for this lacy design. you can see my project notes and more pictures here: ravel.me/vampirefan/gan (or you can click on the picture to visit flickr and see the pictures in full size). i plan on getting more pictures of it off of the blocking wires.

( on to the pictures! )

fire_my_spirit

I heard recently about blocking acrylic yarns with an iron, and found instructions for it here (you'll have to scroll down a ways) that sound rather promising. I was just wondering if anyone had tried anything like this, and had tips or horror stories?

I ask because I am allergic to animal fibers and don't really have the budget for them anyway, so I am generally happy to stick with acrylics, and have thus never bothered to learn to knit lace. But I just found a really pretty shawl pattern that I'd love to make if only I knew it would come out looking like it's supposed to -- but if not, well, I don't want to get my hopes up.

Thanks much in advance!

Current Mood: hopeful

aedifica

Hi, all!

Last year I knitted the Argus Shawlette when we had that knit-along (speaking of which--that was fun, we should do it again!). I blocked it with points along the lower edges like in the pictures, but it lost its decorative points very quickly after blocking. Do you have any advice how to make it keep the decorative points? I suppose I could try starch, but I'm hoping not to need to.

It was my first time blocking lace, and I'm quite prepared to believe I did something wrong--but I can't see what it would have been! (I got the shawl thoroughly wet, gently squeezed out some of the water--though I realized later I could have taken out a lot more water--and pinned it into shape on a clean sheet on a bed, and left it til it was dry.)

inchainz

Hi everyone!

I made this Boyfriend Hat out of a wool-blend yarn (75% acrylic/25% wool, since I'm sensitive to wool) & would appreciate some ideas on how to block it so it gets nice & slouchy. Right now the decrease section sticks up from the body of the hat like a nipple on a baby bottle. It needs blocking anyway to even out that section (2x2 rib into 1x1 rib), but I can't get my head around a good shape/form to use.

Sorry if this is too vague, I'm having trouble getting my head around the explanation too. TIA for your help!

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: MIN @ GB

sarah

I have this marvelous beach blanket. Sure, it's good for the usual blanket-y type things: keeping you warm, drying you off, giving you a place to sit seaside without getting sand up in your pink bits. But that's not what makes this beach blanket so wonderful.

What's special about this blanket is its ability to transform my full-sized daybed into a gigantic grid for blocking lace:

lace shawl pinned out on a bright plaid blanket

Just had to share with people who'd understand my need for a huge blocking grid. My coworkers just gave me blank looks when I tried to explain why this was so very useful.

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30

(no subject)

gail shawl

Yarn question!

Blocking lace with points

Hat Blocking Question

first lace project

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June 2021

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