But, you probably want to know a little more than that, right? Let's look a little further though into what blocking does for your knits, how to do it, and what are some useful tools that help make the process easier!

Blocking your knitting or crochet projects is really just giving that finished piece a lovely bath to help open up those fibers and achieve the final size and shape you desire.

By soaking our knitted fabric we allow those wooly fibers to bloom and, in the case of non superwash wool, the stitches actually lock into one another creating a stronger fabric.

There are actually a few ways to accomplish blocking. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve with your finished object. For instance, with items such as cowls, or shawls, a full soak might not be necessary, so you could opt to gently steam the fabric to encourage gentle growth of the fibers, without it growing too much. This is also a good option for high contrast colors knit beside each other so the colors don't bleed.

However, we recommend an immersive soak for FO's that will be worn and washed regularly. For instance sweaters, hats, and socks are worn often enough to need a good washing every now and again. In these cases, we fill the sink with water and add a little wool wash to help loosen up and remove any remaining dirt and oils from the mill. Let that FO soak for 15-30 minutes before draining the water. Then gently squish the majority of the water out, being careful not to wring the fabric. To help remove even more of the water, roll the FO up in a few towels and do a happy dance on it (it's happy because you finished the project!), then lay it flat to dry on your blocking mats. You can use pins or blocking wires to help open up any lace work or ribbing in the knit, but those are not always necessary.  Oh, and we HIGHLY recommend adding a couple color catchers to the bath with your knit to catch any loose dye coming off the finished object. 

As we stated at the outset, blocking is truly magical! Look at how this lace swatch has grown and opened up!

We hope you have enjoyed this edition of the blog and find blocking your knits as great as we do! If you have any other helpful blocking tips we would love to hear them! Let us know via email at customerservice@thepluckyknitter.com.