KnitPro KP10872 Lace Blocking Wires, Pack of 15, Silver

Product Information

Then pull out each scallop individually. If you need to use pins, make sure they are quilter’s pins – long, with a prominent head – so that you are less likely to spear your next guest. After you have spent so long knitting your shawl. it is worth taking a bit of time to finish it properly…. Step 9: Leave the fabric to dry. Once the material has dried, you should remove the pins and seam them together when necessary.

That’s a simplistic example which gives you an idea of the variation. It’s hard to be definitive about which projects will retain the best stitch memory, but it’s the kind of thing that becomes more intuitive with experience. So give it a try! Step 1: Lay your newly finished knitted piece onto a soft towel. Put the towel on a surface suggested above. Once the shawl is in the bag, make it into a ball in the bottom, and squash the bag to remove as much water as possible. Now shake the shawl (still in its bag) and spin in the machine. I use the 900 rmp cycle. First, fill your basin with warm - never hot! - water and a bit of wool wash. Do not run the tap directly onto your knitwear, as it can weaken and break the fibres. Add your knitted piece to the warm water and leave it to soak. Make sure it is completely wet, but do not agitate it too much. This can cause felting. This is for squishing the water out of your knits. Note I did not say wringing, please be gentle with your wet knitwear!When pinning out, place the pins around a cm or more in from the edge to minimise this dipping, particularly if you are bringing quite a lot of stretch to the project .

Lay the item flat onto a towel and carefully roll it up. Press down on the towel to squeeze out the excess water. It’s important to remember that if your swatch has been knitted using acrylic, nylon or polyester yarn, take great care not to touch the fabric with the iron or let it get too hot, or there’s a significant chance our united fabric will melt! If you’re unsure, or concerned, you may prefer to go for the next option – covering your work with damp cloths. Method 2: Cover with damp clothes Set aside at least a couple of hours. Weather is a factor. If you live in a place with dry sunny days, these are perfect for a large blanket outside on a big sheet. If outside drying isn’t possible, you’ll need a big space and a fan to help it dry. Before you start pinning or shaping, carefully consult your schematic for the suggested dimensions and shape of the finished item. This is crucial for garment pieces! The shawl is washed and then placed wet on the surface. Starting from the centre, the knitting is smoothed out and pinned in place. It is then left to dry for 24 hours longer than when it feels dry.

A brief reminder of how to block your knitting or crochet

Make sure all distances have the same measurement and the corners are 90 degrees. Keep smoothing and stretching out gently, pinning the edges until everything looks and measures out correctly. Pin out the scalloped edges if your design has these. It’ll be obvious from your shawl design which points need to be pulled out and pinned. These wires straighten out edges of shawls. There are also flexible ones for knitting, great for curves on shawls. These aren’t essential but useful. In the pictures I am using knit pro T-pins which are super sharp (so please take care!), robust and easy to use, however any rust-proof dressmakers pins should work too. Soak your folded section pieces or finished item in a bowl of lukewarm water and a generous dollop of KnitIQ wool wash.