March weather is anything but boring. We've had sunshine, pouring rain, and wind today. No snow, but yesterday we had ice pellets mingled in with the rain that literally poured down. So glad we have a warm and cozy house!
Today we've been busy just puttering away at things that needed to be done. Dan's been busy in his office working up some one-page fact sheets on tree diseases and I've made bread along with doing some knitting. I got the toe grafted on the second sock and would be wearing them today but they don't match my clothes. Maybe tomorrow!
I've had the tan scarf laying on the coffee table since I finished it (except for the two times I wore it!), and this afternoon I decided to block it. My new blocking mats have been sitting upstairs in their box, so I hauled them downstairs and laid out five end to end. I have the perfect spot for doing this on my Handi-Quilter table. There's even a surge protector mounted under the edge in the middle, which is perfect for plugging in my iron so I could steam the scarf.
When I bought the Handi-Quilter, I didn't want to spend the extra money for the "official" table, so we bought two tables at an office supply store and Dan cleverly bolted them together. Later, I asked him to mount a plug-in for me so I didn't have to use a heavy extension cord (which sometimes caused dragging on the HQ as I was quilting) to reach the nearest outlet. And now I have a new use for the tables and the outlet! As Hannibal Smith on the old A-Team would say, "I love it when a plan comes together!" (Anybody else love that old cheesy show? )
And so our day has gone. It's been a good one. And the bread smells terrific! ♥
You and Dan -- always acting on such clever ideas to make your lives easier.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that sometimes I don't block my projects. I like that light, fluffy look. (Maybe there's something about blocking that I don't understand.)
Both of the scarves I've recently made needed blocking because the patterns made them curl. The lacy one just kept folding in thirds which meant the pattern was invisible and the cabled one had ruffley ends which were quite a bit wider than the rest of the scarf. Now that I've blocked them, the lace one lies flat and the cabled one is one width from top to bottom and the cables are spread a little further apart which makes them stand out more.
DeleteI know what you mean about the light, fluffy look, and sometimes I think that's best for certain. These just weren't going to seem finished until I blocked them and now I'm very, very happy with them.
It feels so good when one is satisfied with one's finishes.
DeleteI made a sampler afghan in high school -- various patterns -- and I remember the shell blocks weren't so pretty after blocking. Guess that's what I was thinking. And sometimes those rolling corners won't lay flat no matter what I do.
I'm becoming a fan of spraying with water until damp and then steaming with the iron hovering over the item. Pinning to the blocking mats help to keep the shape while it dries. (I'm no expert at this, but it's worked well on the two scarves!)
DeleteI am not familiar with this term, "blocking". Sheesh! I learn a new word every time I come here. ha ha! Obviously, whatever this blocking is, I've never done it. I understand that this is something to straighten the curling edges of a knitted or crocheted piece, but why is it called "blocking"?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mrs. Teacher. :)
Well, I'm not sure where the word blocking comes from, but I guess you could say it's a word to describe a process that shapes something made from yarn. For example, the lacy scarf I recently made had stitches that popped up because the directions called for knitting three together at a time. Once I blocked the scarf, everything was nice and flat and the pattern was much more evident. And as I mentioned to your mom, before blocking it wanted to fold along pattern lines instead of lying flat.
DeleteOops, upon rereading, I guess you knew all that but just wanted to know where the word came from. I looked on the internet and can't find an answer. Sorry for the long winded explanation above!
DeleteNo, I really don't know much--just deducing from the context of your blog and the comments. I'm still not totally sure--you spray, iron, and then pin the piece flat? Is that all?
DeleteOkey dokey. Here's what I've done (allowing for the fact that I'm certainly no expert!): I lay out the item on the blocking squares, mist with (distilled) water, and begin smoothing it with my fingers. Then, using my trusty twenty-five year old Rowenta iron on maximum steam, I hover over the item and blast away, never actually touching the surface, which I'm certain would ruin it. I continue steaming and shaping, and then put in pins to hold the item in place. When I'm happy with the look, I add more pins and let it dry. NOTE: I've not blocked anything made with wool. These scarves are made with acrylic yarn and according to the internet, this will only have to be done once because I've "killed" the yarn and no amount of washing and drying will change what I've done. Wool is a whole other kettle of fish, er, yarn. I believe with wool, each washing will result in the item needing to be blocked again.
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