Pins and steam and heat
Somehow in my one-year and some months of knitting, I have managed to escape the necessity of blocking lace. While I love lace in principle, I inevitably contact Startitis and become distracted with other things whenever I spend too lengthy of a period on large lace projects like shawls…cough Icarus cough. Furthermore, I’ve always had a rather irrational fear of blocking…anything. No previous bad experiences, just a completely irrational dread. So, with these two handicaps, the only items with intentionally placed holes I have ever finished -- a Branching Out scarf in DK weight wool and a pair of Pomatomus socks -- were small and did not require blocking. Well, all of this is my rather roundabout way of leading up to say, wow, I knew blocking does wonders to lace but…wow.
Even on this scarf where the rumples were not extreme (but enough to absolutely require flattening of some sort), pinning out and steam ironing wrought an absolutely amazing transformation. Instead of the fuzzy, crinkled purple bundle that had been sitting in my knitting bag, I had myself 5 feet of light, lofty, flowing lace. It’s funny, I’ve seen much more spectacular examples of this transformation time and time again on many blogs but there’s just something about doing it myself (even a lesser version) that makes the experience seem extra magical. Now, fingers crossed that my future MIL will like it just as much as I do!
Project Specs:
Pattern: Crystal Palace Madeira Cascade Lace Scarf
Yarn: 3.5 skeins of Misti Alpaca DK 4ply 80% Suri baby alpaca/20% silk, color 2030
Needles: US5/3.5mm
Finished dimensions: 9 inches wide, 5 feet long (10 pattern repeats)
Even on this scarf where the rumples were not extreme (but enough to absolutely require flattening of some sort), pinning out and steam ironing wrought an absolutely amazing transformation. Instead of the fuzzy, crinkled purple bundle that had been sitting in my knitting bag, I had myself 5 feet of light, lofty, flowing lace. It’s funny, I’ve seen much more spectacular examples of this transformation time and time again on many blogs but there’s just something about doing it myself (even a lesser version) that makes the experience seem extra magical. Now, fingers crossed that my future MIL will like it just as much as I do!
Project Specs:
Pattern: Crystal Palace Madeira Cascade Lace Scarf
Yarn: 3.5 skeins of Misti Alpaca DK 4ply 80% Suri baby alpaca/20% silk, color 2030
Needles: US5/3.5mm
Finished dimensions: 9 inches wide, 5 feet long (10 pattern repeats)
posted by Marie at 2:10 AM
9 Comments:
I'm sure she'll love it! I agree with everything you've written about blocking. Last year I made Backyard Leaves (from Scarf Style) and after being blocked it looked like a totally different scarf! Very impressive.
PS: Thanks for your support. I've sent yoiu a private email. x
That is a glorious scarf. Blocking does work wonders, doesn't it?
Beautiful!
It's gorgeous! Well done! I love how the ends are wavy like that, it will look so pretty when she wears it. She can really use it right now, I think! :)
Yay you finished it! I'm sure she will love it. It's funny, the Branching Outs I made were my first experience with the wonders of blocking lace. But I think I did them in a much finer gauge than yours.
She will love it! How beautiful!
It is beautiful indeed! I just got over my fear of blocking sweater pieces. I'll be brave enough to try some lace some time soon.
Great job on the scarf! Blocking really does wonders for lace-- and it's what makes it so terribly addicting. :) Does this mean you'll be working on more lace soon?
That is stunning! I am doing a little blocking of my own at this moment. I did the Clapotis from Knitty. Blocking does make a world of difference!
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