Finishing · Beginner
Blocking
To block crochet, wet or steam the finished piece, pin it flat to its shape and measurements, and leave it until it is dry. Blocking evens out the stitches, straightens the edges and opens up lace. There are three ways to do it: wet blocking, spray blocking and steam blocking.
How to work it
Pin it to shape
Lay the piece on a flat surface that pins will go into and that can get damp. Smooth it to its shape, measure it, and pin it with rust-proof pins all round the edges, at even intervals.
Let it dry
Leave it pinned until it is completely dry, then take the pins out. The piece keeps the shape it dried in.
At a glance
- Used for
- squares and motifs that must come out the same size before they are joined; lace and openwork, to open up the pattern; the pieces of a garment, before they are sewn together; edges that curl
- Wet blocking
- Soak, press out the water, pin to shape, dry. It shapes a piece more firmly than a spray, and suits lace that needs a real stretch. For wool, cotton and other fibers that can be soaked.
- Spray blocking
- Pin the dry piece to shape, mist it with water until it is damp, and let it dry. A gentle way, with no heat: for delicate fibers and for pieces that need only a little shaping.
- Steam blocking
- Pin the dry piece to shape, hold a steam iron or a steamer just above it so that the steam goes in, and let it cool and dry. The quickest way. The iron never rests on the crochet. Used for wool and cotton.
- What you need
- Rust-proof pins, a tape measure, towels, and a flat surface that takes pins.
- First of all
- Read the yarn label. It names the fiber and says how it may be washed and ironed.
Acrylic is where the instructions disagree. Some say that water alone does little for acrylic and that only steam will set it. Others block acrylic cold, with a spray, as the safer way. Both sides agree on what heat can do: acrylic is a synthetic fiber that melts, and too much heat changes it for good. The fabric goes flat and limp, which makers call killing the yarn, and an iron that touches it can melt it. If you do steam acrylic, try it on a swatch first, keep the iron above the fabric, and stop as soon as the piece relaxes.
Blocking sets a piece to the size it was made to be. It can even out small differences, but it is not a way to make a piece that came out too small or too large fit.
Not everything needs it. Lace, motifs and garments gain the most. Stuffed toys are not blocked, and many everyday pieces do without.
Tips
- Try the method on a swatch before the finished piece, to see how the yarn takes it.
When it goes wrong
- My piece sprang back when I took the pins out.
- Leave it pinned until it is dry all the way through. If it was only misted, soak it next time: wet blocking holds more firmly than a spray.
- There are rust marks where the pins were.
- Ordinary pins rust when they are left in damp yarn, and the marks stay. Use rust-proof pins.
- My acrylic piece went flat and limp after steaming.
- It had too much heat, and that cannot be undone. Next time hold the iron farther away and for a shorter time, or block with a spray.
Questions
- Why block crochet?
- To set the stitches and the shape: uneven stitches settle, edges straighten, lace opens, and pieces that should match come out the same size.
- Can I block acrylic yarn?
- Yes, with care. Makers disagree on the way: some steam it, held well clear of the iron; others block it only with a spray. Heat that is too strong changes acrylic for good.
- How do I block crochet without a blocking mat?
- Use any flat surface that takes pins and can get damp: foam floor tiles, an ironing board for a small piece, or towels laid on a bed or a carpet.
- How do I block a blanket or another piece too big for a board?
- Use a larger flat surface that can get damp: interlocking foam mats pushed together, or towels laid on a clean floor, a carpet or a bed. If there is still not room for the whole piece, block it in sections, one part at a time.