Techniques: Blocking II

Blocking

What you need:

• A large enough area to hold the full piece to be blocked. The surface should have a padded covering to receive pins. Iron board for smaller pieces, carpet, blocking boards you can buy in your LYS can be used. Some people like to use the interlocking puzzle mats  but be sure that they are colorfast before using them. Some people like to cover their surface with a checked fabric to make it easier to pin the pieces to size evenly. 
• Pins: They should be rustproof. T-pins are ideal since they can be easily placed and don't disappear in the knitting.
• Some people like to use blocking wires. These are especially helpful for lace knitting.
• For steam blocking you need either a iron, handheld steamer, steam iron and a pressing cloth. This could be either an old pillow case, kitchen towel or some fabric which is not to thick.
• Tape measure
• Spay bottle

Pinning a piece for blocking:

• Put the piece on the blocking surface right side facing. This way you have more control about what is happening during the blocking process. This is especially important if you work with a piece which has pattern stitches like cables. You don't want to flatten the structure of your pattern stitch through too much steam, stretching....
• Keep all the pieces straight and even as you pin them, smoothing them from the center out. This is where a checkered surface helps...
• Make sure that the measurements of your piece are accurate. (For a sweater for example: finished bust measurements, arm length, length, arm width....) Through blocking you can add some length to a piece but be careful not to over stretch.
• Be careful to place the pins close enough (approx. 1" / 2.5 cm) so that you don't create scalloped edges or leave marks. 
• Pin matching pieces like front and back of a sweater side by side to make sure that they are both blocked to the accurate size. If the pieces should be of identical size you can block them on top of each other.

Techniques

Steam Blocking:

For this method you will use either an iron, or steamer. Never place the iron directly ono your knitted piece.

• Pin your piece out to the desired dimension.
• Wet your pressing cloth and wring it out so that it is damp. You could also use the spray bottle.
• With the hot iron slightly press down on the cloth so that the iron barely touches it. lift the iron and then go to the next spot on your piece. Don't move the iron on damp cloth with pressure since friction, water and heat might the fiber you block cause to felt.

or

• Pin
• Don't use the pressing cloth and set your iron to a steam setting. Float the iron over the surface of you to be blocked piece without touching, forcing the steam through. Let the fabric dry and cool.

Fiber you can use for this method:

Animal fiber: 

Wool, Alpaca, Cashmere, Llama, Camel but be sure to set your temperature carefully

Plant fiber: 

all of the  plant fiber except silk, they can stand warmer temperatures than protein fiber

Man made fiber:

not recommended

Synthetic blends: 

If the plant or protein fiber content is high possible but only on low heat and very carefully.

Wet Blocking

Wet blocking is a great method if you need to add length to your garment.

• Wet the pieces of the garment.
• Press out the excess water using towels.(Never wring -- some fibers are fragile when wet and you can damage the fabric this way!) I usually roll a piece gently into a towel.
• Pin and let the pieces dry, usually over several days.

Fiber you can use for this method:

Animal fiber:

Wool, Alpaca, Cashmere, Llama, Camel

Plant fiber: 

This is not my preferred blocking method for this type of fiber

Synthetic blends:

Good method for this type of fiber.

Spritz blocking

This method is very good for delicate fabrics and fiber since it is a very gentle process.

• Pin
• Using a spray bottle, spritz the pieces until damp and let dry.

Fiber you can use for this method:

Suitable for all fiber types.

Impavido, more than a shawl

Impavido, means unafraid and bold. I chose this name for my new design as impavido being a part of my New Years resolution. With this versatile shawl / stole you will not only make a statement but also have endless options of wearing it due to strategically placed button holes and and buttons....

For this sample I uses approx. 800 yards of Kauni solid and 300 yards of Kauni Effektgarn color EQ. The piece is worked flat using short rows and a easy slip stitch pattern for the color work.

 Enjoy!

If you run out of ideas there is always the turban style.

 The models had fun with this!!

Time to relax!

I selected this post to be featured on Knitting Blogs. Please visit the site and vote for my blog!

Techniques: Blocking 1

One day S., a great knitter, came into the LYS where I teach desperate and disappointed. Her lace shawl she had just finished looked all crumbled up and shapeless. She told me that she came to show it to me before she rips it out or feeds the wood stove with it.
Innocently I asked S. if she had already blocked it. She looked at me with this big question mark in her eyes. After I blocked her shawl S. was very surprised about the difference this made to the work she was ready to dump. The lace patterning showed, the shape came out fabulous, stitches evened out and it had a beautiful drape. We were both happy that her gorgeous work didn't end up feeding the wood stove or a waste basket.....
Now they live happily ever after ;-)

This series about blocking will help you to find the right method for the fiber you were using in your knitting and give your work a great finished look.

Advantages of Blocking:

• It sets the stitches and evens them out. A good way to fix little boo boo's.
• With edges unrolled and evened out, seaming will be much easier and pleasant.
• Lace and other pattern stitches will show better.
• The size of your piece can be adjusted to a certain extend. 
• The drape or how the garment hangs will be much nicer.
• The color of hand-dyed yarn will look even more vibrant.

 unblocked

blocked

The fiber I'm working with determines how I block it. Some of them can be weakened or destroyed if you use the wrong blocking method for them.

Therefore it's important to know a little bit more about the different kind of fibers which are out there and some quick facts which are important for blocking:

Animal (Protein) Fibers:

• Wool: The fiber can be bent over and over again without breaking and springs back to the original shape (good memory). Due to the overlapping scales on the surface the fiber will felt when the combination of heat, friction and moisture is applied. (The scales interlock and fuse)
• Mohair: Lightweight fiber from the angora goat has similar attributes as wool but is less resilient and weaker when wet.
• Alpaca and Llama: Long fiber from a Alpaca or Llama, which is has much less memory than wool and garments stretch and get out of shape easily when Alpaca is not blended with other fiber with more memory. Alpaca is very weak when wet.
• Cashmere: Fiber from the Cashmere Goat. Extraordinarily  soft with similar attributes as wool when wet.
• Camel: Hair collected from Camels. Very strong fiber which is not very receptive to dye.
• Angora: The very short fiber comes from the Angora rabbit and is extremely soft, fluffy and warm. 
• Qiviut: Fiber combed from Alaskan musk Ox which is 8 times warmer than wool and finer than Cashmere.
• Yak
• Silk: Silk has a protein structure even though it's not a hair. It is not resilient and will stretch easily if not blended with other fiber. Very fragile when wet.

Plant (Cellulose) Fibers :

• Cotton: Stronger when wet but much less elastic than wool and stretches out easily. The lack of resilience make flaws in knitting tension show.
• Linen: Fiber from the stem of the flax plant. Stronger when wet. softens through washing. Garments show wrinkles more easy.
• Ramie: Strong, linen like fiber with little resilience which washes well.
• Bamboo: Fiber from the bamboo plant. Lack of resilience makes the fabric stretchy and flaws in knitting tension show.
• Tencel: Man made fiber made from bleached wood pulp which has similar attributes as cotton. Heat can be applied.
• Rayon: Man made from cellulose obtained from cotton lint and wood chips. Heat can be applied. Bigger garments will stretch.

Man Made (Synthetic) Fiber:

• Polyamid, Nylon: Strongest textile fiber (therefore often used in sock yarn), durable, lightweight and elastic. Heat sensitive!
• Acrylic: Imitates wool but has a lack of insulation qualities. Heat sensitive!
• Polyester: Helps to make garments wrinkle resistant and holding the shape. 
• Polypropylene: Has insulation qualities.
• Metallic Fibers: Heat sensitive!

Different blocking techniques for different fibers will be the content of the next post about blocking......

LLTS stands for....

.......Long Live The Scraps.  LLTS is  a blanket recipe I wrote  to use up odds and ends of yarn. It can be done on any gauge, size or pattern stitch. Not long ago I held a blanket drive for charity where people were using this pattern. I was blown away by the cute wool baby blankets the Wool-Aid knitters made. Heideh, (heideh) on ravelry, made this one:

Finally, I finished mine too. I used  yarn which was donated for charity, a sturdy wool yarn
with a light storage smell to it. I soaked it, hung it to dry outside and , oh wonder, it soften and lost its garage fragrance.

The blanket is worked in strips which are attached as you go. The blanket is fully reversible. The clean two-colored ridge on one side adds texture and depth.

The other side is smooth and only a very fine line shows that it was worked in strips.
The best thing: There is now sewing involved.

This blanket will keep a child in Tibet warm.

Featured

As usual time is flying by. Let me briefly update you what has been going on in the Lismi Knits knitting world.

Recently two of my designs, Volan and Under The Wings, got featured in the March Newsletter of  Patternfish as "Editor's Choice". Patternfish is a huge online pattern store with 10749 pattern available right now  and it's easy to spend hours there to browse. I feel very honored to be featured in their newsletter.

One of my customers and fabulous knitter, woolangel on ravelry, made a gorgeous variation of my pattern Wavebird using two colors and adding pattern repeats. For the garter stitch part she used Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball, a lace weight yarn for the lace part and added some beads. it's always very rewarding for me to see my patterns knitted up in creative ways!

A new sock pattern "Small Falls" is almost ready to be published. It's being test knitted right now.
For the sample in the picture I used Cascade Heritage solid color #5626

I'm also working on 2 more designs. One is a rectangular shawl / stole with the name "Impavido"
and the other one, a child cardigan, "Patches II".

Instructional Video for my design VOLAN

A few people started to encourage me to start to put up instructional videos to show unique techniques I use in my designs. 

One of them is: 

How to add stitches for a second ruffle, pouch or pocket without having to pick them up at a seam or in the back of a stitch. This is what I used in my design VOLAN for the 3rd and 4th ruffle.

Watch how it is done:

Under The Wings

I just released my new pattern Under The Wings.

Eagles are bold, beautiful and majestic and this is echoed in the shawl. Beginning at the right wing this piece is worked without seaming using join-as-you-go and very simple short row techniques. Garter stitch and stockinette stitch are combined to balance and add texture..

This pattern is test knitted

Material:

• Approx 500 yards in Col1 and 250 yards Col2, fingering weight yarns (Yarn used in the picture Kauni Effektgarn, black solid as Col1 and EME as Col2)
• Size US 2, 32” circular needle, size US 1, 24” circular needle or needle size which creates desired fabric

To create a bigger shawl use a dk or worsted weight yarn. (Yardage will change)

Gauge: Gauge is not important (you have to like the density of the fabric you create)

Hats, Hats, Hats

Samedan, a village in the Swiss Alps with gorgeous historic houses, is a place I loved to visit and enjoy winter sports. With this stylish hat you surely will feel warm and cozy to enjoy the crisp and cold winter air at your favorite place.

Worked in bulky yarn this trapper hat knits up like a breeze. Another One skein wonder with the little extra…

buy now

Since I'm a person who can not throw away the smallest left over of yarn, I used my all my bits and pieces of Lambs Pride bulky to knit my pattern Basil.

New

After some hectic weeks with illness and surgery in the family, life got back to normal.

I added a few new colors of my yarn to my Etsy shop:

So far I have 3 different fingering weight yarn lines:

• Ascona  63% Superwash Merino Wool, 20% Silk, 15% Nylon, 2% Silver. Approximately 420 yards (384 m); 100 grams (3.5 oz.) Needle size recommended US 1 – 3. Approx. 7-8 stitches per inch. (the 3 skeins in the top row are Ascona)

• Bern 100% Superwash Merino Wool
  Approximately 400 yards; 100 grams(3.5 oz.)
  Needle size recommended US 0 – 2. 
  Approx. 7-8 stitches per inch  (bottom right  skein)

• Basel 75% Superwash Merino Wool
  Fingering Weight, 4ply
  Approximately 437yards (400 m); 100 grams (3.5 oz.)
  Needle size recommended US 1 – 3. 
  Approx. 7-8 stitches per inch

Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool 2011 - impressions from a different angle

Do you think this hair style would fit me?

Somebody likes her food.......

......and I like chocolate. I got to try the sweet dreams of Samuel's of Rhinebeck. They were so delicious that I had to go back and get more. For my family, of course.

Some people walk their alpacas......

........and some carry their sheep.

This model has fun. 

Sorted by color.....

...or not.

As usual I got home inspired and tired dreaming of having a booth there too....

Oh I forgot to mention it: I fell in love with one skein of yarn. It's fingering weight, as some of you might have guessed. I found a alpaca-wool mix I want to dye from a CT  small spinnery. We will see how this will turn out......

Vermont

Once a year we go for a hike in Vermont. This time we chose the Lowell Lake Trail. What a perfect day, summer temperatures, gorgeous foliage, beautiful nature and Maple Creamies (maple soft serve ice cream).

The yarn I recently dyed reflects the fall colors perfectly. Find it in my Etsy shop 

Driving up further North we saw the shocking contrast to this nature perfection.

The aftermath of tropical storm Irene. Vermont still looks like a big construction site. They lost approx. 700 bridges not to talk about destroyed or damaged, houses, farms, roads, trees..... Compared to this our 5 day loss of power and water seems ridiculously insignificant.