Blocking: Not Just for Football and Facebook

Now that I've finished all the knitting my gloves, it's time to block them. Blocking is a process that through the use of water and/or heat, the fibers of the yarn are relaxed and mooshed into the shape that you want them to be. Blocking is also especially great for colorwork because it can help even out any issues you had with your tension while you were knitting. Tension is how tightly you hold your yarn and knit. Variable tension in colorwork leads to lumpy sweaters and mittens!

You may have noticed in some of the earlier pictures of my mittens that the top cuff of the mittens curls downwards. I think this is a problem, but fortunately it is one that blocking can solve.

I prefer to wet block my work. It is tedious and slow, but I am afraid of burning myself on my iron trying to steam block my mittens. Wet blocking also gives you PLENTY of time to make adjustments. In wet blocking, you get your item damp (I spritz mine with a spray bottle) and then pin it how you want it to be. Then you let it dry. Depending on the fiber, the amount of water, the pattern, the temperature in the room, and other things, this can take a very long time. Fortunately, for my gloves, it only took a few hours.

Blocking the mittens

For you knitters out there, if you're interested in making your own blocking board, check out how I made mine by clicking this link (it will take you to an old blog of mine). They are heavy because I used 2'x2' sheets of drywall, but they significantly speed up the drying process. You could also use those lightweight puzzle shaped foam mats, but I don't like them as much.