Blocking Time

Now that my Red Wilshire Shawl is finished its time to block.  Blocking for most knitted items is definitely worth doing.  A while ago I decided to invest in some foam matts from the hardware store 

And a blocking rod set with lots of pins.

Now it's time to put them to use.  

So I soaked the shawl in warm water with some wool mix for 20 minutes, rinsed and then gently squeezed the water out before rolling it up in a towel and stepping on it.  Yes you step on the towel to help soak up the water.

Blocking is basically pulling the item into the shape that you want and holding it in place with pins and the thin metal rods, then letting the item dry.

I set the foam matts up on the dinning table with an old sheet on top and started my blocking. It didn't take long to realize that this shawl was going to block out bigger than the table.   Time to relocate to the lounge room floor.

The top measures 75 inches across and 44 inches down the middle.  The biggest challenge will be keeping the cats off it tonight - maybe I need to put another sheet over the top of it tonight as cat protection.

It will be interesting to see how the little peaks on the edge hold their shape.  I think that if I make this shawl again I might try adding some little beads on the ends to give some extra weight that should help hold the shape.

My next lace project is going to be the Evenstar Shawl - it's a circular lace shawl that seems to be a popular one on Ravelry but it will take me a while to do so I think I'll start this after Christmas.  But in the mean time I have Christmas stuff to sort out and preparing for our trip to the South Island of New Zealand in December.  Can't wait to see what yarn shops we come across.