To Block or Not to Block?
Do you really need to block your knit or crochet projects?
No! My answer is NO! 🙅🏻♀️
There are many knitter/crocheter will advice to block your project but to me not really necessary to block all your projects.
I don’t block all my projects. I only block if the project turned or looked out of shape. Or if the project need to give it a little bit of magic aka shaping.
Magic? Yes, blocking is a magic. As what I’m going to show you on my project below;
It is a shawl, that I knitted with worsted weight yarn instead of fingering. There are too many mistake in this project. First, mistakes on choosing the yarn weight. Second, wrong picked on needle size. Last but not least, I don’t have enough yarn in the stash(it is discontinued yarn)!
Although there are mistakes but the shawl actually turn out not bad as the colour gradient change are pretty and I’m so reluctant to frog it. Because run out of yarn it look not big enough as a shawl. Also due to the yarn are wool & acrylic which are lightweight, the shawl totally no drape.
So…… with the hope, blocking can make magic to my shawl. Hope it can be stretched out bigger as well as showing off the lace pattern.
Let check out the BEFORE & AFTER photo below.
The width before block is around 100cm and after block it is stretching to 173cm.
The shawl patterns : June Bunnies Shawl by Inese Andzane
Yarn : Outback Langley by Passioknit
Amazing right! With one extra step and your homemade item will look exclusive handmade item. But but but, there are few types of blocking method. I tried out 2 blocking method on this shawl actually.
First, I tried to wet block this shawl under the sun, but the lace pattern seem not stay in place when I tried to remove the pin. Hence, I leave it pinned overnight with the hope it will strength out in the morning but no, it doesn’t. Kinda sad. So go for second method, steam block.
I doubt on to steam block at first, because the yarn label noted ‘cool hand wash’ only. I afraid steam block will kill the yarn. Then I Googled and found “stream block work for all kind of fiber”. So just give it a try, never try never know and the result are brilliant. 
I don’t have the progress picture to share, but I’m using the stand garment steamer instead of direct ironing on top of the shawl. I leave the shawl pinned on and steam block it. The result as the AFTER picture above. I’m loving it.
So, to block or not to block your projects are really up to your preference. Most of wearable item like sweater and top, I don’t block it. For beanie, if I need to get the shape on point for lay flat photograph, I will wet block it first. If you check out my granny square sumer top I don’t block it. The yarn itself give the shape and drape naturally and I don’t find the need to shape it before join them together. I don’t even block my gauge swatch.
I hope this tip helpful and guide you abit. Give you an idea or no guilt to not blocking your project when everyone tell “you must blocking” ! 😀
Happy Crochet 😊😊
