Wrap-up: Block and Knock It Off

This week we named our two groups! The Beginner/Intermediate group will be referred to as Knit 1s and the Intermediate/Advanced group will be referred to as Take 2s. Yay...

This week, Sylvia showed the Knit 1s some basic finishing techniques. She started with a demonstration of darning in the ends of yarn. She reminded everyone that on pieces that are going to be worn, it is important that there is give in the darning to allow for body movement. She then taught everyone how to crochet two pieces of knitting together. For our new knitters, this was a huge accomplishment - learning how to knit and crochet in one month!

Take 2s were lead by Janet in a discussion about blocking and finishing techniques. 

Blocking: Janet brought a sample of two sweater sleeves that she had made from silk. Interestingly, the silk relaxed when lightly steamed. It was a powerful visual reminder that blocking/steaming doesn't always reduce the piece size - it can sometimes cause some natural fibers to relax. Janet suggested that tension swatches should be blocked before proceeding with making a garment where gauge is essential and that it also very important to check the yarn label. If you use a steamer/iron, DO NOT contact the piece with your iron. Another way to block is by soaking the piece in a top loading washing machine. DO NOT agitate. Then put it directly on the spin cycle to remove the water. Roll it in a towel and step on it to remove excess water. Then pin to a firm surface. Knitting suppliers sell special blocking mats. Janet suggests using foam squares available at most dollar stores. Another note of caution: do not put pressure on any pattern that is textured (e.g. cables) as this will ruin it.

Finishing: Janet taught everyone how to crochet two knitted pieces together. She matched the ends of the pieces and also the half way points to guide the spacing. She clipped them together with Knit Clips, cool little clips available at many knit shops that slip through two layers of knitted fabric and hold them together.

Bonus: Janet showed the group how to do a provisional cast on using crochet. This is very handy if you have a piece (e.g. scarf) where you want both ends to be identical.

A big thank you to Sylvia and Janet for helping with our lessons this week. And also thank you to everyone who used their new crocheting skills to start on joining our blanket squares.

Janet's tip of the day:To block smaller pieces, try using a salad spinner to remove the water after soaking.