Industrial Strength Blocking

I have had a new shawl/rug ready for blocking for a couple of months but keep procrastinating because is is a bugger of a job.  I usually use the back of a rug to pin things out on, but it is not very satisfactory for the large round pieces as it is not quite large enough in one direction and I don't get enough stretch.

However given our veranda is literally falling to bits I thought it probably wouldn't matter if I hammered a couple of nails in and pulled them out again.  All the timber will have to be replaced before too long anyway - thus industrial strength blocking was born.



There is a towel under there to prevent snags and absorb some of the moisture.  It is still a bit wonky as I did not have a finished measurement and I had to stretch it out by eye but is is a really effective stretch.



I did not realise on my first couple of blockings how tight you really have to stretch the work out.  Not until I actually knitted a pattern in the yarn it was designed for and had proper measurements to block to.  Especially with lace patterns, my blocking wires are starting to look a little bet and battered but it is all in a good cause.



I used fencing staples which were particularly effective as the blocking wires could not jump over them as they can with t-pins when you stretch it really tight.  I did not even have to hammer them in too hard and you can't even see the holes they left.

And it was a very effective block:



This is the Girasole pattern from Brooklyn Tweed (again) it is so much fun to knit although the edging seems to last forever.



It is worth it though, the knitted edging looks so much better than a crocheted one.



I cannot for the life of me remember what yarn I used - I think it might have been Cleckheaton but I really have no idea.  I have a fair few balls left but they seem to have disappeared into the mysterious vortex of my study.



Anyway at least that is another UFO out of the way - not much of a dent in the pile so far but it all helps I guess.