The Magic Of Blocking

During the latter part of last year, I discovered the most amazing thread on Ravelry.  It's called Blocking: Before and After, and it has changed my whole way of thinking.  I used to think it didn't really matter if an item was blocked if it was knit or crocheted with even tension. I also didn't knit lace.  Oh, I had tried many a lacy pattern, but I was never happy with the way they turned out.  Believing I just didn't have the talent for lace knitting, I gave up and focused on other knitting that felt I was good at.  After browsing through Ravelry's blocking thread, and ogling all the before and after pictures posted by fellow Ravelers, I became a believer (a blocking convert, if you will). This thread also renewed my interest in lace patterns, and helped me to realize that I CAN knit lace.  There was nothing wrong with the way I was knitting it, I had just left off the most important step, which is blocking.  Now, I don't even consider a lace project to be complete until it's blocked.  

I've picked out some before and after pictures of my own to illustrate just how important blocking is.  I hope you enjoy:

Big Lace Scarf:  Fresh off the needles, no matter how much I tried to smooth it down, the sides intended to roll.

Blocking helped display the simple open design of this pattern.

Windowpane Scarf fresh off the hook.  Before blocking it was all rumpled and squishy.

After blocking, my Windowpane scarf is smooth and crisp.

Haruni fresh off the needles.  Needless to say, I was underwhelmed.

Haruni open and amazing. Blocking made all the difference in the world for this shawl.

Georgiana before:  This was my first project after getting back on the lace band wagon.  I guess I still had my doubts, because, in a desperate attempt to see the lace pattern, I kept pausing my knitting to pull the points down.

Georgiana after:  I needn't have worried, because it blocked into a beautiful airy shawl.  In hindsight, I could have really  emphasized the points by pulling more aggressively during the pinning, but it was my first lace block.  Still, it's not bad for a blocking beginner.

This is one of the motifs for my Noro Puzzle Scarf.  Before blocking, it drew backward forming a U, instead of an open box shape.

The same piece after blocking:  The corners are more pronounced and the piece lays flat.

All these pieces, sewn together, became one of my most treasured hand knit scarves.

I hope this visual post helps other knitters who have yet to dive into the world of blocking.  If you've stopped knitting lace because of this, I urge you to give it another try. With blocking, you can definitely do it.  If you're a Ravelry member, don't hesitate to check out that thread.  It's in the Yarn & Fiber forum on the main board.  You'll be amazed and inspired, I promise.
For those of my readers who do not knit or crochet, I hope the photo comparisons were interesting enough to keep you tuned in.