The Importance of Blocking in Crochet

Have you ever wondered what blocking is? Have you questioned what the importance of blocking crochet is? If you have asked either or both of these questions, you’re not alone. When I started to crochet I honestly asked “what the heck is blocking and when should I do it?” I made things like scarves, hats, and the occasional baby sandal at the time. These aren’t usually things that need blocked. So I pushed it to the back of my mind and continued on making.

Fast forward about six or seven years. Blocking popped back up. This time I actually had to do it and I had no idea what I was doing. I was in a very involved designing process of a crop top. I designed this amazing lace crop top made with crochet thread and what is probably one of the smallest crochet hooks I currently own. My two pieces were small and crumbled. It looked nothing like what I had envisioned! Then blocking came back up to the surface of my mind. I knew what I needed to do. So I set out figuring out how to block something while I was in Mexico of all places on vacation. Needless to say, I didn’t block these pieces in Mexico.

So, what is blocking?

Blocking is the way we shape a finished item after we’ve made it. Depending on the fiber content of your yarn, you may have a different way to do it. Natural fibers block well with just water and pinning to shape. Acrylic or other man-made fibers often need heat as well as water and sometimes starch to keep their shape after blocking.

What needs to be blocked?

Honestly, you could block everything if you really wanted to. But, not everything needs blocked especially not big, heavy blankets or loose, comfy wearable items.

These are things you’ll definitely want to block:

• anything lace. I mean anything. Lace shawl, lace top, even lace hats. If you want it to show the lace, you’ll need to block it. I have an example below of a lacy shawl I recently finished. This shawl is for my wedding and is absolutely gorgeous, but if I didn’t block it, you wouldn’t see the lace or design.
• pieces that will be put together. What I mean by this is things such as granny squares, pieces of a sweater or top, anything where the pieces need to be the same size. Nothing is more frustrating than getting it together and realizing pieces aren’t the same size or that they should be blocked before putting together.
• things you want to lay flat. Maybe your coasters are curling at the edge or you have a scarf that just won’t lay flat. Blocking can help fix that.

What do I need to block my crochet?

There’s no right or wrong here really. I’ve seen all kinds of things used to block but here are the most common items used:

• foam mats. Think of the ones used in kids rooms or classrooms. Those big, multi-piece, colorful foam mats.
• towels. Personally, I don’t have room to store a foam mat, even broken down, so I use a towel or two as you’ll see below.
• pins. Sewing pins typically. I’ve seen T-pins used as well. You need something to pin your project down into the shape it needs to be. Make sure they’re rust proof.
• dowel rods. I’ve seen these used to block granny squares. Plus you can stack multiple squares on top of one another and block them at the same time.
• steam iron. This is pretty important for those non protein/natural fibers. For acrylic to be blocked, it needs heat (just be careful or you could theoretically melt your yarn)
• spray bottle. You don’t want your items sopping wet, but you do want them damp. A spray bottle is perfect for blocking.

How to block

Below I will be showing my process of blocking my beautiful wedding shawl. This shawl is made from a mulberry silk yarn in a light blue. Because it’s silk I need to be careful to not ruin the fibers which is why I won’t be using heat, plus it doesn’t really need heat to block. I will note that this is my process, it will likely be different from another’s process, but it’s what works for me. You can check out the video here if you’d prefer to see a video version.

The pattern for this shawl is titled From the Ashes and is by the designer Rachy Newin Designs.  **Note I am not affiliated with Rachy Newin Designs. I get no commission or extras if you purchase one of her patterns. I just love her designs.

Step 1: Lay out your shawl/project to see how it looks before blocking. As you can see here, the design isn’t very open at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Pin it to your towel/board/mat. After pinning it, if you look very closely, you can see the design is open and able to be seen.

Step 3: Spray it with water and let dry. Depending on fiber content, I may do this a couple times.

Step 4: Take out pins and marvel at the difference blocking made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This shawl was about 15.5 inches down the back before blocking. After blocking, it was 19 inches down the back. The wingspan is around 44.5 inches.

If this shawl didn’t convince you of the importance of blocking, then try it for yourself and see! It can make such a big difference, that it’s absolutely magical!

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