Every lace shawl pattern will finish with the instructions to block your shawl. And we all know that it’s important. But just how important is it? Let’s take a look.
This is The Little Match Girl from Fairy Tale Lace fresh off the needles.
Yarn has memory, and at this point the yarn remembers what it was like to be in a ball of yarn. When you knit it, it has not yet learned the shape of the stitches, and therefore tries to straighten out a bit and then curl back into a ball. This leads to the stitches looking a bit distorted.
If you soak the shawl, the yarn forgets its previous shape, and remembers where it dries. So to block it, make sure that the fibers are soaked thoroughly (this will take about 15 minutes). Then remove the shawl from the water and squeeze out as much water as you can. Remember that you are working with a delicate lace shawl, so don’t wring it aggressively or anything, but squeeze.
Then lay it on a flat surface and pin it out into shape. This will open up the lace like this:
I tend to block fairly hard and stretch out the fabric as much as possible. This leads to a very open look for the lace.
When the fabric dries, the yarn will now be “set” and will remember its new shape. It will be open, lacy and beautifully delicate.
The shawl should retain its blocked look until it gets wet again. Any amount of water, even slight dampness,] or just moisture from the air will cause it to relax over time. But most shawls, if handled cautiously, like any fine clothing, do not need to be re-blocked very often.
