blocking Julia
The pieces for this sweater have been done for months. And the Project Spectrum blue/white/grey months are almost over, so I need to finish the two sweaters that were my goal for the first two months instead of starting new projects…
I’d never blocked a sweater properly before yesterday. I went the cheap route and bought two 32″x40″ pieces of 3/16″ foam core board from my favorite local art store, Pearl Paint, and drew a one inch grid onto them. Then I covered them in clear plastic recycling bags for “waterproofing.” They seem to work just fine for a total cost of under $10.
I love the way the pins line up. I used every single straight pin I owned and still would have used more if I had them!
It’s amazing the difference it makes in the fabric - I never would have guessed that it would have such a positive effect on this pattern! I always thought blocking would make things look sort of, well, flat. And it does, but not in a bad way. As Eunny says in her blocking tutorial, Block Me, Amadeus: “it’s the difference between a sweater that looks ‘homemade’ and one that looks ‘handknit.’” So I gave it a try and I see now what she meant!
Hopefully it will make a positive effect on the ease of seaming and how the whole thing drapes while worn, but for right now it smells like wet wool in my bedroom…