Blocking Guide

So you’ve finished your items, and now it’s time to do the dreaded act of blocking them! Don’t worry, I am here to help you through the process.

To start, you’ll need a few supplies. You can use whatever works for you, but these are the things I like to use. None of the links below is an affiliate link. They’re just items I like to use! 

• Foam blocking mats. You can buy ones specifically for blocking, but I would suggest getting EVA foam floor mats. They’re generally bigger and cheaper. 

• You will want rust-proof t-pins for things like shawls. I suggest grabbing these ones as you get a lot and they’re great. 

• If you are blocking socks, you will want some sock blocker forms. There are tons of options from wood to acrylic to metal. I suggest using these ones. 

• You will need a steam iron or clothing steamer for steam blocking. Anything with a steam function will do. If you get a clothing steamer, make sure it is one you can use on an item lying flat. 

• If you are a granny square kind of person, I highly suggest getting a granny square blocking board. This board will allow you to stack a bunch of squares at once and then steam block them for fast blocking. 

• A bucket or bin of some kind. You can easily use a tote bin or even a bucket with a drain, but a collapsible bucket like this is my choice. It allows you to store it flat so that your blocking items don’t take up too much space!

• If you are blocking items with a flat edge, while you can use the t-pins, I would highly suggest picking up a couple of packs of blocking combs. I find that while these are small, they’re the best bang for your buck. 

• If you will be wet blocking something, I suggest getting a collapsible colander. This will allow you to have something to allow things to drip out, so it’s more manageable to handle. 

• If you want to speed up the process of extracting water from smaller items, I highly recommend picking up a salad spinner. While this is totally optional, I don’t think I’d want to block smaller items without it. 

• While this is also another optional item, if you block a lot of lace shawls, you may want to use blocking wires. While this guide won’t discuss how to use them, you can find a nice set here.

• I highly suggest picking up a wool wash of your choosing. I prefer Eucalan, but have also used Soak in the past and enjoyed it. You can block items without it, but this stuff comes in handy for washing your wool items in general. A little goes a long way as well!

• There are a few other things you may want or may already have in your home. You’ll need towels for getting water out of your items. If you have a darker yarn that may color bleed, a bit of distilled white vinegar in the water will set the dye so that there isn’t dye transfer while wearing the item. The smell will dissipate and you will be left with a very soft item that won’t transfer dye! You may also want a fine misting spray bottle. This is great for spray blocking items. 

Ok, so now you have the things you need and are ready to jump into the process. There are three main ways you can block items. Those are steam blocking, wet blocking, and spray blocking. They all have their own quirks, but it’ll depend on what you’re blocking and the material you’re using. We’re going to get into how to block and then the methods you can use. 

How to pin things into place

To start blocking, you need to understand its purpose and what you need to do to be successful. The idea behind blocking is that you are stretching the finished fabric into a final shape. Blocking is great for socks, garments, accessories, and lace. While there are some items you probably won’t need to block, garments and lace really shine best when blocked. 

To block things, you will stretch and pin the item into shape on your mats. You can use t-pins or combs to hold things in place, but the style of blocking will depend on when you do that step. Afterwards, you just let it dry and once it’s been dry and sitting for a bit, you can unpin it and have your item!

If you are doing socks or mittens and you have a blocking form, instead of pinning things into place, you will slide it onto the form and let it dry. 

Spray Blocking

Spray blocking is probably the easiest, but less permanent way to block an item. All you need to do is pin your item in place while it’s still dry and then spray it down with the misting spray bottle. While this is an option for most fabrics, it’s best for just giving a gentle shaping to an item. You can use this method with most fiber types, but it will be best for wool or other animal fibers.

Wet Blocking

For wet blocking, you start the process by soaking your item in a bucket of water with wool wash. Once the item has soaked for about 20-30 minutes,  you will drain the water out and gently squeeze the water out of the item. Do not wring the item, as it will stretch the stitches. You can roll the item up in a towel and try and squeeze out as much water as possible. If the item is small enough, you can stick it in the salad spinner and let it spin for 3-5 minutes. After that, you’ll pin the item into place and let it dry. This method is best for all fibers, however cotton does not block well in general, so your mileage may vary. 

Steam Blocking

For steam blocking, you will simply need the steam iron or clothing steamer and your pins and mats. You will pin the item into the final shape and then run the steam over it, about an inch from the surface. You then let it dry and keep it on the pins for like an hour or so and you’ll have a finished item in no time! There are some things to keep in mind with this method. If you are blocking acrylic, you will “kill” the yarn and run the risk of melting it. Be very careful to not get too close to acrylic with the iron. You can also steam block an entire stack of granny squares on a blocking board using this method. This method also works great for wool items and is a fast way to block something. 

With all methods of blocking, you may have to redo it after washing the item. If you “kill” the yarn in acrylic pieces, you will not have to do that because the shape will stay. Generally though, you can spray or steam block after washing and be fine. 

Hope this guide helps!