last time, i shared how i blocked a hat. the steps were outlined in my previous post, but basically…
* wet the hat, press the water out of it, shape it, and lay flat to dry.
i recently knit a hat and cowl set for a friend’s baby, and i wanted the hat to be softly rounded (dome-shaped) at the top.
after knitting, wetting the hat and pressing the water out, you can place the hat over a ball, a balloon (thanks alyssa!), crumpled up paper towels (newspaper would work too but the ink may run), a rolled up towel. anything that approximates the desired shape.
what did i use?
oh, hello you, vintage pyrex bowl forest fancies pattern. how’d you get in there?
see? pyrex isn’t just for the kitchen. i think i need to add this to my 14 reasons i love vintage pyrex.
once dry, the hat keeps its shape. you can see the bumps in this photo here where the hat follows the rounded contours of the bowl.
i added some embroidery and crocheted flowers after the hat dried.
that’s it.
if you’re not a knitter and have always wanted to try knitting but are a bit intimidated by it, you might want to check out my very basic tutorial, knitting needles 101.
if you are a knitter and have any tips to share about blocking, add them below in the comments so we can all learn. i’d love to hear about how you block larger items, like sweaters and shawls. what do you lay them on? when do you pin your garment? do you do anything to speed up the drying process?
