How to Make a Blocking Board

Sometimes things just don't turn out like they should - or the shape and size you want or need them to be. This is when blocking comes in handy. Blocking allows you to make adjustments to your knitting by stretching and shaping. There are three different types of blocking: wet blocking, spray blocking, and steam blocking. The methods vary as to the amount - and form - of water used to relax the fibers and allow you to reshape them and which method you use should be dictated by the type of fiber with which you are working.  I chose to make a pair of blocking boards that way I could move my projects out of the way and have the option of pinning them into shape.

I got the general instructions on how to create a blocking board from Knitting.com. Click HERE for the full article from Knitty.com. Also in that article is a useful guide to which blocking method you should use for which fibers.

I know at first glance the pictures seem small, but if you click on the image, it will show you the full sized picture.

How to Make a Blocking Board


Materials (for two total):

Picture	Item
	2 Sheets of 2' x 2' Drywall (1/2" thick)
	Sturdy tape (such as duct tape, linen tape, or electrical tape)
I used Res-Q Tape because I went in search of linen tape at Jo-Ann's and couldn't find any. The Res-Q Tape is double sided but when you only use one side, the paper on the other is nice and thick and the tape is pretty strong so it worked out. Just use whatever type of tape you think will help keep the edges of your board from crumbling.
	2 yards of 1" gingham fabric
The grid on the fabric will make a useful measuring tool for when you block. The only 1" check I could find was light pink which showed up okay, but I would have preferred a blue or green.
	Staple Gun
The staple gun I used was recommended by my mother who, like myself, has small hands, but - unlike myself - does upholstery. She needed a staple gun that actually worked but was easy to handle and not so large that she couldn't get it into the places she needed to staple. Relatively inexpensive (approx. $10), the Easy Shot was her first pick. After using it, I have no complaints other than a lack of more things to staple.
	5/16" Staples
Make sure your staples will work with your staple gun.

Directions: 

1. Using your sturdy tape, tape around the edges of the squares of drywall. This is to help reinforce the edges and prevent the edges from crumbling.
2. Put extra tape on the corners of the drywall. Like knees and elbows, corners frequently get banged around and bumped into so, while this step isn't strictly necessary, I wouldn't skip it.
3. Iron your fabric! This is important so you don't have any bunches of fabric or wrinkles that will keep your blocking board from being a smooth surface.
4. Spread your fabric out on a smooth, hard surface and place the drywall on the fabric. Make sure the line the top and left side of the drywall up with the lines of the gingham. This will ensure that the grid pattern is straight and will make it a more useful measuring tool.
5. Once your drywall is in position, cut the edges of the fabric so there is a 3" border around the drywall.
6. On one side, fold 1" of the border in towards the drywall. Pin in place. Be sure to place the pins in such a way that when you staple the fabric down, you can still remove the pins. You do this so the cut edge of the fabric is tucked inside and won't fray. If you want to be extra certain that it won't fray, you could also use a product like Fray Check along this edge.
7. Fold the pinned side of the fabric onto the blocking board. While holding the fabric taught but still, staple in place. I stapled about two inches apart along the whole side.
8. Repeat steps 6 - 7 for the side that runs parallel to the first completed side.
9. For the two remaining sides, repeat steps 6 - 7 ensuring that the corners are folded neatly, like a package. To do this, make a triangle in the corner with the fabric. This should help keep the fabric from bunching or being too messy around the corner.
Once all sides have been stapled, you're all done!

Decision!

*If you would like to receive e-mail updates about this blog, please send an email to knittinsmitten@gmail.com! Thanks!**

I have decided! The cabled squares that were being considered for either pillows or a quilt will be pillows. I've finished one side of one of the pillows, but need to get more green yarn for the back. I'm really quite nervous; this will be my first adventure with dye lots. I'm hoping that they'll match up well enough that you won't be able to tell. I'd be so frustrated if the front and the back of the pillow looked really different.

I am still going to need to block this side though. The edges are a little curly and I'm pretty sure that it will be MUCH easier to make the pillow if both sides are the same size and lay flat.

I've purchased the materials needed to make a blocking board and I'll be posting soon with a 'how I made my blocking board' tutorial.


Potholders for Curtis
I've also been working on some potholders for my darling boyfriend, Curtis. I've discovered that for him to get things out of the oven, he has been using a mix of dish rag and paper towel. To protect his fingers and reduce fire hazards - as well as for the direct benefit of my mental health - I'm making seed stitched pot holders out of a variegated, 100% cotton yarn. 45 sitches across and 59 rows long. I'm making two squares and will then whip stitch them together. I've already finished one square and have made significant progress on the second. Only 18 more rows!

SEED STITCH
To make a seed stitch, cast on an odd number of stitches.
Then, *knit one, purl one* and repeat until you have one stitch left. Knit that stitch.
Repeat that row until you have the desired length.

CO #odd
Row 1: *K1, P1* Repeat ** until 1 stitch remains, K1
Row 2 and on: Repeat Row 1.

To make the same potholders I am:
Using US size 8 needles and 4 ply worsted weight 100% cotton yarn...
CO 45 stitches.
Row 1: *K1, P1*  Repeat ** until 1 stitch remains, K1.
Rows 2 - 59: Repeat Row 1.
BO purlwise.

My grandma sent me this image. It's a magazine cover from Good Housekeeping and it's quite old (from 1918!). She and I were thinking that maybe I could make prints of it and sell them. I'd touch it up a bit (center it and make sure it had a nice background) and print it on nice card stock or a heavier paper. Do you think it would sell? And if so, for how much? Either way, it's very cute!

For future projects:
I do still plan on making a blanket for the living room. I've decided on the pattern "Yggdrasil Afghan" by Lisa Jacobs (see Ravelry link HERE). In the center there are four trees whose branches are entertwined and their roots lead down to some really fantastic looking cables and leafy-vine designs. It's a pretty large blanket though and will require a lot of yarn and a lot of patience. (The image is from Ravelry and is probably under copyright.)

Also, for my BRAND NEW APARTMENT (woo!) I am going to be making a bunch of house slippers since the floors are painted concrete. The slippers I've found are called French Press Felted Slippers. They are, as the name implies, felted and represent the first and so far only felted project that I've liked. They are little ballet type flats with a button! The pattern from Ravelry can be found HERE. (This image is also from Ravelry.)

Since it looks like the slippers will knit up pretty quickly, I'm thinking I might make a variety of colors and, more importantly, use a variety of cute buttons! I really like buttons and buckles so these will just be great.


**If you would like to receive e-mail updates about this blog, please send an email to knittinsmitten@gmail.com! Thanks!**

Waffling

**If you would like to receive e-mail updates about this blog, please send an email to knittinsmitten@gmail.com. Thanks!**

This past month has certainly been a busy one! I've finished mid-terms (barely) and made it home for spring break. I've been trying to find housing for next year (harder than you might think!) and a summer internship that pays (about as hard as you think) and a summer job (I'm applying to some knit and craft shops on the East side of Lake Washington) and trying to get some work ahead done for my classes. That being said... I've completed Alixandra's gauntlets (see previous post), almost finished one side of my current project (see below) and mom and I finished my knitting needle case (also see below)!

Alixandra's Spiryogyra Gauntlets - Complete
They turned out nicely, I think. Unfortunately, I got them done and gave them to her just as Walla Walla is warming up so I might have to wait until next fall to see her wear them. Pictures then.

Cabled Pillows (?) - Current Project
Right now I'm making pillows! Basically, I'm going to knit two roughly 14x14" squares (when blocked... my edges are curling) and then line them and then sew them together and then stuff them. That is my incredibly vague master plan. I don't know if pillows actually work like that. But I'm not sure about the whole pillow idea. The picture here on the left is what I've done so far. I like the pattern and I really like the yarn - it's the Suri Merino that I got on my yarn quest mentioned in THIS POST - but I'm not sure about the pillows. I'm worried they won't look very contemporary. And I don't want to do all this work for non-cool pillows.

Here's a close up of the pattern I'm making. It's called a Saxon Cable. It's pretty easy. The first set was a little confusing, but once I saw the pattern (when you're at this spot in the fabric, the cable needs to turn in, so it makes sense to move the purling to the right, etc.) it went a lot faster. I think I'm going to put on one more repeat of the pattern (17 more rows) and then see how close to being square it is. I might need to put on 5 total though.

But since I'm worried about the pillows turing out sorta lame, I'm thinking about making the squares into a little quilt. This presents several problems:
1) I have to buy way more yarn. I mean, way more. It looks like just one side of a pillow is going to take more than one skein so I'll already have to buy more just for pillows. (I have 2 skeins of green... all they had, 4 skeins of brown, and 4 skeins of white/beige).
2) This is going to be way more work. As in, possibly infinite never finished project that sucks my soul away leaving me a worthless husk of miserable knitting-ness.
3) The pillows (or quilt) are going to be living at my boyfriend Curtis's house. I haven't talked to him to see what he thinks of the pillows so far. I was going to talk to him about it when I go back to Walla Walla at the end of the week. I don't even know if he *wants* a blanket for in the living room. I don't know if he is going to be worried about the pillows not being up-to-date enough.
4) I don't know how big to make the quilt! If I do the pattern I've drawn (see image on right above) the blanket will be about 3.5'x3.5'. I guess that's okay for a little lap blanket, but I don't really like little lap blankets. I want to be able to curl up under a blanket. But I really like the design I've made. The green squares would all be the same saxon cables; the little squares inside the larger ones on the outside would be this neat leaf pattern I've found; the smaller squares on the inside would be some sort of pattern I haven't decided on yet. I could make it bigger (think closer to 4'x5') but then that messes up my design unless I make it HUGE, which I really don't want to do.
5) I don't know if a quilt is less lame than pillows. It might be just as lame but with more work.
6) I need to find the same dye lot. This is problem no matter what. Uggggh. I thought I bought enough... I'll have to call Jacci's Yarn Basket and see if she has anymore. If not, then I guess I'm on the ultimate yarn quest.

Knitting Needle Case - Complete
The knitting needle case is complete!!! Hooray! Mom did most of the sewing (well, okay all of it except for the hand sewing) and it turned out awesome. Brace yourself for picture show!

In progress:


Complete and closed up:

We're still deciding on ribbon length. They won't actually be that long.

Opening...:


Open:


With the flap up:

Without a flap, you run the risk of having your needles slip out. A very sad event indeed.

The oustide when opened:


All sorts of details and close-ups:

One of two zippered pockets. This one has a clear window in the front of the pocket so you can see what's inside!


Very cute butterfly applique! Also, please note the hot pink top-stitching.


Needle pockets! There are 15 slots for double-pointed needles (pictured) and 15 for straight needles. Again, note the hot pink top-stitching.

Thanks Mom!

Library Updates!
I've decided to do little reviews of the knitting books that I own (or are considing owning) and like at the end of each post. Usually it will be just one book, magazine, pamphlet, what have you at a time. Also, if it's available on Amazon for you to purchase, I'll put a link up.

I've added a book to my knitting library. Romantic Knits by Jennie Atkinson is really lovely. There are a bunch of really cute designs and patterns in here. Atkinson designed the beret that I made for Quinn's birthday. The design on the cover is her Butterfly Dress and I have every intention of making it eventually. There are also some lovely robes and some cute slipper socks.

The pictures are full page and full color. The book itself isn't particularly easy to carry around - it's pretty big. The instructions look easy enough to follow and there is a useful guide in the back of the book. What caught my eye in that guide was a little article on different finishing techniques you can do on the edge of your garments. I would definitely recommend this for a confident knitter.

***

I've also checked out Sock Innovation by Cookie A from the school library. I'm debating whether I should buy it or not. It has a lot of really useful information on how to make socks and (even better!) design your own. The patterns in the book are interesting, but I'm worried for someone who has never made socks (and has never had to turn a heel... or shape anything really...) that they might be too hard. It would probably be a good one to get though. I'm just not sure.

Gauntlets for Alixandra

After my yarn quest, I decided I might as well do something with the yarn rather than sit there and look at it, drooling. I've started (and almost completed... this week has been stressful. That means more knitting. ... I just realized it's only Tuesday night. Awesome.) the gauntlets for Alixandra. The pattern is called Spirogyra from Knitty.com and I'm making the short length, though they go all the half way up my forearm anyway.

Anyway, left gauntlet is done. I just need to sew in the loose ends. :-)

Pictures:

Yarn Quest

I live in Walla Walla, Washington - a little city of approximately 30,000 people with a Macy's and a Wal-Mart and that's about it. And technically, the Wal-Mart isn't even in Walla Walla, it's in College Place, the next city over. There is a Joanne's here as well, but sometimes you just need yarn other than Vanna's Choice or Red Heart.

As you all know, I finished Quinn's hat last week. I did not plan ahead very well, however, and found myself with projects mentally lined up but no yarn or patterns or anything! This is pretty much a disaster. (Considerably less frustrating, though, than finding out that all the reading ahead I did when I didn't have any knitting to work on were the wrong assignments because my professor used a different edition of the text when he made his sllyabus...) So! This means: YARN QUEST!

Within a 60-mile radius of Walla Walla, according to Google, there are 4 yarn shops. In order from closest to my house to farthest away: Oregon Trail Yarn in Milton-Freewater, Oregon (18 minute drive); Knits by Kyle in Waitsburg, Washington (30 minute drive); Jacci's Yarn Basket in Dayton, Washington (40 minute drive); and, Sheep's Clothing in Kennewick, Washington (1 hour 15 minute drive). So I went to the first three last Wednesday. (To get to Dayton, you have to drive through Waitsburg anyway.)

Milton-Freewater
I boldly set out south towards the Oregon border. My radio in my car doesn't work, so I've got my iPod on shuffle with the headphones up really really loud so I can hear the music from the passenger seat. As I'm sure you can guess, this was pretty lame and didn't last all that long. Milton-Freewater is a pretty depressed little town; it's full of closed down shops. There are some really lovely homes and a VERY purple building that houses a chocolate factory that looked intriguing.


I arrived at 1112 South Main Street and find myself completely baffled. There's a little quickie mart type thing and an auto repair shop. And it looks like this. Can you tell where the yarn shop is? (Answer: it's the door on the right.) I was pretty confused. So I called the store number that I thankfully printed out with the driving directions and was informed that the ladies probably stepped out to lunch if the lights aren't on. Supposedly they'll be back in an hour or so. Okay.

So I drive around looking for something to do. I find this completely bizarre kitsch-shop / salon (I'm not kidding). The first 3/4 of the store is full of super glittery fairy statues, fake leather purses with tassles, and wooden signs that say things like "I don't have time for ugly cowboys". I round the corner and there is a pedicure station right next to a perm setter thing and a hair dressing station. Apparently the lady who owns the shop will cut your hair, dye it, perm it and give you a manicure if there aren't too many other people in the store. It was a pretty amazing little place.

Hungry = lunch search. My choices include McDonald's, Dairy Queen, a questionable looking burger establishment, and this little house with a sign advertising soup and fresh bread. I pull into Nobody's Bizness (the soup & bread place) for lunch. The lady who runs it only has one menu item and on Wednesday it was 'Cheesey Cream o Broccoley!' soup. I figure this has to be better than McDonald's. And I'm sure if I liked broccoli soup it would have been. The bread was delicious. I mean it. It was soo tasty. And the soup would have been great if it weren't for all the broccoli in it. As it was, I ate the whole thing anyway.

Mosey back to Oregon Trail Yarn and it's still dark and locked. I call back and the lady says to just go next door to the car repair store and her husband will let me in. Skeptical, I do as she says. Her husband - very sweet - asks me what I'm looking for. Skepticism continues: "sock weight and worsted?" To my astonishment, he not only shows me where it is, he points out which is his favorite. What a guy. :-) I don't find exactly what I'm looking for - and it was hard to find stuff because the shop is under going rennovation. Most of the product was covered by plastic sheets to protect them or in the back storage unit in boxes. (I've since heard from Ravelry-ers that this shop has been like this for a while). I did find some things I wanted though... it's hard to go into a yarn shop and not find something... but before I go back there again I think I'll call first to see how construction is going. Until then, if I want any Wildfoote sock yarn (which came in lovely colors and was very soft - two hanks for $10.90) I'll go to their EBAY STORE which is well stocked.

Yarn purchased:

Wildfoote Sock Yarn by Brown Sheep Co. in "Mistletoe"

Lanaloft Sport Weight by Brown Sheep Co. in "Herbal Garden (green)" and "Mystical Pink"



Waitsburg
Determined, I head back north through Walla Walla and then make a turn to the east for Waitsburg. A much more pleasant drive than south or the first bit of the drive west (toward Kennewick), I definitely prefer going this way than the other.



Though the pictures don't really do justice, if you don't think this is pretty than you definitely don't want to do the drive to Kennewick just for yarn. It's flatter and browner.

Arrive at 525 Powell Street. It's somebody's house. There's a cat in the window. The lawn is a bit overgrown and it doesn't look like very many people visit, despite the large "Welcome" sign on the door. A bit run-down and nothing indicating a yarn shop. I'm sitting in my car watching the cat watching me. It licks its chops.

Yarn Purchsed:
None. Drove off in terror.

Dayton


After driving past it once, I arrive at 242 East Main. Jacci's Yarn Basket, after the previous two destinations, is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Inside is a fully constructed yarn shop with so many different colors and weights and brands and wools and everything. Oooooo. So I end up with the yarn I wanted in the first place (sock weight for gauntlets for Alixandra and worsted weight for the pillows for Curtis and me). And I am happy. Oh so happy.


Yarn Purchased:

Heritage Paints Sock Yarn by Cascade in pink/orange/purple/more pink


Suri Merino by Plymouth Yarns in green and white and tan.
(55% alpaca 45% merino)





And then I came home and showed Curtis all my new yarn and he was as enthusiastic as I can resonably expect him to pretend to be. (He's more genuinely enthusiastic about the projects themselves - especially the completed ones; I think he has a hard time visualizing what they'll look like completed). And then he accidentally sat on one of the skeins of yarn and I went "AAAAAAAAH!!!" Don't worry though. The yarn is okay. (Curtis survived as well). (Barely).

Birthday Beret!

HAH! Take that O ye demons of unfinished projects! Behold: a completed beret ready not only to be worn, but to be coordinated with outfits.

Overall, it went pretty well. In the middle, with the diamond pattern, it felt like I was never going to get it done. Hats are funny like that. They decrease so quickly that all of sudden it's done and you haven't purchased yarn yet for your next adventure, let alone picked out a pattern. (See next entry for yarn purchasing adventure).



I'll see if I can get Quinn to wear it in a photograph to post.