Hello new favorite community! I have a question about what to do when you’ve finished a project. There are so few completed projects in my house I’ve never really looked up what to do when you finish one. I’m self taught via YouTube and books. After casting off is there something you have to do to make something like a shawl look nice? The patterns don’t say. Things always have a crumpled up look after I’m done.
Block it. There are a number of ways, but I soak mine for a couple hours, then pin it to blocking boards. Well, actually, they’re foam alphabet blocks, but the result is the same. Just make sure you use stainless steel pins so you don’t damage your project with rust.
Seconding the suggestion to block! I’ve used the ironing board, large cardboard pieces with a towel on top, and even an old foam mattress to pin my work, depending on how big it is (but I don’t have blocking boards). Natural fibers I soak, pin into shape, and let dry. Synthetic fibers I steam with my iron (being careful to not actually touch them).
Thanks! I’ll look that up.
With shawls specifically, the exact best way to pin them out can vary a bit depending on things like the shawl shape and especially the edging. For example if the edge is supposed to have sharp points on it, you’ll want to pin each point in place.
But there are a ton of tutorials and videos and etc around, and if in doubt you can ask for more specific tips here of course! If you’re looking at the pattern on Ravelry there are usually even blocking photos included in some of the other projects that get posted so you can see how other people did it.
Main tip is don’t worry, it can sound a bit complicated and precarious at first but really it’s just a case of wetting the thing then making sure it’s in the shape you want it to stay in while it dries.
Thanks! I got the pattern from the yarn wrapper and really like the result. I’ll look up some blocking videos.