Blocking on the Cheap

So I FINALLY got around to blocking the Hemlock Ring Blanket that I started back in 2009 (June 23rd to be precise).

 

 I finished this blanket Dec. 23rd 2012, when I brought it with me on a road trip so as to be forced to work on it, because I only had 3-4 repeats left on the blanket. But even after I finished it, I hadn't blocked it. This blanket was fairly large and I didn't have an area to block it (plus, it was relatively wet weather and I wasn't sure how long it would take to block).

Recently, I bought some mat boards from Amazon so that I could block larger knitted items (especially for my Knit Swirl Coat!) And the weather warmed up considerably. So it was the perfect time to try out my new blocking boards.

These boards were cheaper than getting dedicated blocking boards, as they are used for flooring purposes. The set I purchased was about $15.00. Each board is about 24" x 24", interlock with each other, and you get 6 boards for a total of 288 square feet of blocking room. I figured that this was an adequate enough for my general purpose. (This particular vendor sells sets with a larger number of pieces).

(As a comparison, knitting-specific blocking boards from KnitPicks are about 12" x 12" (~144 square inches), interlock with each other, and you get 9 boards for a total of 108 square feet of room. These boards cost $24.99.)

With my t-pins, these were easy to put together and worked PERFECTLY. I got the grey boards, which heated up pretty darn fast in the warm sun! I had trouble kneeling on them in the 80 deg F weather as they got warm quickly! BUT, on the flip side, it helped dry the wet blanket very quickly. Between the boards and the warm weather, this FOUR FOOT DIAMETER wool blanket dried in under 2 hours!

Four of these boards was enough to block a four-foot diameter blanket. So, I definitely give these a thumbs-up in the usefulness department

The wool blanket blocked out beautifully. It's lovely, huge, and JUST in time for the gorgeous WARM weather that we're currently experiencing. LOL.

However, there is a down-side to using these blocking boards. Because they were meant to be used for flooring, these pieces are rather LARGE. I knew the sizing when I purchased them, but was still surprised when they arrived in the mail. So anyone thinking about getting the larger foam pieces should consider storage space before purchasing them. The knitting-specific blocking boards are about half the size and store easier for anyone who has space considerations.

But, if you're not worried about space and want a cheaper alternative, these work pretty darn well.

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The In-Between Projects

Ever have those really big projects that you know are going to take a lot of time, or projects that have miles and miles of boring stitches? In my case, I'm working on my very first sweater, the Slouchy Cardigan by Helene Roux from the book, Greetings from the Knit Cafe, and it's taking "forever".

At this particular moment, I'm on miles and miles of stockinette stitch, row-by-row, in making the hood. It's not very exciting knitting and really should be done in the presence of other knitters because I can talk and knit without thinking. I didn't even have the foresight to knit the hood in-the-round so I wouldn't have to purl.

But, I really want this cardigan. So, I'm doing small "in-between projects". If I finish XX inches, then I can do a small quick project before doing another YY inches. It's my "reward" for working on something so "boring". LOL

Consequently, I'm looking at a small project, maybe handwarmers or a pair of socks, that I can churn out quickly before going back to the drudgery of miles and miles of stockinette stitch.

I *did* start a small experimental dishtowel (subject of another post, methinks), but that's my in-between project for my "home" knitting -- the Hemlock Ring Blanket by Jared Flood -- because it means looking at a chart.

My cardigan is my "train" knitting because I can get a lot done on my 2-hour commute (one hour each way). Now, I just need that in-between project for my train knitting.

A bit of Knitting & Spinning...

Spinning: I washed both "Night Sky" skeins last night, snapped, whacked, and hung them up to dry. So far, they look lovely, and I'm going to have to find *something* to do with them. I'm thinking a small shawl of some sort. There's about 200 yards of the yarn over 2 skeins. It's very lovely, and I'm rather pleased with it





Knitting: I started the 2nd front piece of my Slouchy Cardigan on Oct. 15th. I had to *frog* nearly half of it on the 20th because I mis-measured. However, today, I am only a few rows (about 20 rows) away from doing the shoulder shaping and binding it off. YAAY.

This cardigan is taking a lot longer than expected. However, it is my train knitting (I primarily only work on it while on the train) so I shouldn't really be surprised. I still have to knit the sleeves & hood. Then it's blocking and finishing!

Speaking of projects that take forever.....my Hemlock Blanket (by Jared Flood) is progressing very very slowly. I have about 5 pattern repeats left, but there are 5 rounds of stockinette between each repeat, PLUS there's over 500 stitches in each round. Consequently, each round takes "forever".

But, this is my "sit and talk" knitting (usually in the company of friends) because each stockinette round is pretty boring. So, it's taking longer to knit. However, the blanket looks lovely, and once I get it blocked, it should be pretty darn warm!

I'm itching to make another pair of socks because they're such a quick knit. I'm not usually prone to doing a lot of time-consuming projects. My need for quick completion of projects (and the satisfaction that goes with it) is all-consuming.

Either that, or I should stop spinning and knit more?

NAH....

Knitting

I'm close to actually finishing the Clapotis -- that IS if I don't run out of yarn. I'm on the last skein of yarn, and I'm HOPING that I have enough.

The pattern comes in five parts:
1) set up rows 2) increase rows 3) straight rows 4) decrease rows 5) finishing rows

I'm 50% done through the 4th part - decrease rows - and I just started the last skein. Hopefully, I did the math totally right in finding the correct area with the right amount of rows per area. *HOPE* Because the LYS is NO longer carrying this particular yarn -- it was all on clearance. *crosses fingers*

Otherwise, I'm going to have to rip back and see about decreasing faster without ruining the look of the thing. Oofda.

The Hemlock blanket is going slowly, mostly because there's so many stitches and I'm not even halfway through the chart repeats. Ugh. Luckily, the Eco wool is such a bulky yarn (3-4 stitches per inch) that it goes by "relatively" fast. However, this is my next-to-the-computer knitting/

The Clapotis is my train knitting, so it's going by a lot faster. Unfortunately, I can't take the Hemlock blanket on the train, because the yarn cake is too big, and the blanket's going to be sizeable past a certain point to efficiently carry on the train.

Consequently, a small draw-string bag & socks are on the next to-do list after the Clapotis.