I also saw online some article mentioning that if you can't steam with a garment steamer or an iron with a steam setting, you can just boil some water and hold your piece over the rising steam for a few minutes. Very clever workaround/life hack! :)
Makes sense that steaming was the most successful! Acrylic is plastic, so normal ways of blocking animal fibers don't work with it. It needs heat to make the acrylic fiber malleable. Because steam get really get into the stitches while the water is still freshly hot, it's why it works so well.
I appreciate your experiment so so much. I just finished a blanket made with acrylic yarn and the border was curling terribly. I was so sad. But steaming to the rescue! It worked beautifully! Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you so much for doing this! I recently started blocking acrylic crochet projects with steam but I wasn’t sure if wet was better for a sweater I’m knitting. This is the most informative and helpful video I’ve ever seen. The fact that you use swatches in both methods and multiple ways to block is so so so logical and informative. Seeing people block shawls when I need to block a sweater, or sweaters when I need to block granny squares isn’t helpful. Thank you for taking the time to conduct this experiment and for sharing your results!
The experiment was fun and informative to me as well. I learned a lot through it, and I'm so happy to share it with others. Thank you for leaving feedback! Let me know how you like the results of your sweater after its blocked :)
@@elavillafuerte3549 yes, steam blocking lightly wets the project, but it dries pretty quickly and the heat relaxes the stitches a little more. But wet blocking is totally submerging and soaking your project so it takes longer to dry and the heating element is not as much of a factor. I was thinking of wet blocking the pieces of my sweater, but I’m using chunky acrylic yarn and I was worried about it felting and how long it would take to dry. And if the weight of the wet yarn would effect the way the fabric dries. And I was worried about the steam blocking, because I was afraid it would melt the acrylic. So this video helped me out a lot! Now I know squares will still curl after wet blocking. And steam blocking would be better to flatten curls and it won’t melt the yarn.
I blocked for the first time years ago and steamed with my iron. It worked like a charm. I forgot how to do it and when I went on youtube, not many people mentioned steam. Thanks, your video helped me compare to steam vs. non-steam.
Wow!! This was prefect! What a great lesson. I've always steam blocked only because that's how my Nannie taught me but I'd never made a sweater so I was curious. My first sweater I steam blocked but I just made a second one and was wondering if I was doing this correctly. When I steam block I can actually watch the fiber relax and "quit while I'm ahead" so to speak. The steam makes the fiber soften so for sure if your heavy handed with the steam it's easy to see how you could ruin it. I actually get close and watch it relax and I don't go over it a second time. I also don't pat it down. I really appreciate the time you took to teach this valuable lesson!! Thank you!
I'm so glad you mentioned your process! I think it is so cool to watch the fibers relax as you steam block. It's like magic. Thanks so much for taking time to leave a comment! I've enjoyed reading your thoughts.
Thank you! I am in the process of blocking a acrylic granny square baby blanket and now I don't need to worry about ruining it. I saw another podcast before watching yours and steam blocking was also the method used.😊
THANK YOU for doing this comparison!! Im working on a 100% acrylic project and I was going to do my own comparison of wet vs steam blocking, but now I'm just going to go ahead and use the steam method! You just saved me a bunch of time 😂
Thank you! I am crocheting a baby blanket and a friend advised I block it to help with the "wonkiness" of the edges. I have never blocked before so this info is incredibly helpful for me. I will borrow my daughter's clothing steamer!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I love to hear about them. I hope that you learned the magic of blocking that the "wonkiness" worked its way out with the steam.
Love your thoroughness and honesty. So glad to see you do the actual tests. I am finishing many pumpkins for a Pumpkinpalooza for my church in Boston. I have many laves, many sizes so need accurate information. I have a couple weeks so all good.
This might be a dumb question, but im still kind of new to crocheting (only started like 5 months ago). So im making my very first granny square blanket and my question is, is it better to steam block each square individually or just steam block the whole blanket, once all the squares are already sewn together? Im probably overthinking it but I just really dont want to run the risk of ruining my many hours of work
No such thing as a dumb question! Thanks for asking, this is a really good question. I would recommend blocking each square before sewing it all together. This will ensure each one is the same size. Then after you sew them together you can block it as one piece if it needs. If you sew the squares altogether first, you can accidentally pull the yarn too tight and not realize it. And when you go to block the blanket, the squares will want to relax, but the seam will keep the edges where they are and it might not look as neat. Hope that helps!
Hey quite late to the video! Just wanted to know since I don’t have a steamer, would it be ok to spray my crochet piece with water, then use the hairdryer?
I tried the wet and let dry method on a crochet granny square coat. It took too long to dry, to the point it started smelling musty. I had to wash it using delicate cycle and then spread it out to dry after spinning dry. Still didn’t give the results I was after. I agree with the steam iton method as I tested it on the pockets. They look fabulous!
I have always been told that steam is needed for acrylic, but I got scared off from blocking soon after I started learning crochet. I made a little tunisian scarf, and I followed a tutorial for steaming it with an iron. I covered it with a cloth and steamed with the iron hovering an inch over the fabric. The fibers flattened and the whole thing smelled like burning plastic. I had to trash it.
Oh no!! That's so terrible, all that hard work 😭 I only had an iron for a long time and used the method you described. I was always so scared of my project turning out like that. Not to mention burning myself...always a risk. But I think with a steamer, it's more controlled and you don't risk burning your project. That just kills me to hear what happened to your project. I hope that didn't scare you away from blocking for good! There are other methods to test out!
I know in the end it’s probably not a big deal but I did have a mini heart attach when you started squeezing you swatches after you soaked it for wet blocking. I’ve alway heard and have only used a towel to remove water by placing a project on a towel and rolling it up and then pressing, using multiple towels.
Lol! Definitely not my intention. I've always squeezed out my pieces after soaking to get some of the water out. Then I'll roll in a towel. I'm careful not to twist the piece so I don't felt or stretch the project. Although, these swatches were small and I didn't feel the need to roll in a towel. Thank you for bringing this up and taking the time to comment. I will pay more attention to the details and make sure I explain things more fully.
Thank you for sharing this!! So helpful. I want to try the hairdryer method but wetting the piece with spray beforehand, I’ll come back with comments on it!
Wow, so informative!! I appreciate your video so much and sharing your results with us, and in a short concise manner. I really needed this to finish up a project that I'm finally completing after a whole year, needless to say I was a little nervous of wrecking it by blocking it incorrectly 😅
That's amazing! Congratulations, there is nothing like finishing up a project that you've worked hard on. I'm honored that this video was able to aid you in your research for blocking. I hope you found out that it's not something you have to fear :)
That's so informative, well done and thank you..I'm wondering if this steam blocking will prevent my finished article from stretching after on or two wears? I machine knitted boot cuffs, which stretched terribly after one day of wearing!
i don’t have a steamer so i’ve been trying to figure out what else i could use for the time being until i get one. i found stuff but not times and the important info. i was originally gonna go w spray blocking but definitely gonna go w wet blocking now.
That’s an interesting suggestion. I’ve never tried something like that actually. If you have any recommendations or suggestions, I’d love to research more! Maybe there could be another experiment.
I’ve done it with doilies and mandalas! Really works to keep the edges down. Only thing is it takes a while because you’re typically doing it for more intricate things and I suggest pinning throughout and not just the border.
Excellent, excellent, excellent! Thank you for all this creative work, on our behalf. This was so incredibly helpful and informative! You are a master. Thank you for making such a great video.
I'm just curious about what do you mean by 'killing the fibers'? I've been crocheting for about two years now, and I've just recently started to block my projects, mainly because didn't have to do it before because of the nature of my projects. I've made two big cardigans and it was obvious they weren't wearable if I didn't block them. Before that, I mainly made blankets which got straight when I crocheted the border around them. For unknown reasons, putting a border around my cardigans did not do the trick in the same way. Since I'm not a professional crochet person, I worked with what I've got - and I do not own a mat the size of a cardigan and even if i did i do not know how would one go about blocking that, so I used the iron, covering my fabric with a pillowcase and straight up ironing with the steam turned on. My cardigens blocked beautifully and I am happy to say that i love how they turned out. Did I 'kill the fibers'? did i shorten their lifespan by doing that?
Hi! Thanks for the question. Since acrylic yarn is a plastic material, "killing" the fibers means that you essentially melt the fibers so much that they lose their elasticity. You probably did "kill" the fibers by using an iron on the cardigan. However, that doesn't mean you did anything wrong. I know, "killing" fibers sounds so extreme and bad, but it is used on a variety of projects. It just depends on how you want the finished item to look. You said it already, you love the way they turned out. That's all that matters!! I don't think that you shortened the lifespan. It just might not be as elastic as before. Hope that's helpful! Please let me know if I didn't touch on something that you have a question about. 💛
This is a super informative and helpful video, thank you so much! I really wish I could find something similar for natural fibers. I'm a beginner crocheter and I'm not sure which method to use for my wool project, is there a known best method or do they all work about as well as each other? If anyone knows where I can find this information I would really appreciate it, thank you for your time
That's great to hear! I haven't tested "best" methods for blocking superwash wool, but wet blocking is probably the most popular opinion. That's what I do and get great results.
Question: With acrylic yarn do you have to block every time you wash the object or (especially with the steam method) is it permanent? I used steam on a knitted child's sweater with a ruffle around the bottom which worked wonders (!!) in taming the curl but since it was a gift never learned if the mother had to do it again each time it was washed. This was a great video.
Haven't finished watching yet I just forget very quickly so I gotta say it now, you might touch on this in the video. Sometimes you DO want to kill acrylic, provided you don't go way too far. There is a sort of threshold, and if you go just a touch beyond the intensity you use to block, ideally running a piece through the dryer on a lower heat setting (provided the yarn says it's suitable), you will lightly kill the fiber in a way that really nicely increased the drape. It all depends on what you want, and ALWAYS make a test swatch of the yarn you're working with to try methods before you try blocking the main piece!
I see your washer dryer method didn't go so well, weirdly I've had a lot of success with it, perhaps it depends on the different brands even. This is why we do swatches anyway, as annoying as it can be :"v
Thank you so much for adding this for other viewers to see. I didn't want to get into killing acrylic too much in the video. I've had other comments say things similar, that there are times when you do want to kill acrylic because of the drape. Perhaps it's a topic for another video?! I'm glad you've added this here. It is very useful to understand the method you use. Thanks!
That’s a really good question. Definitely worth experimenting with! It could help with the curling.. but I’m not really sure how much without trying it for myself. Sorry that’s not very helpful, but I’ll have to give it a try and get back to you. Thanks for the idea!
Hi, new subscriber here. Thank you so much for going though this process for us. I am new to blocking due to learning how to make more detailed crochet decals. I was really confused about blocking but cannot express how informative your video was. Thank you so much.
Hi, thanks so much for subscribing! I'm glad that this video was able to help explain blocking. If you have any more questions, let me know! I know how confusing blocking seems at first.
I would recommend blocking first. This will let the fabric relax and do it's thing. If you sew and then block, you might pull the yarn too tight with the seams and not realize it until after it's blocked.
What if i spray then use hair dryer? I have made granny's square blanket and i have not blocked any of the squares. I simply had no clue😢. Now all sqaures are stitched into a blanket and i am convinced i need to block. Btw i don't have a steamer
Excellent!!! I was gonna try steam blocking next. I have a shiny, silky, acrylic dragon wing scarf I need to block as all the little "steps" have curled!! And it would look lovely if you could just see those steps properly. I don't normally block my stuff but this piece has so many corners and they've ALL curled so needs must. I e never actually done it, I tried a wet block but it didn't work so thank you for doing this experiment it's EXACTLY the kind of video I needed. 🙏❤
Thank you so much Abby! This is the best video I've seen for blocking I've seen! Thank you for taking the time to make it and share it! I just crocheted a couple of winter hats (acrylic yarn) and scarf. Which block method would you recommend for these projects?
You're very kind, thank you. I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Now, I realize I'm very late in responding to this comment, so sorry! Maybe you have already blocked your hats and scarf? But I really like the steam blocking if you have a steamer. It's so much faster with hardly any wait time and you get good results. But you also can't go wrong with wet blocking.
thank you for this experiment! i don’t use acrylic yarn much, but i’m making a sweater for my boyfriend with it and was wondering what method would be best for blocking. the sweater is made up of a bunch of crocheted squares. do you think it’d be better to block them all separately before stitching them together, or to block them in panels of 9 or 6 squares that have been stitched together (9 for front and back panels, 6 for sleeves)? does it matter? i’m new to blocking in general!
Not sure if this helps but I'm currently working on a project that I have to piece together (it's a cabled hooded scarf) and the pattern tells me that I need to block all the pieces individually first before I sew it together. I think it'll help with the seaming so you get better, straighter stitches and an overall smoother shape than by just blocking multiple layers together flat. So yea, if your gut is telling you to block it first then you should probably go for it. Sorry if this message came late. Good luck with your sweater! 💙🤗💙
I made a shawl and saw on Reddit that blocking is very necessary especially since my edging details aren't laying flat This was the perfect video and a great experiment, thank you for the curiosity and dedication to finding the best method, you're a life saver!
@@SewHomey 100% I did the steam blocking with an iron on high (a couple inches from the shawl) on my mattress with straight pins (I put towels underneath to protect my sheets a bit) and it expanded the details beautifully, specifically the edging I picked I wanted a pointed effect that I could barely makeout before because of curling at the point I loved it right off the hook but the steam blocking really set everything so nicely it looks so professional now, I'm going to use this method all the time now, your tips and tricks helped so much!
hello! I was wondering if blocking acrylic will change the gauge like it would for an animal fiber - I'm following a hat pattern that accounts for the size after blocking and I would probably have to increase the stitch count so it doesn't end up to tight, right?
In my experience the gauge doesn't really change once blocked, it just straightens out the fabric. So yes, it would make sense that you would want to increase the stitch count.
I can vouch that even leaving a damp blanket on a blocking mat for a week didn't have much effect. but how about using a hair dryer for a damp or water-sprayed swatch as an alternative to a steamer? You cannot felt acrylic but if you have the heat source too close you can melt the fibres! It is made of plastic, after all.
That is not something I thought of. That’s a great question! I would think the combination of wet swatch and hair dryer would have a similar effect, but this is something I would need to experiment with…. Wish I had the answer! If anyone else has had experience, I’d love to know! Otherwise, I’ll have to get back to you..
Well thank you! Yarn weights is a topic I've had on my video list actually (if that's what you mean by identifying yarns ??), I just haven't filmed anything on this topic. I do however have a resource page that links to different articles about the different types of yarn. You can find that on my website here: sewhomey.com/yarn-weights/ I hope that is of use to you. Also, I'd love to hear more specifically what questions you have about identifying yarns. Contact me anytime here: sewhomey.com/contact/ or DM me on Insta. Thanks for the comment!
This was useful, so I thank you for this! However, I would like to see someone blocking an actual acrylic sweater. All I can find is people blocking swatches. I am doing a good bit of knitting for my little granddaughter and I want my daughter-in-law to be able to have that ease of care, so acrylic yarn it is. So, when you are steam blocking a sweater for a 3 year old (so it's small) is it necessary to let block one side, let it dry, and then turn it over to do the backside? I know this isn't necessary with wool, but I am not sure about acrylic. I have much more experience with wool and knitting sweaters for myself. Amazing how a sweet little girl coming into your life will transform a selfish knitter like myself! Haha!! Any advice is appreciated!
I'm so glad that it helped! Swatches are definitely easier for experiments because they are faster to make and dry, but when applied to bigger projects, the results can vary. So I totally understand where you are coming from. I will be honest, I have only blocked one acrylic sweater, but I wet blocked it. It was a weight 5 yarn and pretty thick. So what I'm thinking is that if you have a thick sweater, the steam might not penetrate all the way through to the other side so you may need to block one side at a time. This is something I would need to experiment with though, so if anyone else has experience with this, please feel free to add your advice! By the way, your granddaughter is so lucky to have a grandmother like you! It's so special to receive handmade items from someone you care about.
I also saw online some article mentioning that if you can't steam with a garment steamer or an iron with a steam setting, you can just boil some water and hold your piece over the rising steam for a few minutes. Very clever workaround/life hack! :)
Makes sense that steaming was the most successful! Acrylic is plastic, so normal ways of blocking animal fibers don't work with it. It needs heat to make the acrylic fiber malleable. Because steam get really get into the stitches while the water is still freshly hot, it's why it works so well.
Yes, spot on! Very accurate with the results.
I appreciate your experiment so so much. I just finished a blanket made with acrylic yarn and the border was curling terribly. I was so sad. But steaming to the rescue! It worked beautifully! Thank you! Thank you!
This is the best video on blocking yet. The comparisons were very helpful, and the best methods were clear. Thank you!
Wow, thank you for your kind words! So glad you found it helpful 💛
Thank you so much for doing this! I recently started blocking acrylic crochet projects with steam but I wasn’t sure if wet was better for a sweater I’m knitting. This is the most informative and helpful video I’ve ever seen. The fact that you use swatches in both methods and multiple ways to block is so so so logical and informative. Seeing people block shawls when I need to block a sweater, or sweaters when I need to block granny squares isn’t helpful. Thank you for taking the time to conduct this experiment and for sharing your results!
The experiment was fun and informative to me as well. I learned a lot through it, and I'm so happy to share it with others. Thank you for leaving feedback! Let me know how you like the results of your sweater after its blocked :)
Wait do steam blocking requires wetting the swatch right??
@@elavillafuerte3549 yes, steam blocking lightly wets the project, but it dries pretty quickly and the heat relaxes the stitches a little more. But wet blocking is totally submerging and soaking your project so it takes longer to dry and the heating element is not as much of a factor. I was thinking of wet blocking the pieces of my sweater, but I’m using chunky acrylic yarn and I was worried about it felting and how long it would take to dry. And if the weight of the wet yarn would effect the way the fabric dries. And I was worried about the steam blocking, because I was afraid it would melt the acrylic. So this video helped me out a lot! Now I know squares will still curl after wet blocking. And steam blocking would be better to flatten curls and it won’t melt the yarn.
Thank you for doing this experiment for us! I’m off to buy a steamer for my first acrylic granny square blanket!
That will be a good investment! Especially if you have a lot of granny squares to make!
I really appreciate your scientific method, especially by including crochet swatches!
I blocked for the first time years ago and steamed with my iron. It worked like a charm. I forgot how to do it and when I went on youtube, not many people mentioned steam. Thanks, your video helped me compare to steam vs. non-steam.
It is very interesting how the different blocking methods work. Glad you could compare!
@@SewHomey Thanks.
Wow!! This was prefect! What a great lesson. I've always steam blocked only because that's how my Nannie taught me but I'd never made a sweater so I was curious. My first sweater I steam blocked but I just made a second one and was wondering if I was doing this correctly. When I steam block I can actually watch the fiber relax and "quit while I'm ahead" so to speak. The steam makes the fiber soften so for sure if your heavy handed with the steam it's easy to see how you could ruin it. I actually get close and watch it relax and I don't go over it a second time. I also don't pat it down. I really appreciate the time you took to teach this valuable lesson!! Thank you!
I'm so glad you mentioned your process! I think it is so cool to watch the fibers relax as you steam block. It's like magic. Thanks so much for taking time to leave a comment! I've enjoyed reading your thoughts.
Thank you! I am in the process of blocking a acrylic granny square baby blanket and now I don't need to worry about ruining it. I saw another podcast before watching yours and steam blocking was also the method used.😊
THANK YOU for doing this comparison!! Im working on a 100% acrylic project and I was going to do my own comparison of wet vs steam blocking, but now I'm just going to go ahead and use the steam method! You just saved me a bunch of time 😂
Perfect! More time for other projects 😄
Exactly the info I needed! I’ve only done spray blocking and only on a few things. Now off to block a couple of previously unblocked shawl or two.
I did steam my acrylic crocheted shawls a couple of time, it was like a miracle, lol
Opened them up beautifully ❤
Thank you for the wonderful video!
How would I block an acrylic yarn bag? Do i block the two stars and then stitch them together or do i block the bag all together
Just came to comment: your blog post was so thorough & informative!! 🙌🏽
Glad it was helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment on the video 💛
Thank you! I am crocheting a baby blanket and a friend advised I block it to help with the "wonkiness" of the edges. I have never blocked before so this info is incredibly helpful for me. I will borrow my daughter's clothing steamer!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I love to hear about them. I hope that you learned the magic of blocking that the "wonkiness" worked its way out with the steam.
Thanks for your excellent experiment! Very thorough approach to find the best result.
Thanks and hope it was helpful to you!
Love your thoroughness and honesty. So glad to see you do the actual tests. I am finishing many pumpkins for a Pumpkinpalooza for my church in Boston. I have many laves, many sizes so need accurate information. I have a couple weeks so all good.
Great video, very informative. Thank you for taking the time to experiment with each method!
Thank you!
This might be a dumb question, but im still kind of new to crocheting (only started like 5 months ago).
So im making my very first granny square blanket and my question is, is it better to steam block each square individually or just steam block the whole blanket, once all the squares are already sewn together?
Im probably overthinking it but I just really dont want to run the risk of ruining my many hours of work
No such thing as a dumb question! Thanks for asking, this is a really good question. I would recommend blocking each square before sewing it all together. This will ensure each one is the same size. Then after you sew them together you can block it as one piece if it needs. If you sew the squares altogether first, you can accidentally pull the yarn too tight and not realize it. And when you go to block the blanket, the squares will want to relax, but the seam will keep the edges where they are and it might not look as neat. Hope that helps!
I greatly appreciate your scientific method approach 😊
Thanks :) Happy you enjoyed it and hope it was helpful!
Thank you for this thorough comparison of blocking!
I hope you are able to apply the results to your own projects!
I'm going to block for the first time and your video was priceless! Saved me so much time and frustration. Thank you!
Good luck with blocking! It seems scary at first, but you can't really mess it up.. Glad you found this useful! Thank you for sharing :)
@@SewHomey The blocking worked perfectly, I did the wet process. Thank you!!
@@YvonneB520 Love to hear that! Thanks for letting me know which method you tried! And so happy that it worked out for you!!!!
Hey quite late to the video! Just wanted to know since I don’t have a steamer, would it be ok to spray my crochet piece with water, then use the hairdryer?
I tried the wet and let dry method on a crochet granny square coat. It took too long to dry, to the point it started smelling musty. I had to wash it using delicate cycle and then spread it out to dry after spinning dry. Still didn’t give the results I was after. I agree with the steam iton method as I tested it on the pockets. They look fabulous!
So glad I came across this video! Thanks so much for taking the time to make it to help us crocheters out😊!
I'm so glad you found value from this video. I'm always thinking about us crocheters!
I have always been told that steam is needed for acrylic, but I got scared off from blocking soon after I started learning crochet. I made a little tunisian scarf, and I followed a tutorial for steaming it with an iron. I covered it with a cloth and steamed with the iron hovering an inch over the fabric. The fibers flattened and the whole thing smelled like burning plastic. I had to trash it.
Oh no!! That's so terrible, all that hard work 😭 I only had an iron for a long time and used the method you described. I was always so scared of my project turning out like that. Not to mention burning myself...always a risk. But I think with a steamer, it's more controlled and you don't risk burning your project.
That just kills me to hear what happened to your project. I hope that didn't scare you away from blocking for good! There are other methods to test out!
I really like the way you did this. Thank you for sharing
Thank you 💛💛 hope you found it useful 😄
I love a good yarn nerd experiment! Very useful, thank you!
Yesss! Embracing the yarn nerdiness!
I know in the end it’s probably not a big deal but I did have a mini heart attach when you started squeezing you swatches after you soaked it for wet blocking. I’ve alway heard and have only used a towel to remove water by placing a project on a towel and rolling it up and then pressing, using multiple towels.
Lol! Definitely not my intention. I've always squeezed out my pieces after soaking to get some of the water out. Then I'll roll in a towel. I'm careful not to twist the piece so I don't felt or stretch the project. Although, these swatches were small and I didn't feel the need to roll in a towel.
Thank you for bringing this up and taking the time to comment. I will pay more attention to the details and make sure I explain things more fully.
Yes
Me too
Ringing breaks acrylic yarn
What kind of starch? Anyone
Dreyfus?
Ty
How disappointing for fail on first one
I use a steam generator iron, held a few inches above the pinned fabric. Works very well.
Yes, that works great as well! Thanks for sharing. For those that don't have a steamer, this is a great option too.
I am making shawls with Lion brand mandala ombre yarn so this video greatly helped me❤ now i have a better idea for blocking
Thank you for sharing this!! So helpful. I want to try the hairdryer method but wetting the piece with spray beforehand, I’ll come back with comments on it!
I like that idea! Please do. Let me know how it turns out!
Thank You very intersting I am making scarf's for the grands and have not worked with acrylic much, but will now thanks again
How sweet, I love that! They are lucky to have a grandma like you who makes things for them!!
Wow, so informative!! I appreciate your video so much and sharing your results with us, and in a short concise manner. I really needed this to finish up a project that I'm finally completing after a whole year, needless to say I was a little nervous of wrecking it by blocking it incorrectly 😅
That's amazing! Congratulations, there is nothing like finishing up a project that you've worked hard on. I'm honored that this video was able to aid you in your research for blocking. I hope you found out that it's not something you have to fear :)
Would a steam iron on low heat be ok as a steam method or would this still be too hot? Great video!
That's so informative, well done and thank you..I'm wondering if this steam blocking will prevent my finished article from stretching after on or two wears? I machine knitted boot cuffs, which stretched terribly after one day of wearing!
i don’t have a steamer so i’ve been trying to figure out what else i could use for the time being until i get one. i found stuff but not times and the important info. i was originally gonna go w spray blocking but definitely gonna go w wet blocking now.
thanks for this! I can only knit with acrylics so i'm glad to know that i can still block my pieces and even things out
Is the hair dryer method using it dry or was it damp?
It was dry.
@@SewHomey thank you for answering!
Thank you for the super informative video. Do you think I should block my knitted baby blanket before washing it please?
I’d be interested to see an updated video containing “stiffening” types of blocking, like starch and hairspray
That’s an interesting suggestion. I’ve never tried something like that actually. If you have any recommendations or suggestions, I’d love to research more! Maybe there could be another experiment.
Excellent idea!!
I’ve done it with doilies and mandalas! Really works to keep the edges down. Only thing is it takes a while because you’re typically doing it for more intricate things and I suggest pinning throughout and not just the border.
omg so helpful. also- i LOVE i think its your fireplace stick thingies? the pineapples! my mom would be obsessed with them
LOL! Yes, that's exactly what those are... I'm obsessed with pineapples too :)
Excellent, excellent, excellent! Thank you for all this creative work, on our behalf. This was so incredibly helpful and informative! You are a master. Thank you for making such a great video.
I'm just curious about what do you mean by 'killing the fibers'? I've been crocheting for about two years now, and I've just recently started to block my projects, mainly because didn't have to do it before because of the nature of my projects. I've made two big cardigans and it was obvious they weren't wearable if I didn't block them. Before that, I mainly made blankets which got straight when I crocheted the border around them. For unknown reasons, putting a border around my cardigans did not do the trick in the same way. Since I'm not a professional crochet person, I worked with what I've got - and I do not own a mat the size of a cardigan and even if i did i do not know how would one go about blocking that, so I used the iron, covering my fabric with a pillowcase and straight up ironing with the steam turned on. My cardigens blocked beautifully and I am happy to say that i love how they turned out. Did I 'kill the fibers'? did i shorten their lifespan by doing that?
Hi! Thanks for the question. Since acrylic yarn is a plastic material, "killing" the fibers means that you essentially melt the fibers so much that they lose their elasticity. You probably did "kill" the fibers by using an iron on the cardigan. However, that doesn't mean you did anything wrong. I know, "killing" fibers sounds so extreme and bad, but it is used on a variety of projects. It just depends on how you want the finished item to look. You said it already, you love the way they turned out. That's all that matters!! I don't think that you shortened the lifespan. It just might not be as elastic as before. Hope that's helpful! Please let me know if I didn't touch on something that you have a question about. 💛
It would’ve been nice to see a combo of the spray/hairdryer methods. I feel like that would be somewhat like steam!
Such a helpful video experiment, as I'm currently finding myself in this search. Thank you!
Oh my god this was exactly what I was searching for! Thank you so much, you're amazing!!
Ohh that's awesome 💛💛 glad it was useful
I spray them with water very well then put cloth on top and iron them kind of works like a steamer and its perfect
How long after steaming should you let your work sit before taking pins out?
Maybe 20-30 minutes.. I haven’t ever timed it, but I leave it pinned until the piece is dry and no longer warm.
Thank you for your clarity and all the explanations!
Glad it could be of use to you!
Thank you so much for doing this very informative video. You've answered all the questions that have crept up over time.
Happy to hear that!!
Do you have to soak them for a while or just get them thoroughly wet for the wet method?
Usually 10 minutes or so is good, might vary with the size. But you want them to soak long enough to saturate the fibers.
This is a super informative and helpful video, thank you so much!
I really wish I could find something similar for natural fibers. I'm a beginner crocheter and I'm not sure which method to use for my wool project, is there a known best method or do they all work about as well as each other? If anyone knows where I can find this information I would really appreciate it, thank you for your time
So glad I found this video! You answered many of my blocking questions. Thank you for your time and effort!
Yay, so happy to hear that! If you ever have any other questions, let me know! Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for all the comparisons!! Really helpful video
This was so helpful in blocking my acrylic scarf. Does anyone have ideas on best method of blocking for superwool yarn??
That's great to hear! I haven't tested "best" methods for blocking superwash wool, but wet blocking is probably the most popular opinion. That's what I do and get great results.
Question: With acrylic yarn do you have to block every time you wash the object or (especially with the steam method) is it permanent? I used steam on a knitted child's sweater with a ruffle around the bottom which worked wonders (!!) in taming the curl but since it was a gift never learned if the mother had to do it again each time it was washed. This was a great video.
I really loved all of the info from this video. You did a great job, thanks for sharing your experiment with me.
So happy to share it with you! Thanks for your interest in the experiment 💛
Wow! Thank you so much for this extensive video delving into different blocking methods. The researcher in me loved it :)
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you, this is great info!
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent demonstration / test of blocking techniques. Such a great help. Thank you. 🙏
I'd like to know if they stay in shape once washed and dried. I definitely prefer steaming to any other method.
Do you mean after the initial blocking? Or the actual method of blocking by the washer and dryer?
Haven't finished watching yet I just forget very quickly so I gotta say it now, you might touch on this in the video. Sometimes you DO want to kill acrylic, provided you don't go way too far. There is a sort of threshold, and if you go just a touch beyond the intensity you use to block, ideally running a piece through the dryer on a lower heat setting (provided the yarn says it's suitable), you will lightly kill the fiber in a way that really nicely increased the drape. It all depends on what you want, and ALWAYS make a test swatch of the yarn you're working with to try methods before you try blocking the main piece!
I see your washer dryer method didn't go so well, weirdly I've had a lot of success with it, perhaps it depends on the different brands even. This is why we do swatches anyway, as annoying as it can be :"v
Thank you so much for adding this for other viewers to see. I didn't want to get into killing acrylic too much in the video. I've had other comments say things similar, that there are times when you do want to kill acrylic because of the drape. Perhaps it's a topic for another video?! I'm glad you've added this here. It is very useful to understand the method you use. Thanks!
I think it probably does differ between brands and yarn weights and such. It can be a pain, but it's also all part of the fun.
After blocking, can i put it outside or under the sun to dry
If you flipped to the sides of the wrong/purl side of the work and blocked it that way, would make a difference?
That’s a really good question. Definitely worth experimenting with! It could help with the curling.. but I’m not really sure how much without trying it for myself. Sorry that’s not very helpful, but I’ll have to give it a try and get back to you. Thanks for the idea!
Hi, new subscriber here. Thank you so much for going though this process for us. I am new to blocking due to learning how to make more detailed crochet decals. I was really confused about blocking but cannot express how informative your video was. Thank you so much.
Hi, thanks so much for subscribing! I'm glad that this video was able to help explain blocking. If you have any more questions, let me know! I know how confusing blocking seems at first.
do you recommend blocking before or after sewing ? (crochet)
I would recommend blocking first. This will let the fabric relax and do it's thing. If you sew and then block, you might pull the yarn too tight with the seams and not realize it until after it's blocked.
When you steam block knit ( I'm doing tunesian), how long do you steam for and do you let dry how long? Sorry if I missed it...
Usually I steam it until it’s warm to the touch and slightly damp. It doesn’t usually take that long to dry, maybe 30 minutes or so.
What if you use the wet method but with hot(not not too hot) water?
Thanks for doing this experiment. Saves me so much time and energy. ❤
What if i spray then use hair dryer? I have made granny's square blanket and i have not blocked any of the squares. I simply had no clue😢. Now all sqaures are stitched into a blanket and i am convinced i need to block. Btw i don't have a steamer
Thank you for time stamps!
This is one of my favorite features... so glad you like it too!
Excellent!!! I was gonna try steam blocking next. I have a shiny, silky, acrylic dragon wing scarf I need to block as all the little "steps" have curled!! And it would look lovely if you could just see those steps properly. I don't normally block my stuff but this piece has so many corners and they've ALL curled so needs must. I e never actually done it, I tried a wet block but it didn't work so thank you for doing this experiment it's EXACTLY the kind of video I needed. 🙏❤
Steam blocking sounds perfect for that project! You can really concentrate on those corners and eliminate the curling. Best of luck!
I was thinking the steam method was the best. I am going to try it out on my project. Thanks for the helpful information!
Great! I'm glad you found it helpful
Thank you so much Abby! This is the best video I've seen for blocking I've seen! Thank you for taking the time to make it and share it! I just crocheted a couple of winter hats (acrylic yarn) and scarf. Which block method would you recommend for these projects?
You're very kind, thank you. I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Now, I realize I'm very late in responding to this comment, so sorry! Maybe you have already blocked your hats and scarf? But I really like the steam blocking if you have a steamer. It's so much faster with hardly any wait time and you get good results. But you also can't go wrong with wet blocking.
What yarn did you use for the swatches? I just love that color! 💙🤗💙
Thank you for doing this!
It was fun to share the experience. Glad you liked it and hope you found it useful!
Excellent video! Very thorough and well done!
Thank you! 💛
Is blocking a one time thing or do you have to redo it every time you wash the piece?
thank you for this experiment! i don’t use acrylic yarn much, but i’m making a sweater for my boyfriend with it and was wondering what method would be best for blocking. the sweater is made up of a bunch of crocheted squares. do you think it’d be better to block them all separately before stitching them together, or to block them in panels of 9 or 6 squares that have been stitched together (9 for front and back panels, 6 for sleeves)? does it matter? i’m new to blocking in general!
Not sure if this helps but I'm currently working on a project that I have to piece together (it's a cabled hooded scarf) and the pattern tells me that I need to block all the pieces individually first before I sew it together. I think it'll help with the seaming so you get better, straighter stitches and an overall smoother shape than by just blocking multiple layers together flat. So yea, if your gut is telling you to block it first then you should probably go for it. Sorry if this message came late. Good luck with your sweater! 💙🤗💙
An exellently made video and 1000% helpful. Thanks so much!
Excellent video, best I've seen! Thank you so much for being so through! Thank you so much
what about you wet it and use a hair dryer ??
How did it take to dry? How hot was your water?
I let it dry over night. For this experiment, I used luke warm tap water.
This was soooo helpful! Thank you!
So glad!!
Thanks for this, sharing this video with my knitting group!
Oh how wonderful! I hope y’all get a good discussion about this topic.
I made a shawl and saw on Reddit that blocking is very necessary especially since my edging details aren't laying flat
This was the perfect video and a great experiment, thank you for the curiosity and dedication to finding the best method, you're a life saver!
Thanks for sharing! Yes, it sounds like your shawl needed blocking. Did it work?!
@@SewHomey 100% I did the steam blocking with an iron on high (a couple inches from the shawl) on my mattress with straight pins (I put towels underneath to protect my sheets a bit) and it expanded the details beautifully, specifically the edging I picked I wanted a pointed effect that I could barely makeout before because of curling at the point
I loved it right off the hook but the steam blocking really set everything so nicely it looks so professional now, I'm going to use this method all the time now, your tips and tricks helped so much!
Very, very useful... thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
does this work on polyester yarn?
hello! I was wondering if blocking acrylic will change the gauge like it would for an animal fiber - I'm following a hat pattern that accounts for the size after blocking and I would probably have to increase the stitch count so it doesn't end up to tight, right?
In my experience the gauge doesn't really change once blocked, it just straightens out the fabric. So yes, it would make sense that you would want to increase the stitch count.
@@SewHomey thanks for replying so quickly!
Thank you! This was VERY helpful.
Very informative video .. thank you
Great video. Thank you!
Very kind! Thanks! 💛
Really good video, thanks for sharing
Thank you!
I can vouch that even leaving a damp blanket on a blocking mat for a week didn't have much effect. but how about using a hair dryer for a damp or water-sprayed swatch as an alternative to a steamer? You cannot felt acrylic but if you have the heat source too close you can melt the fibres! It is made of plastic, after all.
I have this same question!
That is not something I thought of. That’s a great question! I would think the combination of wet swatch and hair dryer would have a similar effect, but this is something I would need to experiment with…. Wish I had the answer! If anyone else has had experience, I’d love to know! Otherwise, I’ll have to get back to you..
Amazing video! 🙂TYSM for all the time & effort you put into this! It’s so well done & really helpful. 👍🏻
Thank you 💛
lovely video! Could you do one on how to identify different yarns?
Well thank you! Yarn weights is a topic I've had on my video list actually (if that's what you mean by identifying yarns ??), I just haven't filmed anything on this topic. I do however have a resource page that links to different articles about the different types of yarn. You can find that on my website here: sewhomey.com/yarn-weights/
I hope that is of use to you. Also, I'd love to hear more specifically what questions you have about identifying yarns. Contact me anytime here: sewhomey.com/contact/ or DM me on Insta. Thanks for the comment!
Thanks. Just about to block an acrylic afghan, or Not. Might need a steamer.
Thanks, so helpful.
💛 great to hear!
This was useful, so I thank you for this! However, I would like to see someone blocking an actual acrylic sweater. All I can find is people blocking swatches. I am doing a good bit of knitting for my little granddaughter and I want my daughter-in-law to be able to have that ease of care, so acrylic yarn it is. So, when you are steam blocking a sweater for a 3 year old (so it's small) is it necessary to let block one side, let it dry, and then turn it over to do the backside? I know this isn't necessary with wool, but I am not sure about acrylic. I have much more experience with wool and knitting sweaters for myself. Amazing how a sweet little girl coming into your life will transform a selfish knitter like myself! Haha!! Any advice is appreciated!
I'm so glad that it helped! Swatches are definitely easier for experiments because they are faster to make and dry, but when applied to bigger projects, the results can vary. So I totally understand where you are coming from.
I will be honest, I have only blocked one acrylic sweater, but I wet blocked it. It was a weight 5 yarn and pretty thick. So what I'm thinking is that if you have a thick sweater, the steam might not penetrate all the way through to the other side so you may need to block one side at a time. This is something I would need to experiment with though, so if anyone else has experience with this, please feel free to add your advice!
By the way, your granddaughter is so lucky to have a grandmother like you! It's so special to receive handmade items from someone you care about.