English below ↓
När man blockar sina virkade alster sträcks maskorna ut och blir jämnare. Strukturen förstärks och ofta blir arbetet också mjukare och får ett finare fall. Alla garn som innehåller naturfiber går att blocka. Även många syntetiska garn går att blocka, men inte alla. Det finns flera olika sätt att blocka på men i det här inlägget tänkte jag beskriva den metod som jag använder, nämligen att blocka med vatten. Du kan blocka alla typer av fiber med vatten vilket gör denna variant till min favorit.
When you block your crocheted item you stretch out the stitches which will get more even. The texture will pop and your work will also become softer with a beautiful drape. All yarn with natural fibers are blockable. Many, but not all, synthetic yarn is also blockable. There are many ways to block your crochet work but in this blog post I will describe the method I use, namely the very easy wet blocking. Wet blocking can be used for any fiber adn therefor my favorite way to do it.
Du behöver:
- Rostfria knappnålar eller T-nålar. Är de inte rostfria kan de rosta och missfärga virkningen.
- Ett platt underlag som du kan spänna ut virkningen på. Jag använder “puzzel-mattor” som finns att köpa i de flesta sportaffärer.
You need:
- Stainless steel pins or T-pins. Make sure they are made out of stainless steel or they may miscolor your crochet work.
- Blocking mats or a flat surface where you can pin out your work.
Antingen så blötlägger du det som ska blockas i kallt vatten eller så tvättar du det enligt anvisningarna på garnets banderoll. Krama därefter ur vattnet försiktigt utan att vrida och dra i virkningen. Är det ett större stycke kan du rulla in det i torra handdukar och pressa ur vattnet på det sättet.
You can either soak your item in cold water or wash it accordingly to the label of the yarn. Carefully squeeze out the excess water, no wringing or twisting. If your work is big you can roll it between two dry towels and press out the excess water.
Om du ska blocka en ruta som i exemplet ovan kan du rista in en mall i underlaget för att få en perfekt ruta. Här har jag använt ett plåtlock som mall, annars använder du en linjal. Tänk på att om du använder en penna för att rita mallen kan färgen lossna och missfärga din virkning.
Spänn sedan ut ditt arbete med nålarna. Ju fler nålar du använder desto jämnare blir ditt resultat. Hur hårt du spänner ut arbetet beror på vilken effekt du önskar och är en smaksak.
If you are blocking a square, like in my example, you can carve a template in your blocking mat. For this square I used a lid with the perfect size. Be avare of that if you use a pencil the color could stain your item.
Now it’s time to pin out your item. The more pins you use the more even will your result become. How much you stretch out your item depends on the result you like and is also a matter of taste
Här ser du mina rutor före och efter blockning. Mönstret framträder tydligare och rutorna blir också större. Blockning kan ta lite tid, men jag tycker alltid det är värt besväret. Hoppas denna lilla guide har varit till nytta för dig och om du aldrig har blockat så ge det ett försök 🙂
Above you can see my squares before and after blocking them. The actual pattern is more visual and the squares are also slighty bigger. Blocking is a little time consuming, but I always think it’s well worth the effort. I hope that this small blocking guide was helpful to you and that you will try it out if you never have done it before 🙂
Vill du stötta mitt arbete, bjud mig på en kopp kaffe 🙂
If you like to support my work, buy me a cup of coffee 🙂
Mijo Crochet 
Thank-you, beautiful and clever Johanna ! 🙂
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Youre very welcome 😀 Thank you!
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There’s a lot of chat on social media about blocking. This is giving a perfect explanation. Excellent.
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Im happy to hear that 🙂 I made it simple so that you dont have to read for 30 min to get the info you need. There are so many other blocking guides on the web that can be read if you like to dive deeper in the topic 😉
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I always block as I go and it really makes a difference. Great idea to make a template. Thanks.
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Im happy you found it useful 🙂 And yes, blocking really is magic 😀
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Hi I am making my great grand daughter a Afghan for Christmas.
I am a new crocheter. So it’s a collection of granny squares. My problem is I don’t know how to join the squares. I tried to do US double crochet in the open areas of the squares… I liked the look on the right side but I don’t like the ridge it created on the back side. I am wondering if you have any suggestions to offer.
I am not computer savvy so I don’t know what it’s referring to when it asks for “website “ below…
So my email is :
baf75495@yahoo.com
Thank you
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Hi Bevery 🙂
There are so many pretty joins for squares out there if you google. But I also have a couple of tutorials for joining at the bottom of this page:
https://mijocrochet.se/alla-monsterall-patterns-pdf/
Just click this link, scroll down and you will see them 😀
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Hej!
Jag har precis gjort färdigt en lost-in-time-sjal och har nu en liten fråga. Hur i fridens dagar gör man tofsarna? Tack för svar!
/Anneli
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Hej,
Det finns en mini-tutorial hur man gör här:
https://mijocrochet.se/tutorials/
Ha en fin kväll,
Johanna
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Tack snälla! Nu är den klar☺️
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I love this crochet square, so pretty! Is it part of one of your patterns? I’d like to make a single square for a friend’s birthday x
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Hi! Yes, its the first part of the Tropitile / Tropisquare pattern 🙂
https://mijocrochet.se/2018/03/09/squared-lost-in-time/
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Thank you! This one? https://mijocrochet.se/2018/06/08/tropisquare/ Lots of great colour-ways on the Ravelry page! (the link above sent me to lost in time).
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Haha! Im sorry, a little confused tonight 😉
Yes, thats the right one 👍🏻
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Thanks for clarfying 🙂 So glad t have found your new-to-me blog… there’s always something new in crochet, isn’t there?
And post-stitches… I’ve used them for dense work in a warm crochet jacket but it’s wonderful to see them used in fine work. My partner, a non-crocheter, was convinced this was one square on top of another as the texture pops out so well. Well done, thank you.
When I’m up for a large project I’ll get the pattern, but for now I just need to make one small square as a present, which I need to finish tonight. So I’d better get started!
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Thank you so much Katy, Im glad you find my work inspiring 🙂
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What is blocking used for? Secret Paths shawl, for example, would I block every time I wash?
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Hi,
Youblock your item to get the stitches mor even and to shape it. The blocking results stays through washing if you use natural fibers like cotton or wool. Just let your item hang straight or lie flat while it dries.
Kind regards,
Johanna
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Hej Johanna!
Tack för bra beskrivning av blockning.Ska blocka rutor för försya gången. Vad använde för penna att rita av asken med. Dina mönster är väldigt fina!
Mvh
Anna
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Hej, jag rispade med en nål eftersom pennor kan färga av sig.
Vänliga hälsningar,
Johanna
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Hi, I am presently making a Lost in Time shawl, how do I go about blocking a shawl? Do I just stretch it out from the edges or do i block through the middle too to make the stitches pop better? Many thanks for the beautiful patterns you make x Katie
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Hi,
I’m happy to hear that you like my patterns 🙂
I stretch it out from the edges and help a little with my hands from the center out.
Best regards,
Johanna
https://mijocrochet.se/2018/08/29/blocking-blockning/
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If I want to block a scarf, do I have to take anything special into account?
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Hi, I always use the water method which works with any kind of yarn. Other than that you just stretch the scarf as much as you like and shape it 🙂
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