Blocking

[Shandeh]

I finished the motifs for clue #2 and started those for #3 and just measured my motifs. They are WAY less than the 11" suggested. I made the squares using a J hook and they were just a tiny bit smaller. Is there any way to do it without ripping them all out? Sue

You have two options. You can continue making your motifs that size, and just make a smaller blanket. Or, you can add some rows of crochet around the edges to make them the size of the template.

And, of course, blocking will help to make them bigger as well.

[perrla]

I'm up to the K hook for the octagons. I could maybe get away with a size smaller hook, but this seems to be working the best for me.

[Janetlha]

I am quite proud of an idea I came up with.... In searching for an inexpensive blocking board set up, I bought a 12" x 36" piece of styrofoam (with a coupon, of course) that is 2" thick to accommodate my 1" U-shaped pins. Then I covered the styrofoam, wrapping it like a giftbox with pattern tracing interfacing fabric from my sewing stash, and secured it with the U-shaped pins in places where you would use cellophane tape when wrapping a gift box. The pattern tracing fabric is a light interfacing type fabric, printed with a blue 1" grid on it. Not only does it prevent the styrofoam from depositing "foam crumbles" on everything, but the blue color does not run and it's quick to pin out the desired size of the item I am blocking. (It is usually found in the interfacing section of your local fabric store.) The styrofoam is pourus and helps along the drying process. This is a good method for blocking smaller items and I don't have to store a huge piece of foam. If I have something larger to block, I can just add another block of foam and butt it up against my first piece. That's it.....my stroke of genius

[Sillycutie20]

Why-oh-why is it the week AFTER we throw out all the stupid foam blocks that the kids loved to toss around and make messes with that I discover they're the PERFECT material to use for blocking my squares?!?!?! I shall now dissect my basement to see if one or two escaped the purge, otherwise I'll be using my baby diaper's boxes to make the pinning blocks. And can I just say, I Love this little guy? *teehee* it's called smashy, how freakin' cute is that?! K, back to business.

[zhanie]

Hint for a blocking board. I just bought some foam kneeling pads in the Dollar Store. It will be easy to push pins into the soft surface and you can draw the squares or octagans on it with a permenant marker.

Thank you for posting this! I came onto this topic earlier today to say I hate blocking ,there's a reason why I never blocked before, and why don't we just seam the @#$ thing together and then spray it with water?
then I read your post, rushed to the dollar store and bought 2 kneeling pads and painter's tape, came home, and got started. Now they are the right shape I am very happy, just blocking two at a time right now, and re-crocheting clue 1. I think that I may even admit to liking blocking after I see the results

[BuckeyeMom]

The whole time I have been knitting my squares I have dreaded the blocking part. I have always made patterns that did not have to be or I ignored that part of the instructions. I am trying to do this one right, so I need to block. After reading through all the posts, I am now more confident about blocking. I will start blocking some this afternoon. Thanks so much for the ideas.

[ibschoeny]

Okay, if I need to add extra rows to measure 11X11 should there be the same amount of stitches as the row before?

[Shandeh]

Okay, if I need to add extra rows to measure 11X11 should there be the same amount of stitches as the row before?

You would need to do an increase at the points, to keep it consistent all the way around the octagon.

[ibschoeny]

Okay, what do you mean increase at the points? If there are 13 stitches do I add just one more? Sorry, I have just started back crocheting in the last 4 mos...I learned way back from my grandmother around 40 years ago.

[Marilyn58]

My blocking technique is a clothes steamer. Just steam lightly a few inches away from the yarn so it doesn't melt. I find it works beautifully. You can actually see the stitches "bloom" as you go.