If you enjoy lace knitting then you’ll know how important it is to block the knitting so that you can open up all the eyelets and show off the pattern you’ve created.

Traditionally, you’d soak the lace in water, then pin in out on a blocking board (or I know that some people use their spare bed) to the correct size, where you leave it to dry  This method can use dozens, if not hundreds, of pins, and can be a bit tiresome if you’re doing a large piece.

An alternative method is to use blocking wires.  You thread a wire through the edge loops of the piece and use just a few pins to secure the wires to the blocking board at the right size.  It’s much quicker and easier.

Getting hold of lace blocking wires in the UK isn’t easy though, so you may be pleased to know that we are now stocking Lace Blocking Wire Kits.  Each kit contains wires, t-pins and a measuring stick, plus instructions on how to use them.  There are two kits – a standard lace blocking kit for £19.95 and a deluxe lace blocking kit which contains more wires and pins for £29.95.

Lace blocking wires kit (deluxe)

This step-by-step tutorial from KnittingDaily.com explains more about how to use lace blocking wires.

Blocking a lace shawl. Photo from KnittingDaily.com

Knitting socks has never been more popular than it is at the moment and if you’re a regular sock knitter you might be interested to know that we are now stocking Sock Blockers from Knit Pro.

What’s a sock blocker?

Blocking is a technique that knitters use once, they’ve finished knitting garment.  It involves wetting or dampening the item and then pinning it into the correct size and shape and allowing it to dry.  It evens out the stiches and helps the pieces to lie flat. Just leaving socks to dry flat won’t necessarily give you a nice finish and pinning out socks to the correct shape isn’t ideal, so a sock blocker is a foot shaped object that you insert into your socks when you want to block them.  It allows the sock to dry in a proper sock shape!

You don’t have to use sock blockers, but if you are giving the socks as a gift or if you’ve knitted a pair of heavily textured (i.e. cabled or lace) socks, blockers are a nice way to give them a uniform look. 

These Knit Pro sock blockers come in three different sizes and are made from eco-friendly materials extracted from processed wood pulp. They are very sturdy and at the same time highly flexible.