blocking: it's not just for lace

You know what a difference blocking makes in a knitted item. Lace is particularly dramatic because of the thin yarn and big holes and whatnot. How many bloggers have done one of those "before-and-after" posts chronicling the metamorphosis of a crumpled up piece of knitting into a gorgeous, ethereal shawl after a good soak and dry-out with blocking wires?

I've never done one of those posts, because I rarely knit lace. I love the look of lace knitting and knitted lace (and I do know the difference!) but to be honest, I find all those yarn overs rather tedious, and I can't really pull off wearing a shawl, I just can't.

But I am here to show you just how big a difference blocking can make in a regular ol' knitted sweater. Below is a picture of the two halves of my nearly completed Drambuie:



The piece underneath, the one with cables, is already blocked. And I don't mean I gave it a little misting with a warm iron. I soaked it for a good twenty minutes in Eucalon, spun it out in the washing machine, and laid it out carefully on a towel until it was dry. See how much better it looks than the piece on top? I don't think the gauge changed, but the knitting is smoother, the ribbing relaxed and you can really see the sheen of the yarn. Now all I have to do is block the second piece, sew them together, and do the ribbing around the sleeves. You'll be seeing an FO post for this one soon!