To Block or Not to Block...?


There are some "un-fun" aspects to crochet, such as weaving in ends, running out of yarn in the middle of a row and having to add a new ball, and blocking.  Blocking is the process of pinning a crocheted item, or portions of an item, such as sweater parts, to specific dimensions and applying heat or moisture, or sometimes both, to provide a professional finish with straight edges and sharp corners; it improves the look of any crocheted piece.

But is it always necessary to block?  Blocking a large, unwieldy afghan isn't necessary, but for almost everything else, if you care about the finished product, yes, I believe it is.  I have to say in my earlier years of crochet experience I rarely blocked anything, but these days I block every item I make. Why?  Take a look: 


Here are two identical double-crocheted squares, using Lion Brand Pound of Love acrylic yarn.  The square on the left has not been blocked, and the right one was pinned and steam blocked.  Not only are the edges nice and straight, the corners are not curled and the stitch definition and appearance are improved.  Worth a bit of extra time to block?  I think so!


Learning to block properly is one of the techniques we learn in our Crochet Journey classes!  Come to our class on Mondays at 10 a.m. to up your crochet game and improve the look of all your projects!

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