How To Block Crochet Pieces

                                                       
Surfing the internet,the Face Book,Twitter and other artisan/crafter social networks I hear the question: “Ok, Is it really necessary to block my crochet projects.

What is the difference if you do or don't block your crochet?

                       

                         

A little bit of background,When I first learned to crochet I knew nothing about blocking probably because I was concentrating on learning the various crochet stitches and because crochet was not associated with the computer it was a “Come sit by me, let me show you how to crochet. Of course from there you learned to single crochet,double crochet, how to make a circle, a square then stitch them together. I didn’t learn about blocking a crochet garment/accessory until about say six years ago. Before then I washed the item laid it out by hand and it looked pretty good. 

I have some pieces I still own that I crocheted in my twenties. I am now 54. When my mother shared the art of crochet with me she didn’t go into the whole process of blocking your pieces but she did know that if you had an item made of yarn you needed to smooth is out and lay it flat to dry in good shape.

Two crochet pieces that have not been blocked.

Let’s  fast forward to today. Yes I absolutely agree with blocking my crochet projects better yet each piece as I finish them. What a difference in seeing how the crocheting project will look and most importantly fits together. Basically for me the same thing that my mother taught me when washing sweaters, pulling them into shape (well not exactly pulling) and laying it flat to dry. Never hang crochet on hangers. Blocking relaxes the yarn and gives that neat finish.

My crochet blocking board

This is my handmade blocking board. I explain what is made of and how I made my blocking board in my crochet video.  Can you guess what it is made out of?







                    This is a piece of wool before it was blocked and after. Wool for me (because I crochet so tightly wrinkles). Does this happen to you?

Crochet side handbag pieces after they were blocked.

 This is a worsted wool piece for a new handbag. - the same 2 curled crocheted pieces in the photo above. The crochet is quite tight(thus the other need for blocking),  but because they will be the sides I will be reinforcing these sides with a type of interfacing.

  

Until next time Keep The Faith and Plenty of Yarn!

~ Cheryl

Crocheted Bucket Handbag

Hi All:

In my perfect world I would spend all day crocheting (well along with caring for my plants and reading from my Kindle) but other duties call. I began crocheting a new handbag design about a month and a half ago. Due to 2 finals, all of my crochet went into hibernation until a couple of week ago. Crocheting handbags are really interesting to me since there are so many crocheted handbag shapes to explore. Finding an unusual shape is always half the fun of crocheting. That was one of the reasons I learned crochet, I can add or subtract any detail to the crocheted project. So here is the beginnings of the bucket bag or purse. Can you guess why this shape is great? Yep you guessed it you can fit the kitchen sink in it, well at least a pile of dishes. Lots of room. If you are like me it has to have room for many things. This carries in addition to the "usual ladies items" my Kindle, small notebook, Ipod and a crocheted shrug (they fold up to nothing). I wanted 2 colors of the Autumn/Winter hues. On the left is a rust color and on the right a mixture of greens,gold,orange and beige. Wasn't sure how it would work but "Viola"..... the texture was perfect. I used a H crochet hook and when finished it is almost like a canvas material. Stiff yet flexible. This is where my crocheting so tightly comes in handy.  I could not have been happier!  I love handbags but they have got to stand the test of time and the many things I carry.



















Discovered this "tweed-like" look of yarn and loved the way it does look like a tweed material when crocheted. The greens,browns,gold and a hint of burnt-orange specks leave room for various colors to add so I went with a burnt-orange yarn.  Had thought about a burgundy which I feel would have worked just as well.

 

Of course if need be this photo is showing the bucket bag packed with 4 skeins of yarn. (I forgot I always carry a crochet project to work on. (I even have the hooks and hardware down at the bottom of the bag.

 I set the bag to the side for about 2 weeks while I tried  choosing several wooden handles. They just didn't seem to fit this bag. Then while watching Knitting Daily I found my answer. They featured a segment Twisted Cord Handle Tutorial .   Great it worked except I needed to really add lots more yarn strands. This cord measured 31" from tip to tip. To give it a little more stiffness I sprayed the cord with the Aleene's Stiffen Quick spray. Still soft but stiffer. The challenge came with how to attach the cord to the loops I crocheted at the top. It took some working but got it just right. I looped each piece individually (yes time consuming) then sprayed with the Stiffen Quick. I had almost decided to use the metal holders but felt that distracted from the look I wanted. Last sprayed the entire bag with Scotch Guard.




Until next time Keep the Faith and Plenty of Yarn!

~Cheryl