Skyblocking

So I still haven’t really worn my St Ives shawl – mostly due to the horrid curly edges. It really needed ‘blocking’ – that’s dampening and stretching into shape with a bunch of wires and pins to the uninitiated.

To be honest, when it comes to shawls and lace knitting, I am fairly uninitiated. I bought a bunch of wires today at Urban Yarns and got the whole thing damp by soaking it in a pail of soapy water while I picked the kids up from school.

I hadn’t really figured out what to pin it to while drying and taking on its fabulous new, non-curly shape.

The fact that the little pins were like tent pegs gave me an idea – and I found a piece of cut off but clean carpet, covered it in clean towels and pegged the shawl out on my accommodatingly flat back lawn.

I was feeling all proud of myself for spotting a large flat surface. Then of course I realised weavers and knitters the world over must have had this stuff figured out for centuries, I was probably doing a pretty primitive job of it. I can only improve from here on in though.

At least the sun is shining so it will dry (yes I know, and fade my yarn) and the pegs are holding (and rusting in the damp soil, I know). But I may finally wear my shawl…maybe say a little prayer for me to keep the pooping seagulls away for a couple of hours? Thanks.