Cutting a steek, and blocking your knitting

(I know, I promised part two of previous post. But a stinking cold has interfered. It’s coming.)

So, the knitted blog header is knitted. Just need to crochet some flowers for its edge. I thought I’d share a few photos of the knitting/steeking/blocking process with you, though, because not so very long ago words such as ‘steek’ terrified me, and words such as ‘blocking’ confused me, and I want to prove to anyone similarly anxious that like pretty much anything in knitting, it’s not actually difficult.

So, I knit the final row:-

Just for info, I knitted the whole thing in the round with KnitPro Symfonie circulars. Stranded knitting without purling is so much easier. Finished!

But of course, knitting in the round means that I need to cut the knitting in order to make a flat panel. When I knitted it, I included an extra section of eight stitches, alternating my two colours at the end of every round. It looks like this:-

 

What you can barely see in the photo above is the sewing I’ve done to catch every single horizontal thread, prior to cutting my work. This is what ensures that your work doesn’t come unravelled. Some people recommend using a sewing machine, but by hand-sewing, I ensure that I catch every single stitch. Next is the scary part: cutting my knitting. Be brave!! Alcohol optional at this stage.

 

Job done. The knitting and I seem to have survived. Phew!

Then it’s time to block it. This will even out the stitches and generally improve the appearance of the finished work. First, I wash it in cool water with just a little eco-friendly detergent:-

 

Then I pin it out. I’ve got some polystyrene boards that I cover with a few towels, then pin out my work. Really I need some blocking wires, because just pinning it like this will result in a scalloped edge. However I’m going to cover the edges with crocheted flowers, so the messy scallops can remain our secret:-

Done! Now I wait for a couple of days and change the towels every so often, until it’s dry.

Am writing this in front of a roaring log fire with a glass of fine wine and a book about crocheting flowers… Onwards…