Blocking

[fallingempire]

Alright, I know there are tons of questions posted here related to blocking techniques, but as far as my research goes, I think I have a unique question

Comments

[sarakate]

The only potential issue is that it might get stretched a bit *while* you're getting it pinned, and you can probably get around that by figuring out some clever way to support the part that hasn't been pinned yet. Maybe put the whole thingy in a plastic grocery bag, hang the handles over your wrists, and then start from the top and work down, so the bag would be supporting all but a foot or two of the scarf while you worked? Just one idea -- there are plenty of other ways to accomplish this.

But once it's adequately pinned, being vertical won't hurt it. I regularly pin stuff to my blocking board (a sheet of 1/2"-thick foam insulation, under $10 at Lowe's) and then put the board against the wall so it's out of my way, and all's fine and dandy. You may wish to put some pins in the center of the piece as well as around the edges, so no sagging ensues.

[fallingempire]

Perfect. Thanks for the advice!

[fedexcourier]

I would be concerned with "sagging", which could cause stretching. sarakate seems to have found a solution though. I use a yoga mat or 12" foam tiles. You can easily slide either under your bed or sofa.

[aibohportposie]

What about ON your bed? Unless it's a waterbed, it's fine. A lot of people just block stuff on the mattress.

[fallingempire]

Haha, man, the thought of blocking on a waterbed... whoooo! Funny but not funny! :P
That seems like a good idea, though. I'll give it a shot.

[tribbleknits]

As someone who finds blocking on the wall a necessity, it works fine :)

I have a couple of foam insulation panels from home depot that I lean against a wall and use for blocking. If I need a longer peice of foam board, I tape two panels together. When I'm done, the tape can be removed from the panels.

I would a bit leary of pinning directly to the wall, since if you're wet blocking, you could introduce moisture into the sheetrock/wood/plaster which might cause problems later.

[fallingempire]

I'm renting in a decrepid old building downtown, and it's used entirely as spaces for artists. We use and abuse these walls for purposes much worse than blocking... my worst has got to be my series of paintings using oil, glycerine and asphaltum on canvas pinned to the wall...

However, do you think that since there isn't anything absorbent underneath the scarf, it will just stay wet underneath and never fully dry? Hmm...

Good plan with the foam board, though, maybe I'll have to get my hands on something like that.

[sarakate]

No, actually, absorbent underneath is *not* what you want for fast drying. If you have something absorbent underneath, the water soaks down into it, and then has to evaporate back up and through the knitted item before the knitted item fully dries. Plastic or other moisture barrier underneath forces the water to stay up at or near the surface, which is where evaporation happens, so drying happens faster. Also, air circulation really helps, by bringing drier air in to replace the air that's already absorbed as much moisture as it can; putting a fan where it can blow lightly across the knitted item is really useful.

[astragali]

I have a cheap yoga mat, and I have been known to prop it against the wall, or to slide the mat under the bed with something drying on it, or to lay it over the top of the tub. But I definitely agree with the idea of a moisture barrier.

[morningdragon]

I agree that you'd need something waterproof over the wall first, perhaps a thick garbage bag?