Crochet Blocking
If anyone out there has any experience with crochet lace, I think I might need some advice this month.
I am almost done with the flower motifs of the Smile Cardigan. Despite the fact that they are worked in cotton, since they looked sort of crumpled, I blocked them slightly, just enough to open them up a little. This also let me get a better idea of my circumference.
I guess the problem is that I am not really sure about working with an all cotton yarn. Every other sweater I have ever made myself has had wool in it, which allowed for more blocking action. Given the general lack of stretch in the cotton, I am not really sure how much ease to put in for something like this pattern. And if the pattern has something to say on the matter, well, I can't read it because it is in Japanese.
Any advice out there? Currently my chest circumference is exactly the same as the sweater, but adding another motif would give me 2" of positive ease. Is that a lot for this quasi-fitted lace cardigan in cotton?
I am almost done with the flower motifs of the Smile Cardigan. Despite the fact that they are worked in cotton, since they looked sort of crumpled, I blocked them slightly, just enough to open them up a little. This also let me get a better idea of my circumference.
I guess the problem is that I am not really sure about working with an all cotton yarn. Every other sweater I have ever made myself has had wool in it, which allowed for more blocking action. Given the general lack of stretch in the cotton, I am not really sure how much ease to put in for something like this pattern. And if the pattern has something to say on the matter, well, I can't read it because it is in Japanese.
Any advice out there? Currently my chest circumference is exactly the same as the sweater, but adding another motif would give me 2" of positive ease. Is that a lot for this quasi-fitted lace cardigan in cotton?
Labels: crochet
posted by omly at 11:06 PM
2 Comments:
For cotton you want breathing room. The 2 inches will be perfect. cotton will grow a bit as it is worn, but in length, not in width, so you need to factor in the ease when making the sweater.
I hope this helps.
also, when you're blocking cotton, it needs a bit of starch to help it keep it's shape. Only a bit, so it's not scratchy, since this is a sweater. I like to do the kind of starch you dissolve in water and soak the crochet in, but since you already have it pinned out, you could try spray starch.
Now that i'm thinking about it, I realize that I'm not sure if you need to starch a garment. hmmm. well, if you wear it, and it dosen't keep the pattern definition, you can always reblock it and add starch.
Lovely pattern!
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