Today has primarily been spent doing laundry. Yeah, I’ve done a lot of other little things, but mostly? Laundry.
Now don’t get me wrong. Laundry is actually a task that I enjoy. You start with dirty smelly wrinkled stuff and wind up with clean neatly folded nice-smelling clothes.
But riddle me this, Batman: At one point tonight, I started a load in my washing machine, on a setting that displayed at 1 hour, 25 minutes. So I set the dryer on a manual setting for 1 hour and 25 minutes. A while later, I headed back downstairs only to discover that the dryer had 5 minutes remaining and the washing machine had 18 to go. How is that possible? Parallel universes separated only by a slop sink? Seriously!
Between trips to the basement for Laundry purposes today, I did actually get a few other things done. One of which was blocking my Steelers Scarf!
It is currently happily drying in the 42 degree, 56% humidity on our enclosed, carpeted back porch. With the windows open so it can catch a breeze or two.
Both of the LYS’s that I considered to be “home” during the resurgence of my knitting career, first Jennifer Knits and then Beach Knitting, were not dyed-in-the-wool blocking fans. Yeah, you could steam something if it was giving you issues, but blocking was optional, not critical. You blogging folks (and apparently, all of my new-found knitting friends here in Pittsburgh) block WAY more than I ever have.
BTW, do any of you use a blocking board? Or do you just pin to carpet or a mattress or something? Lemme know. I'm Gadget Girl, but those suckers are expensive!
So when I was at Yarns Unlimited in Sewickley on Saturday (field trip with my mom. We also went to The Quilt Company. I’ll get to that eventually), I bought a blocking kit, complete with a whack of wires, more T-pins and a yardstick. After dunking the scarf in a sink with some Soak, squeezing out most of the water with some towels and transporting to the back porch, I used the T-pins to encourage the ends to not curl quite so much and I used the yardstick to make sure I was blocking the thing relatively straight. If it’s dry in the morning, I’ll take it with me and add the fringe so it will be ready for a real FO photoshoot.
I turned the heel on my first Jeweled Steps sock in the Steelers yarn last night and am now working on the leg. I’m hoping to get it essentially done on the drive up to the Lake tomorrow with my mom. We’re doing a 24-hour trip to close the cottage for the winter. Weather looks promising for sunset shots, so wish me luck.
Remember when we got grown-up furniture about six weeks ago? Well, we have finally finished transitioning the dressers. My stuff into the new one, Hubsters’s stuff into my old one and his old one into the dining room to hold tablecloths and the like. Progress!
OK, so now back to yesterday’s field trips.
Mom needed to to pick up a needlepoint pillow at the Porcupine in Sewickley, so we also checked out the stock at Yarns Unlimited. I got the blocking kit, a pattern and six skeins of yarn and yes, I’m too lazy to bust it out now for pictures.
The big issue is this: [YES, this is most certainly a PLEA FOR HELP/ADVICE!] Remember the Twizzle I got in August? Well, I got two coordinating skeins of Twizzle in a different colorway on Saturday. But now I’m thinking that I should use some Google-fu and find me two more skeins in the same colorway to make the Mountain Colors pattern that I picked up. What do YOU think?
We also went to The Quilt Company, but I’ll leave that for another day. Hope you had an enjoyable weekend, whatever you did!
7 comments:
Honestly, I very rarely do real live blocking because I very rarely use yarns that can be blocked. If it's cotton, I don't bother. I use a lot of Wool Ease, which won't block. My Central Park Hoodie was my first real, "pin it out and wait for it to dry" blocking experience. I pinned my pieces out on our spare bedroom bed and closed the door so Rufus wouldn't find them and stick himself with pins.
(dpzopaqg)
Don't know if you're on Ravelry yet, but they have a good swap site going there. Also, try eBay. I needed to get some Skye Tweed in a long-discontinued color, and found it there!
Oh, blocking? When it's wool, yes. If it's Wool Ease? Toss it in the washer and it self-blocks. I have the wires and a nice big bag of shawls just waiting for a clear place to be blocked on!
I do really low-tech blocking -- i.e., old towels on the floor and pins. I'd love to have a blocking board, but as I'm managing just fine with my current method I haven't wanted to spend the money.
blocking board? Ha! Mattress. Although this weekend, I did use my kids' foam-link-together-game-thingie (I know that sounds weird...Juno uses a similar thing, but hers are flooring pieces from Lowes or Home Depot.)
BTW...3 of my verifications today have included the letters FU followed by a C, a K, or an X...
mfukc was the one for this post.
I block all the time. Straight to the carpet (with a towel underneath of course.)
But um. yeah. I like that Mountain colors pattern. I'm totally enabling you to go get more Twizzle to make it. Dooooo itttt.
Not a knitting-related comment, but your blog is always interesting. And thanks for the tip about the 2.5 Guys (as I like to call the show) vanity cards. I looked at the online archives... now I'll have to freeze the screen to read 'em in real time.
Thanks again,
Ian
The scarf looks great. You will be way pleased that you blocked.
I use towels and carpet. I have heard of people buying cheap foam core board as well. They say it works good. :) Hope you are having a good time closing up.
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