The vest is complete!  I blocked it over the weekend and wore it for an early birthday lunch with my mom.   I have to say, the word lovely came to mind when I put it on.  I did not get a final photo of me wearing it, but it drapes similar to the photos from A Crocheting Girl Undone….

A few words on blocking…I know I have brought up the importance of blocking in previous posts, but I want to reiterate a few things.  If you are crocheting anything lacy, anything that needs to be a certain/symmetrical shape, or anything that needs to lay flat, it needs to be blocked.  There are TONS of tutorials and information out there on how to block.  So I won’t go over everything, but I will let you know how I blocked my vest.

IMG_4194

It was very simple.  Several years ago, when I really started crocheting, I bought two thick poster boards.  With my husband’s help (because I cannot draw a straight line even when I’m using a ruler) we created a graph with the two boards.

When I block something with these boards, I always cover them with plastic wrap.  This is to keep the board dry as I stretch out the wet fabric or spray it with water.  Sometimes I dunk a piece in a bowl of water (at times I add a drop of detergent).  For my vest, I stretched it out first, pinning it tight, and using the graph so the lace is taut and even.

I then used a spray bottle to get it nice and wet.  Taking a towel (a big one) I placed it flat on top of the fabric and pressed down to soak up any excess water.  I let it dry for about a day and a half (normally 24 hours is my minimum for blocking/dry time).  When I removed to pins, the piece stayed in place.  It is so cute, and the perfect birthday present for myself!

Happy Crocheting!

Please Crochet with Follow Me:

Instagram

FaceBook

Pinterest

Twitter

Advertisement