Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Spray and Block
Place a dry, freshly knit scarf on a clean, flat surface large enough to accommodate the scarf extended to full length. Since scarves are so long, use a bed or a section of the floor, so the scarf will not be walked on. Spread dry towels or plastic garbage bags underneath the scarf to absorb moisture.
Pull, pat and adjust the scarf by hand to obtain the desired shape. Unroll the edges to avoid curled ends. Pin the scarf in place as you work, sticking sewing pins through the scarf and into the material beneath the scarf. Use a generous number of pins to avoid stretches spanning between the needles, like cables on a suspension bridge.
Mist the scarf, using a spray bottle and slightly warm water. Avoid saturating the scarf, but use enough to dampen the yarn fibers. Allow the scarf to dry slowly, which may take up to a day. As the scarf dries, the yarn will form its dried shape. Unpin the scarf when dry, and use as desired. This process is ideal for expensive or delicate fibers such as silk, or whenever you are unsure of which fiber was used.
Wash and Block
Wash the scarf by placing it in a pillowcase and tying the excess pillowcase in a knot to confine your scarf. Place this in a sink or washing machine, using room temperature water. Turn the washing machine cycle to "gentle" for a small load, adding a few drops of a gentle dish soap or shampoo. Or, fold the scarf into an accordion-shaped bundle and plunge it in and out of the sink water, adding a couple of drops of shampoo or dish soap. Keeping the shape of knit items while wet helps prevent damage to the fibers, which are fragile and can stretch to a point beyond which the yarn might not return.
Stop the washing machine in the middle of the spin cycle or after a few plunges in the sink of soapy water. Press a sink-washed scarf gently against the side of the basin to force excess water out, but avoid wringing or twisting the scarf.
Remove the scarf from the pillowcase or unfold it, if it is hand-washed. Work gently to prevent excessive pulling on the wet, fragile yarn fibers and lay the scarf out in a long towel. Roll the towel up, like a jelly roll, and squeeze the towel to absorb more water.
Lay the scarf out on a towel or garbage bag covered bed or floor. Shape the scarf as you work, arranging it into the desired length, and shape it as well as adjusting the edges so they lie flat.
Pin the scarf down and place pins through the scarf edges to the surface beneath. Use plenty of pins to avoid a rippled-looking edging. As the scarf dries, it will learn the shape it is in, and it will retain until it is wet again. Wait one day before removing the pins or removing the scarf from the drying area. This method works best on man-made fibers and wool.
Steam and Block
Spread the scarf across an ironing board, table, or another clean surface to allow you to work easily. Heat an iron in an outlet close to your work area.
Pin the scarf in place, putting enough pins in the scarf edges to avoid a rippled effect along the edges. Fill the water reservoir in your iron and adjust the iron to the "steam" setting.
Hold the hot iron slightly above the scarf and give it a shot of steam. Run the iron along the length of the scarf, almost touching but never allowing contact, and steam the length and width of the scarf. The steam relaxes the fibers and encourages them to conform to the blocked shape. Alternatively, lay a cloth over the scarf, without the pins, and iron the cloth directly; don't press the material with the iron, but push the steam in with the weight of the iron. Remove the covering and immediately pin in place to form the desired shape as it dries.
Dry the scarf, in place, up to a day. Remove the pins and use the scarf as desired. This form of blocking is suited to yarns that shouldn't become wet, and also to cottons, which lose shape when washed. Avoid using steam for synthetics that may melt, such as acrylics.