Here's one I made earlier...

I finally got round to blocking my Shoalwater Shawl this morning. The blocked size is 105cm x 190cm and it's taking up a lot of the living room floor.

   

I'm really pleased with the shawl and look forward to wearing it when the weather's cooler - pattern/yarn details are here. I think I'll have to splash out on a set of dressing wires before the next shawl needs blocking.

Comments

[Gill]

Beautiful shawl! It looks gorgeous in those colours. If it ever needs rehoming.....

[E-J]

Your work is so beautifully neat - a real pleasure to look at up close. Was v.impressed by the crochet blocks Liz brought along to the KTog pub outing. She was hawk-eyed, though, and made sure I didn't manage to thieve a single one! I will ply her with larger amounts of cider next time.

[Wibbo]

Thanks, E-J!

[Judith]

Love the shawl. I have the pattern but have yet to start. I am currently doing a 3rd Flower Basket Shawl and splashed out on the very same blocking wires for similar reasons. They arrived promptly in a nice storage tube and slid through my letter box ending up thumping very hard on the floor! The wires seem fine but I am a little disappointed to find that in such an expensive piece of kit they do not include the very handy T pins, just a pack of very ordinary safety pins and a tape measure. Oh and they tie each set of the wires up with a ribbon that slides off when they are slid into the tube as it all is just too tight to fit! Anyone know where to buy the nice T pins that you see on the US blocking pictures and that get sold with the Knitpicks set of blocking wires?

[Wibbo]

Hi Judith. I Googled 'T-pins' and there are several online shops in the UK that sell them, including Fred Aldous (fredaldous.co.uk). I have some of the forked blocking pins (Clover ones - similar to those that Knitpicks sell, but mine have plastic tops where the forks join); I bought mine from elann.com. I think you're very brave knitting the same shawl more than once!

[Judith]

Thanks a lot. I had googled but obviously not well enough. I think £9.99 a bit much so will try sewing shops. A friend told me that she "might" have seen some in John Lewis? I am just a bit miffed in having paid a lot of money for the wires as I would have preferred the T pins included rather than the, easily available anywhere, ordinary safety pins. Not even coiless ones as well! I am sure they will snag the edges of any shawl. Obviously more shopping and expense needed here. I have never seen a picture of blocking with wires without T pins or am I looking in the wrong places again?