Blocking

[pageta]

Okay, I know this forum is about soakers and such but this post is about a sweater I knit to go with a pair of longies I knit for Ben. It's Devan from knitty.com and I use the same exact yarn that is in the picture. My stitch gauge was on exactly when I knit it and I checked multiple times while I was knitting. Well, now I'm trying to block the fool thing - haven't blocked before - and I carefully immersed it by pressing it into water in a sink (tepid water - just what came out of the faucet). Then I squeezed it dry with my hands taking extra care not to twist or wring it in any way so that it would not get stretched out of shape. Well, the back is supposed to be 13 inches across - it's 15 inches and it ain't shrinking. No amount of cajoling it to be smaller is working. I'm making the sweater for him to wear for pictures on Monday, but at this rate, he won't be wearing it until he's four. I'm just so mad. They go on and on about how important blocking is - well, it just ruined my sweater, thank you very much. I was going to make socks out of the leftover yarn from this, but now I'm thinking if I make them to fit myself and then wet them, they'll fit dh. That'll just be great. Is there any way that I can save this *** sweater?

[mhurst]

This is going to sound dumb, but can you gently squish the stitches together to "compress" it 2 inches.

I just gently shape the garment to the size I want it to be.

I'm not explaining this well, I hope someone else more eloquent will chime in.

Good luck!

[marnie]

i agree. i'm able to make things bigger or smaller when blocking. i lay it flat and putting my hands flat one on each half of the garment, gently push my hands towards each other. essentially just making it be the size i want it to be and then smoothing it flat.

[mhurst]

Tana-

Did you ever get it to "shrink"?

Good luck

[pageta]

I posted over on the knitty board as well and one of the more experienced knitters suggested that I email the pattern designer since after all I did use the exact yarn called for in the pattern. I heard back from her this morning with some suggestions - basically wash it again and then dry it in the dryer for 10 to 15 minutes until it is damp. I also emailed the gal I bought the yarn from (online) in hopes that she has some experience with the yarn as well, even just with socks, and can give me an idea of what will happen if I wash and dry it.

I did block it with the pins at the correct measurement, but the fabric is by no means smooth. So if I unpinned it, I don't think it would be down to size by any stretch of the imagination. I may just block it for the next size up if I can't get it to shrink and find something else for ds to wear for pictures on Monday.

Oh, and DH thinks I need to get a hobby that doesn't stress me out. I think he's completely missing the point.

[mhurst]

How frustrating. I'm sorry it isn't working out very easily.

[pageta]

Well, I took it to my LYS and the guy there (yes, GUY) told me that he actually steam blocks his knitting and it should take the extra amount out. So when I go to town tonight I will stop and pick up a steamer so I can steam block the sweater. He said otherwise everything looks perfectly normal (how would I know since I taught myself how to knit). So there is still hope that Ben can wear this for his pictures on Monday.