Blocking Lace
Lace is not finished until it is blocked. The blocking process opens up the yarn-over eyelets, sets the final stitch tension, and reveals the geometric design that the unblocked fabric only hints at.
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Wet blocking
Soak the finished piece in lukewarm water with a few drops of wool wash for 20–30 minutes. Squeeze (do not wring) out the excess water in a towel. Pin the wet piece flat on a blocking mat to its final dimensions, stretching aggressively to open the lace.
Pin spacing
For a triangular shawl, pin the centre point first, then the two side points, then evenly between. A 1.5-metre triangular shawl typically needs 60–100 pins. Use rust-proof T-pins or blocking wires.
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Drying
Let the piece dry completely before unpinning — usually 12–24 hours. The dried piece will retain the blocked shape almost perfectly. If the lace springs back, the yarn was not fully wet or the piece was unpinned too early.
Reblocking
Lace can be reblocked many times — after each wash, after long storage, after losing shape. The yarn "remembers" the most recent block, so reblocking restores the original shape.
Abbreviation reference
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BO | bind off |
Tips
- Use blocking wires for the straight edges of triangular and rectangular shawls — they distribute tension evenly and reduce pin count.
- Stretch lace aggressively in the first block — most lace looks flat and limp until pinned to its full intended size.
- A wool wash with lanolin (Eucalan, Soak) keeps wool fibres soft and conditions the yarn.
In depth
Lace blocking works because wet wool fibres temporarily lose their structural memory. Stretching the wet fabric to a new shape, then drying it, sets a new memory. This is why lace can dramatically change size from unblocked to blocked: the fibres relax and reform around the new geometry.