Basic Wet Blocking

What is wet blocking, and why do we do it? When we crochet, we have just made fabric loop by loop. The fabric isn’t done until it’s been washed.

This tutorial is for very basic wet blocking. You can see the wet blocking techniques I used for the Whisper Lace scarf in this post here and a video for blocking The Most Picot Shawl here.

Step One

I like to weave in all my ends before wet blocking. See my blog post here for more info on weaving in your ends.

Step Two

Soak the accessory in cool water using a no-rinse wool wash or mild dish detergent for about 20 minutes. I use the no-rinse wool wash to block all fiber because I don’t have to rinse it! If you use a mild dish detergent, give the swatch a rinse. I use about one teaspoon or capful of Euclan, my favorite no-rinse wool wash, in a sweater-sized bin. Gently squeeze out water without twisting the accessory.

Step Two

Lay the accessory flat on a towel and roll it up. I like to step on it. Depending on the size of the project, you might need a second towel. You try to remove as much water as possible so it dries more quickly.

Here’s how I dried a skinny scarf using a towel.

The scarf is a little to long to lay on the towel. So I carefully folded it in half.

This scarf is small enough I was able to fold the towel over it.

Rolled up and you can step on it to remove as much water as you can.

Step Three

Lay it flat on a dry towel or blocking surface, adjusting it to finished measurements.