Blocking with Acrylic

So, apparently I've been missing out on this thing called "Blocking." As it turns out it is pretty important, and can dramatically affect your finished work. Also, many people will say that blocking acrylic yarn is impossible to do without ruining your finished project, not so (depending on the project).

So to begin, most blocking is done by pinning the knitted/crocheted fabric to the desired shape, then set with heat and or water. Many people use steam, as the combination of heat and water create a more lasting affect on the fabric. Blocking is often used when making clothes, even professionally manufactured socks are blocked so they will resemble the shape of a foot instead of a tube. 

This is where things get tricky with acrylics, they don't hold up so well under heat, and  will often lose any structure it may have had. However for some projects like scarves, and afghans, structure isn't really something you need.

Before being blocked, note the
uneven edges, and curled corners.

All pinned down and ready to block!

I steamed this piece pretty close, I wanted
to see what would happen if it got too hot. 

Ta-Da, no more curling edges!

See, nice and flat!

I ended up making several passes getting closer and closer to the yarn, and didn't notice any negative changes. If you use a light colored yarn make sure you don't touch the yarn with the face of the iron, because it can burn the yarn. Other than that feel free to get as close as you want!

Again, curling corner on the end of the scarf.

Pinned down with nice straight edges! 

Also, it folds and bends really easily,
I can see that too much heat might make sweaters frumpy,
but it looks great on a scarf!