No knitting project deserves a wooden spoon beating quite like colorwork, too, especially after you've had to frog bits of it a few times (or more than a few times) due to tension issues or errors :D
I love the tip for flattening out the project. It is awesome and I will be using it on a hat this evening. I can't, however, watch the video without laughing. My mother had a wooden spoon that she'd threaten to spank us with if we were being bad. As far as I can remember none of us ever got spanked with it but we sure thought she would - and we'd clean up our act really quickly!
This is kind of like "thwacking" handspun yarn. After you soak your finished yarn and have removed as much water as possible by whatever is your preferred method, you swing it around and hit some sort of surface (I usually use a chair) with it like its a whip. JillianEve has an episode about it.
I have a baby hat with stranded colorwork on a peanut butter jar after washing. I just tried this on it. Wow! It really does look better. Thank you!!!!!
Thankyou Roxanne for this and all your wonderful videos. (Note to self; resist the urge to multi-task ie blocking while cooking - results decidely messy if employing same spoon to stir vege soup as to thwack the woollen fabric).
I usually do all my wet blocking by pounding with my hands to even out the fabric. Never tried inside out though, which I think might help to get a more regular thickness especially on colorwork sections. I will try it for sure. Thanks for all your videos on colorwork and the others as well. Great job and very interesting!
This is quite a good trick, I would love to do that when I feel mad about politics or other ... ;-) I bet you my stranded work would be quite smooth. I can attest that blocking lace makes quite a difference, the knitted project transforms from a rag to a beautiful piece.
This is a great tip. Can you tell me if you’re gonna write up that Christmas stocking pattern. The other thing I would request a video on how to create a pattern like that as you did by looking up different stitches. I would love to be able to do that.
Do you think this would be useful for a sweater with many small blocks of intarsia. There are some bumps where yarns were joined on/ended, as well as some small ridges from some of the woven ends that have been worked back in.
I haven't used it for that, but that doesn't mean it couldn't work. The only way to find out is to try it and see if it helps. In the future, it can be helpful to split the plies of the tails and weave them in separately (i.e. split a 4-ply into 2 2-ply strands) reduce any bulk from weaving in ends in those small areas.
I'm working on my first stranded colourwork project right now (a top-down sweater with a circular yoke) and I've been blocking it as I go. I've already been finding myself swatting some parts of the sweater with my fingers to even things out, but I guess now when I go to block it one last time, I'll go get a wooden spoon 😂
Nice recommendation! However, when it comes to he other 2 original blocking methods, which do you recommend for colourwork; Would you recommend wet or steam blocking more for colourwork?
Unless there's a reason not to, I always prefer wet blocking any project. I do sometimes steam block items, but it's usually either because it's a swatch on the needles that I want to film for a technique video, so I want the fabric to relax, or I use it *after* I've already wet blocked it. For example, in this video, I mentioned on the screen that I didn't align the pattern correctly at the fold, so I corrected that, after it was dry (which is when I noticed). The steam added enough moisture to reblock the stocking, but not so much that it would take a long time to dry.
I really like that this stocking relates to the last casual friday as well. It would make a lovely pattern, I'd love to make one myself and line it like you mentioned - perhaps that will make it as some future content :-D
Wow I stumbled upon this video and find if very interesting …just finished a fair isle hat and will take the wooden spoon to it … question ?? Is the knitted piece already blocked ? Is it wet when you use the spoon ?
I whack things when they are still wet. Others do it when they are dry (and might even do it from the RS of the work, but if that's the case, I'd do it before washing, so that the sts aren't locked into place). There's rarely a single "right" way to do something in knitting. :-)
It should. The point is to distribute all the slack between sts evenly, which improves overall tension. That should work, regardless of your fiber, but the only way to know for sure is to try it and compare your results to something that was not blocked this way.
Two of the stitch patterns used in the stocking came from free stocking patterns I found on Ravelry, and the rest came from various stitch dictionaries. As a whole, it's an unpublished pattern that I created in order to knit stockings for family members. My Ravelry project page for the first stocking I knit has links to the two patterns I used for the large snowflake and the upper border. You can find it here: ravel.me/Rox/kcs
Most items will have to be washed at some point. You might as well do it when the item is newly finished, and save steaming for doing final touches, like getting wrinkles or fold lines out. Soaking for at least 20 minutes allows wool fibers to get thoroughly wet (releasing all air) and amenable to blocking in any/all directions.
This reminds me of this technique (info from Wikipedia): Dadeumi (Korean: 다듬이) or Dadeumijil (다듬이질) or Kinuta (Japanese: 砧 (きぬた)) is a Chinese, Korean, and Japanese traditional ironing method where two women knelt on the floor, facing each other across a smoothing stone, beating out a rhythm on the cloth to press out its wrinkles and soften it.[1] Dadeumi Korean women-ironing with sticks-1910s.jpg Korean name Hangul 다듬이 Revised Romanization dadeumi McCune-Reischauer tadŭmi IPA [da.deum.i] Dadeumitbangmang-i and Dadeumitdol Dadeumi - Korean women ironing clothes Dadeumi requires Dadeumitbangmang-i (Korean: 다듬잇방망이) and Dadeumitdol (다듬잇돌).[2][3] The former is a bat that pounds on the cloth, and the latter is the stone under the cloth. Also, the cloth is wrapped in a thick round bat, Hongdooggae (Korean: 홍두깨) (wooden roller used in smoothing cloth)', and Dadeumi is performed. It is used to trim a thin cloth such as ramie fabric (Korean: 모시) or silk.[4]
If nothing else this technique can help with any stored up aggression and stress. Knitting really is therapeutic. Thanks for the tip.
No knitting project deserves a wooden spoon beating quite like colorwork, too, especially after you've had to frog bits of it a few times (or more than a few times) due to tension issues or errors :D
@@chrysanthemum8233 bad and naughty colorwork fiber projects must be assaulted with the cooking utensil of frustration to atone for their crimes
You two are funny! Thanks for the laughs! Perfect timing!😂
I love the tip for flattening out the project. It is awesome and I will be using it on a hat this evening. I can't, however, watch the video without laughing. My mother had a wooden spoon that she'd threaten to spank us with if we were being bad. As far as I can remember none of us ever got spanked with it but we sure thought she would - and we'd clean up our act really quickly!
This is kind of like "thwacking" handspun yarn. After you soak your finished yarn and have removed as much water as possible by whatever is your preferred method, you swing it around and hit some sort of surface (I usually use a chair) with it like its a whip. JillianEve has an episode about it.
I have a baby hat with stranded colorwork on a peanut butter jar after washing. I just tried this on it. Wow! It really does look better. Thank you!!!!!
I can’t wait to do this with my next colourwork project, I imagine my children will want to join in!
I have also seen the use of a rolling pin. Helps!
Wow! That little trick with a wooden spoon made a big difference to the smoothness of the color work. Thank you for this new trick!
You are so welcome!
Awesome tip! Thanks! I can't wait to start smacking my stranded knitting projects. Nice perk. LOL
Thankyou Roxanne for this and all your wonderful videos. (Note to self; resist the urge to multi-task ie blocking while cooking - results decidely messy if employing same spoon to stir vege soup as to thwack the woollen fabric).
I usually do all my wet blocking by pounding with my hands to even out the fabric. Never tried inside out though, which I think might help to get a more regular thickness especially on colorwork sections. I will try it for sure. Thanks for all your videos on colorwork and the others as well. Great job and very interesting!
I just finished a sweater with a color work yoke. Good thing I put off washing it yesterday! I’ll be getting out my wooden spoon today!🥰
I wish I had seen this two days ago before I had to block a stranded colorwork sweater!
This is quite a good trick, I would love to do that when I feel mad about politics or other ... ;-) I bet you my stranded work would be quite smooth.
I can attest that blocking lace makes quite a difference, the knitted project transforms from a rag to a beautiful piece.
This is a great tip. Can you tell me if you’re gonna write up that Christmas stocking pattern. The other thing I would request a video on how to create a pattern like that as you did by looking up different stitches. I would love to be able to do that.
Very interesting! I will try to apply this method for the next pair of my socks. Thank you for your tips!
It's beautiful! Now I want to make a color work stocking.
Great tip Roxanne. Your stocking is lovely! I watched Casual Friday where you showed the different ones. Thanks again!
Simple and quite logical! Thanks for showing this.
Will give it a try on my next colour work project. Thank you.
So happy to see your finished stocking! It's beautiful!
Thanks for this interesting tip! I just finished a stranded sweater and I’ll be trying it out.
thank you Roxanne, for sharing...i will definitely try.
Knitting and hitting, what´s not to like, thank you!
This gave me the biggest smile. I must try it.
I wish I had waited a day to block my new FO a colorwork vest. Nice tip!
Do you think this would be useful for a sweater with many small blocks of intarsia. There are some bumps where yarns were joined on/ended, as well as some small ridges from some of the woven ends that have been worked back in.
I haven't used it for that, but that doesn't mean it couldn't work. The only way to find out is to try it and see if it helps. In the future, it can be helpful to split the plies of the tails and weave them in separately (i.e. split a 4-ply into 2 2-ply strands) reduce any bulk from weaving in ends in those small areas.
Steam and a pounding block or clapper is used in tailoring garments. Perhaps this is where this technique came from
Yes, we use it all the time in sewing! It's an old technique - but a good one! Sure beats ironing :)
Weird but very cool and, I imagine, cathartic! I’ll definitely be trying this gem of a technique 🤔
I'm working on my first stranded colourwork project right now (a top-down sweater with a circular yoke) and I've been blocking it as I go. I've already been finding myself swatting some parts of the sweater with my fingers to even things out, but I guess now when I go to block it one last time, I'll go get a wooden spoon 😂
Absolutely interesting!
Love this!
Beautiful stocking 💞
Definitely going to try this one. Thanks!
Nice recommendation! However, when it comes to he other 2 original blocking methods, which do you recommend for colourwork; Would you recommend wet or steam blocking more for colourwork?
Unless there's a reason not to, I always prefer wet blocking any project. I do sometimes steam block items, but it's usually either because it's a swatch on the needles that I want to film for a technique video, so I want the fabric to relax, or I use it *after* I've already wet blocked it. For example, in this video, I mentioned on the screen that I didn't align the pattern correctly at the fold, so I corrected that, after it was dry (which is when I noticed). The steam added enough moisture to reblock the stocking, but not so much that it would take a long time to dry.
Oh, I enjoyed this tip. Barbara
Great tip! Beat your knits😉
What a good idea! Thank you!
I really like that this stocking relates to the last casual friday as well. It would make a lovely pattern, I'd love to make one myself and line it like you mentioned - perhaps that will make it as some future content :-D
Great technique, what is that stocking pattern? Very cute!
It's not a published pattern. I designed it for my family's stockings.
I love that stocking. Is there a pattern that I could purchase?
It's a pattern I designed for my extended family. There is no published pattern, but I may decide to do so this fall. We'll see. :-)
Wow I stumbled upon this video and find if very interesting …just finished a fair isle hat and will take the wooden spoon to it … question ?? Is the knitted piece already blocked ? Is it wet when you use the spoon ?
I whack things when they are still wet. Others do it when they are dry (and might even do it from the RS of the work, but if that's the case, I'd do it before washing, so that the sts aren't locked into place). There's rarely a single "right" way to do something in knitting. :-)
I use acrylic yarn for Christmas stockings, will this technique also work with acrylic?
It should. The point is to distribute all the slack between sts evenly, which improves overall tension. That should work, regardless of your fiber, but the only way to know for sure is to try it and compare your results to something that was not blocked this way.
@@RoxanneRichardson Thank you for getting back to me
Hi. What pattern have you used for the stocking please?
Two of the stitch patterns used in the stocking came from free stocking patterns I found on Ravelry, and the rest came from various stitch dictionaries. As a whole, it's an unpublished pattern that I created in order to knit stockings for family members. My Ravelry project page for the first stocking I knit has links to the two patterns I used for the large snowflake and the upper border. You can find it here: ravel.me/Rox/kcs
Huh. Whaddya know. Will definitely try this.
Genius!
Where can I find the pattern for this amazing christmas stocking? 😍
I designed that pattern specifically for my brother's family's Christmas stockings, so there isn't a published pattern. Sorry!
@@RoxanneRichardson aww that's too bad. It's very beautiful 👍🏻
Common in the ukraine, we use a spurtle shaped spoon
Ah, thank you for telling me!
Minneapolis is just a little corner of Ukraine!
What is a spurtle shaped spoon? Is it similar to a wooden spoon?
@@bridgetchristianson8706 I had to google it, Bridget! Seems to be a more rectangular shape, rather than an oval shape. Who knew?
What about steaming instead?
Most items will have to be washed at some point. You might as well do it when the item is newly finished, and save steaming for doing final touches, like getting wrinkles or fold lines out. Soaking for at least 20 minutes allows wool fibers to get thoroughly wet (releasing all air) and amenable to blocking in any/all directions.
Spurtle-spanking the knitting- who knew?!
#knitsmacking 😝
This reminds me of this technique (info from Wikipedia): Dadeumi (Korean: 다듬이) or Dadeumijil (다듬이질) or Kinuta (Japanese: 砧 (きぬた)) is a Chinese, Korean, and Japanese traditional ironing method where two women knelt on the floor, facing each other across a smoothing stone, beating out a rhythm on the cloth to press out its wrinkles and soften it.[1]
Dadeumi
Korean women-ironing with sticks-1910s.jpg
Korean name
Hangul
다듬이
Revised Romanization
dadeumi
McCune-Reischauer
tadŭmi
IPA
[da.deum.i]
Dadeumitbangmang-i and Dadeumitdol
Dadeumi - Korean women ironing clothes
Dadeumi requires Dadeumitbangmang-i (Korean: 다듬잇방망이) and Dadeumitdol (다듬잇돌).[2][3] The former is a bat that pounds on the cloth, and the latter is the stone under the cloth.
Also, the cloth is wrapped in a thick round bat, Hongdooggae (Korean: 홍두깨) (wooden roller used in smoothing cloth)', and Dadeumi is performed. It is used to trim a thin cloth such as ramie fabric (Korean: 모시) or silk.[4]
I watch a Japanese woman doing sewing projects and she uses a small wooden mallet to press creases in her fabric.
I LOVE IT!