How to Block a Shawl

These are both basically the same shawl...a simple triangle. The gray, raw silk one on the top is thumb-tacked into points at the top just because I happen to like it that way...the top is really just a straight line like the sides.

The white wool...again a simple stockinette pattern with garter sides and little openwork flowers on the edges is also a simple triangle. I have pulled the edges out into scallops..again, just because I like it that way :-) Besides, it makes the finished product MUCH more impressive.

Technical details: I am using a combination of plastic headed thumbtacks and brass thumbtacks because that is all I could find the day I decided to do this, Of course all the books suggest rustprooof, stainless steel somethings...

The shawls are tacked to the front of the house (100-year old remodeling nightmare...now that's another story all together :-) Hopefully they won't blow away in the next storm.

Update...DH has been working on re-siding the front of the house so I lost my outdoor blocking area...pooh. Had to move inside to what will be the kitchen someday. Currently just bare, 100 year old stud wall...notice the antique water stains.

But, the advantage to blocking on the stud wall is the air circulates on both sides...this dried overnight.

After seeing the Faeroes shawls at Stitches with their shaped neck line, I wanted to block this one so it fit the neck edge, and had some interest (the points) on the front...which it does, but I could have MEASURED and made those scallops a little more even...maybe next time :-)

2002 update - Now I have some stainless steel welding rods I can use for blocking wires - CHEAP!