My New Lace Scarf

Finally!  

After much perseverance and major stalls due to injury...

I not only finished knitting my lace scarf, 

I also finished blocking it!

My lace knitting teacher says that before knitted lace is blocked, 

it kind of resembles an old dishrag.  

But she said, just wait until after it’s blocked.  

Oh, she was so right, ‘cause here it is after blocking:

Blocking makes all the difference in the world, 

and is especially crucial to knitted lace.

To block my piece of rectangular lace, 

I dampened it and let it dry under tension.  

I pulled it taut and pinned it down, and used blocking wires
to help me get the sides nice and straight.

There are some great blocking boards for sale out there ($$), 

but I just pinned it to my carpet (after some careful measuring) 

and turned on the ceiling fan.

Drying the lace with it pulled apart 

opens up all those beautiful holes you worked so hard to create, 

and shows off the lace pattern to its fullest.  

And the piece stays that way (with such a beautiful drape) 

until it gets wet again.

It’s kind of like ironing, 

except there’s no pressing, there’s tension.  

You pull and shape it to the desired size, 

keep it that way with pins, and voilà, 

once it is dry--it is a thing most delicate and lovely.

♥ The closest thing to butterfly wings. ♥

If you haven’t ever knitted lace before, give it a go.  

It is absolutely thrilling to un-pin a piece of blocked lace 

and realize that you made that delicate creation.

I’m thinking that knitting a swatch of lace
the size of a handkerchief would be a nice bite-sized way to go, 

and a great way to sample different patterns.

And if I weren’t before, I realize that now I am,

 and will be for many years to come, a Knitter of Lace.  

A lace person.  

And that if all I ever knitted from now on was lace, 

it would be a wonderful thing.

XOXO,

Lucky Dog

♥