KnittersPride Lace Blocking Mats

THE REVIEW

Blocking is a critical step in finishing our hand knits, and yet it’s one that many knitters skip because it can seem intimidating – but it shouldn’t be, and the results of seeing that yarn bloom to its full potential is marvelous. (For more on blocking your knits, there are many wonderful videos on the internet that can help you learn more.) Whether you wet block or steam block, at some point, you need to pin down your knit and stretch it to size. This is especially true for lace knitting, for which blocking opens up the lace and gives the pattern its full effect.

Many newer knitters start off pinning their knits on a towel or their bed, but those techniques make blocking more difficult than it needs to be. For example, when using a towel, pins don’t really stay in place; that towel needs to be placed on a spongy surface so that pins can go through and stay where they are placed. I’ve bent a fair number of needles trying to block on a towel. As for a bed or similar surface, I found it difficult to get my pieces blocked to accurate measurements. With both, the underlying fabric (of the comforter/duvet or the towel) doesn’t grab at the knitted fabric and assist with keeping it in place. As a result, blocked pieces may not reflect their full potential.

Blocking mats are the solution to these issues. These are especially designed to grab at the knitted fabric and make it easy to pin them. As a result, textured fabrics like lace and cables really come to life.

INITIAL REACTIONS: Knitters Pride Lace Blockers are available in most local yarn stores, and easily available over the internet. When I got mine home, I was really pleased that the case they come in is resealable, making for easy storage of my mats when they are not in use (that’s rare, but there are times when I don’t have a project ready to block!). These are really lightweight and moderately flexible. The blocks come in different colors, so I assume that each package has a different color combination. The colors are bright and fun. The blocks are textured on one side with a basketweave pattern. The texture actually sinks in to the blocks, rather than sitting on top of the blocks, so the top has a uniform evenness.The edges are cut like standard puzzle pieces, and easily fit together into a solid 3′ x 3′ square.

THE TESTS:  For my first test, I blocked out a cowl. I typically wet block all my knitwear, so that I know that they are clean as well as blocked. I put the puzzle pieces together and started pinning. I used both T-pins and more standard bins (that have a ball head on them). I found that both types of pins inserted and stayed really well; once they were placed, they did not move unless I pulled them out. I also used the puzzle tips as a location guide to help me pin consistently across the garment. Using a tape measure against the blocking mats is a simple exercise and keeping it straight was easier using the edges of the blocking mats as a guide than when I’ve used the edge of a bed or a towel.

One thing I wondered when using blocking mats was if the drying time would be impacted or improved over my normal method of blocking on a towel over a table. In this, I was greatly surprised. My average drying time dropped from three days to two days. As I did my blocking in a different room that gets a bit more sunlight and thus stays warmer, I’m not confident I can attribute that solely to the blocking mats, but I definitely found that the garment dried more evenly on the mats. When blocking with a towel, I always found that my garments dried on top and I was usually just waiting for the bottom to finish drying; not so with these blocking mats. Now, my knitwear dries evenly throughout.

My next test was on the Light and Up shawl, which is a rather large shawl – measuring 60 inches in width, it’s big and beautiful. The pattern indicated it should be blocked in a “crescent shape,” which translated to about 48 inches in width and 36 inches in depth – I had more shawl than I had blocking mats. I had to purchase a second set of the blocking mats to block this garment. Again, blocking was simple and straightforward and I was pleased with how the mats performed.

I’ve since blocked roughly 15 projects on these blocking mats, and they continue to perform consistently. One thing that has surprised me (and I’m sure I’m being unreasonable in this) is that the pinholes I’ve made are all permanent in the mats; they don’t ease away over time. For someone who blocks 10-12 projects a year, I don’t think this is an issue; if you tend to block more projects, I worry that it will become an issue with overlapping pinholes somewhere around the third year of ownership, but I don’t have that much history behind these to confirm if that’s a valid concern or not.

All in all, I think that these are good blocking mats, and they are definitely step up from blocking on home surfaces. The quality of blocking is significantly improved, and I would invest in blocking mats before I invested in a yarn swift or a ball winder. That being said, if you tend to block multiple projects at once, or block larger projects, I think you are best served by purchasing two of these sets. That’s a heavier investment for some knitters, but I think your satisfaction with your finished objects will be worth the investment.