- Joined
- Nov 7, 2004
- Messages
- 1,011
I know that I'm being a complete doofus about this but, after rinsing the blanket I fold it in half and wrap it around a board for several hours? So I wrap it like I am wrapping duct tape around a pencil? What size board are we talking here? What is the reasoning behind this? Faster students feel free to talk amongst yourselves while the teacher helps the slow guy!!!
I thought it strange the first time I seen it too. You are just fine and normal
The good ladies in my life that knit with wool thread always seem to be blocking something after washing the item. Depending on the wool item, it is sometimes rolled into a dry towel (s) until somewhat dry (this is very, very common), or "eased" back into shape by gentle stretching while it dries, and even a combination of easing, pinning, and steaming is used. I am sure there are many other methods of "blocking" that I am unaware of.
Unlike a sweater, with a loose weave, that can be stretched back into shape by hand when dry, the heavy-duty blanket cannot, nor should it. I would guess that if one tried to stretch the blanket back into shape after drying, he would damage his expensive blanket in no time.
A quality wool blanket, when even damp, is very heavy. To keep the blanket from stretching in "spots", you want to handle it very gently until dry. The idea is to keep everything proportionate. There are people who pay no attention to blocking their newly washed wool blankets and simply lay them out flat to dry or, hang them on the clothesline. Hanging a wet, or heavily damp quality wool blanket on the clothesline is doing the blanket no favors whatsoever. As the blanket is hung over the clothesline, the heavy blanket ends will be pulling and stretching the blanket from the middle. This is not a good thing for obvious reasons.
When the damp wool blanket is folded (lengthwise), and *loosely* wrapped around something like a 1 X 6 (my drying rack has four 1 X 4's), it is going to begin drying proportionately - rather than from the ends when laying flat and shrinking disproportionately. Some folks are not as particular as I or others are and, have no problems with a less-than-square blanket. However, as time goes on and the blanket sees more washings and shrinkage, the signs of improper blocking will begin to show. I know of one fella that tried to block his blanket by duct taping the edges down to his wooden deck. What a waste of a good roll of duct tape it was!
Once the weight of the moisture or heavy dampness is gone while it is wrapped, (depending on the time of year) I will hang my blanket outdoors over a heavily padded rope strung between two trees. I have land filled with tall lodgepole pines so this just works out best for me.
*Always make sure to handle your wet blanket with kid gloves through the entire process. There should be no tugging, pulling, dragging...anything that stresses the weave. A gentle wash, gentle multiple rinse, gentle transport to your washer for the spin, a careful wrap around the board until mostly dry, a hang in the fresh air (you can use more than one padded rope to support the blanket) and that blanket should last a good long time or, even a lifetime.
