Feature

●Real Stainless Steel of SS308, corossion resistant and never rust, very suitable for wet blocking
●Bright and clean surface and round up ends, you just need to wipe off the manufacturing residue
●No stamp at the end of the wire, you dont need to cut a TIG welding wires end off
●3 feet long with nice smooth ends that wont snag your knits, shipped in a PVC storage tube
●No-frills blocking wires are perfect for blocking your lace and worsted weight knitting and crochet projects

Description

KUNWU Advanced Materials - Professional Supplying Stainless Steel Wires for Blocking

Kunwu Advanced Materials for Stainless Steel Blocking Wires

The Magic Wand of Blocking

Blocking is an essential but often overlooked step in knitting. Once a project is off the needles, blocking is like waving a magic wand over your knitting to bring it from good to great-yarn blooms to incredible softness, stitches smooth out to a uniform look, and lace stitches transform to a delicate beauty.

Blocking wires are easily used to make the straight lines in your knitting straight. Blocking puts the finishing touch on your hand knits, which is made a much simpler and faster experience when blocking wires (blocking pins) are used, not to mention that a lot fewer pins are required.

No-frills blocking wires are perfect for blocking your lace and worsted weight knitting and crochet projects. Each set contains 15~32 pieces different size stainless steel blocking wires, also known as dressing wires or blocking pins. Each wire is 36~40 inches long, and has nice smooth ends that wont snag your knits. There are no flat areas near the end of the wires, either. Each wire is long and smooth, and will treat your knits with the care they deserve. Sets come packaged in an attractive, PVC storage tube. Our tubes and wires are custom made in China to our specifications.

Since Blocking wires often uesed in wet blocking or steam blocking, stainless steel wires and pins are needed (if they are not stainless, they will rust and stain your garment). You will need a blocking mats with flat surface large enough where your knitting can be pinned out and left to dry. Hardwood floors dont work at all, but carpeting (when covered with clean, dry towels or sheets) and spare beds work just fine.

There are three main ways to block knitting projects, as well as offer tips for specialized knits.

A. Wet Blocking

First, get your knitting good and wet. This means let it soak completely submerged in water for at least 15~30 minutes is better, the blocking will go much better if the yarn’s core is thoroughly wet. Drain it, gently squeeze the first batch of water from your garment (do not twist or wring), then wrap it carefully in a towel to soak up most of the excess water.

Complete submerge the pieces in water before laying them on the blocking mats or surface, or pin the pieces down and use a spray bottle to wet them thoroghly.
Always allow the pieces to dry completely before beginning to seam them.

Essentially, all you need to do is spread the knitting out, run wires through the straight edges, pin it down, and leave it until it is completely dry.

DIY the Wet Blocking Step by Step


Step 1 First, fill a clean sink or bwith water. For water temperature and soaking time, follow the yarn labels recommendations for the yarn used. Generally, we recommend using lukewarm water (hot water may cause felting in wool!). If using, add wool wash to the bath and swish to distribute evenly.	Step 2 To soak, gently submerge your project, gently squeezing out any air bubbles so that the piece is fully saturated. Never place any animal fiber items under running water as this agitation may felt your fabric.	Step 3 Allow the piece to rest in the bath for at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes. To remove your project, gently lift it out of the water, making sure to support its weight evenly so that the fabric doesn’t stretch and distort under the extra water weight. Gently squeeze (never wring!) to remove excess water.	Step 4 Next, lay your project flat on a clean, dry towel. Roll your project up in a single layer or fold into thirds to make the rolling size more manageable. Press gently and evenly on the rolled towel to remove excess moisture before unrolling and laying your garment flat to completely dry. To block a garment or project to specific dimensions, lay your project on blocking mats or another pinneable surface. Gently adjust your garment until the piece matches the pattern’s finished measurements or schematic dimensions. Use T-pins when necessary to maintain precise dimensions during the drying process.

B. Spray Blocking and C. Steam Blocking

Spray Blocking is recommended for delicate lace projects, cottons, and for gently refreshing garments between wears. It allows you to block without the danger of stretching under water weight, as in wet blocking. Spray blocking is also a much faster method if you’re dealing with a thin, single layered piece as with lace shawls or light accessories.

Steam Blocking is same as Spray Blocking, except for blocking with steam, usually to steam press with an iron or hand-hold steamer. If you use an iron, never place it directly onto your knitted piece. Hold it above the piece and slowly work over the entire area.

Its a good idea to use a pressing cloth between the iron and knitted piece to protect the surface from intense heat to keep it clean.

DIY the Spray Blocking Step by Step


Step 1 Place your project on the blocking mats and lightly spray your project with either ready-made spray wool wash or a diluted mix of wool wash and water in a regular spray bottle (to dilute regular wool wash, follow the manufacturers instructions on the bottle). Your project should be damp but not soaking wet; gently shape to approximately match the finished schematic/dimensions.	Step 2 We recommend using lace blocking wires for straight edges and perfect points on shawls, scarves, and blankets. Carefully thread your blocking wires through selvage stitches at regular intervals across the edges and/or through the "points" if your pattern features them as part of the design.	Step 3 Once you have inserted your blocking wires, place pins along the inside of each wire at periodic, even intervals while stretching your project to the desired dimensions. Inserting pins at a 45 degree angle will keep the wires more stable as the fabric dries, especially if you are blocking under pressure to get a larger size. When your piece is fully dry, unpin and wear.

Tips on Which Blocking Method to Use - According to the Different Textile Fabric

Wool	Wet Blocking, Spray Blocking or Steam Blocking all will be ok, Absolutely do not Wring when you wet blocking a knitting of wool material since wool is fragile when wet. Remember to let the inside face up when you use the steam method.
Cashmere	Fracture prone in wet blocking, be better to use the spray blocking.
Merino Wool	Thin thread will easily to be break in wet, so only spray blocking with blocking pins will be ok. Thick thread can be used in the wet blocking but need special carfully.
Alpaca	Fragile in wet, the stretching memory is lower than that of wool, and it often stretches, deforms and becomes larger. Always be unexpected due to the weight of water, the best way spray blocking with the T-pins. If necessary, it can be slightly reshaped and then naturally air dried.
Mohair	Fragile in wet, better to use spray blocking with T-pins.
Linen	More tenacious in wet, so wet blocking is the most effective method for soaking and shaping.
Cotton	Very fragile and have no stretch memory in wet, so many 100% cotton clothes lose their prototype after a period of time. The steam blocking is the most effective way for shaping.
Silk	Because 100% pure silk has no stretch memory, it will stretch, so it is better to weave clothes with mixed silk thread. Silk is easy to break when it meets water, so it cant be used for soaking and wet blocking. The best way is to use spray blocking with T-pins to shape.
100% Rayon Fiber	Has a very good telescopic memory, so it is difficult to blocking. Steam blocking is OK, but the best way is to use spray blocking with T-pins to shape.
Mixed fabric	The safest way is to use spray blocking with T-pins to shape, unless the wool content is very high (more than 75%), then the wet blocking can be used..


	100 Pieces 1-3/ 4" Stainless Steel T-Pins with PVC box	30 Pieces Stainless Steel Blocking Wires and 100 Pieces T-Pins Set with PVC Tube	308 Stainless Steel Blocking Wires 1/16" x 36" (30 Pcs)	304 Stainless Steel Blocking Wires 1/16" x 36" (30 Pcs)	304 Stainless Steel Blocking Wires 3/32" x 36" (15 Pcs)	304 Stainless Steel Blocking 36" Wires 1/16" (10 Pcs)+3/32" (10 Pcs)
Corrosion resistant	?	?	?	?	?	?
Heat resistant	?	?	?	?	?	?
Characteristic	100 Pieces Multifunctional T-Pins	100 Pieces Multifunctional T-Pins + 30 Pieces Blocking Wires	308 has more corrosion resistant than 304, especially use in steam blocking	The most thin and soft wires size	The most thick and hard wires size	Mixed size in 36 inches for different using
Pieces	100 Pieces	30 Pieces Wires + 100 Pieces Pins	30 Pieces	30 Pieces	15 Pieces	10 Pieces 1/16" Wires + 10 Pieces 3/32" Wires
Size	1-3/ 4"	1-3/ 4" and 1/ 16"	1/ 16"	1/ 16"	3/ 32"	1/ 16" and 3/ 32"