Last week, I wrote about one of my favourite patterns — from first draft to finished item. This week, I’d like to share some techniques for finishing a crochet project and making it look its very best.

You’ve spent time and money on the pattern, the yarn, and maybe even a new hook. You’ve put in hours (perhaps with a bit of frogging along the way), and now your piece is finally finished. But maybe it’s looking a little bedraggled or rumpled. You know you had clean hands every time you picked it up, yet somehow it’s a touch grubby. Or perhaps, when you lay it flat, the edges lift or the stitches look uneven.

This is the perfect moment to consider blocking — but where to start?

What is Blocking?

Blocking is the process of using moisture and pins to shape and set your crochet so it looks neat, even, and professional. It helps your stitches relax into place, evens out tension, and gives your finished item that “just off the runway” look.

Choosing a Blocking Surface

Any flat, pinnable surface will do. You can buy specialist blocking boards (some even have handy grid markings), but many are quite expensive. I use large foam ‘jigsaw’ mats — the kind often sold as playmats for children. They come apart for easy storage, fit together in whatever shape you need, and take pins well without absorbing moisture. I’ve been using the same set for years, and they’re still going strong.

Adding Moisture: Three Main Methods

1. Wet Blocking
This is my preferred method. I keep a washing-up bowl just for blocking, and mix a little Eucalan (a gentle, no-rinse wool wash) with warm water. I submerge the finished piece for about five minutes, then lift it out and squeeze gently — never wring. Lay it on a towel, roll it up, and press to remove excess water. Then it’s ready to pin out on your chosen surface.

2. Spray or Towel Blocking
If you’re worried about colour running, or if your project is large (like a blanket), you can pin it out dry and then add moisture. Cover it with clean, damp tea towels or use a spray bottle to mist the surface evenly.

3. Steam Blocking
A hand-held steamer can be useful, especially for easing kinks out of fringes or smoothing creases from stored items. I’ve had mixed results using steam for full blocking, but it’s worth experimenting — every fibre behaves a little differently.

Pins and Tools

T-pins are the classic choice. They pierce and hold the fabric easily and are simple to remove once your piece is dry. Choose rust-resistant ones, since they’ll be sitting in damp fabric for a day or two.

I also like using knit blockers — lines of pins fixed in a plastic grip — which help to keep edges perfectly straight. For curved edges, flexible blocking wires can be a game-changer, letting you shape a smooth curve without dozens of tiny adjustments.

Blocking takes a little extra time, but it can transform your project. You’ll be amazed at the difference a gentle bath and careful stretch can make.

Happy crafting until next week — when I’ll be sharing some of my favourite crochet and weaving techniques!

Sue

The Story Behind a Pattern Design: The Leilany Tricolour Throw

Last week, I shared my design process and where some of my ideas come from. This week, I’d like to take you through one of my favourite patterns, from first draft to finished item.

I enjoy visiting art galleries, and have several art books at home for reference. One painting that caught my eye was Arithmetic Composition by Theo Van Doesburg — striking black squares on a white background. I played around in my sketchbook with geometric variations, then began translating some of those ideas into crochet stitches. Many didn’t quite work (I’ll be honest), but eventually I created a few sample swatches that showed real promise.

The next decision was the colour palette. I could, like the original painting, have restricted myself to black and white, but I wanted to introduce colour. Often I’ll refer to a colour wheel or one of my trusty reference books when choosing combinations. For this design, I settled on three colours — purple, blue, and gold — a trio that felt rich and balanced, offering contrast without overpowering the geometric shapes.

Yarn choice is another major consideration. This was going to be one of the largest throws I’d ever made, so I had to balance quality with cost — both for myself and for anyone who might make it. Although I’m moving toward natural fibres, there’s still a place for a wool/acrylic blend. Aran yarn is particularly satisfying for larger projects because it grows quickly, so I chose King Cole’s Fashion Aran range. This UK company kindly supplied the yarn I needed.

Notebooks are key when I’m designing (you can never have too many, in my opinion). I keep one beside me as I work, jotting down the pattern row by row. For a large design like this, once I’ve finished one full pattern repeat, I’ll type up my notes and work from the printed page, checking that what I’ve written down makes sense as I go.

Then comes the finishing stage — weaving in ends, blocking (more about that next week), photographing, checking everything (and checking again), and finally, publishing. The whole process takes time, but I enjoy every minute of it.

Sometimes the hardest part is choosing a name for the pattern! When I finished this design, I was working through an alphabetical list of girls’ names — hence the Leilany Tricolour Throw. More recently, I’ve been asking my AI assistant for name ideas, which has definitely taken some of the pressure off.

Next week, I’ll share some of my favourite tips for blocking your work for the best possible finish. In the meantime, happy crafting.

Sue

Last week, I shared how I spin my own yarn. This week, I’d like to take you behind the scenes and show how a finished design comes to life.

Like every other crafter I know, I can’t resist a beautiful skein of yarn. Over time, I’ve learned that those special hand-dyed skeins are most useful when I buy them in pairs. Sometimes, a design begins with the yarn itself — those gorgeous skeins might sit in my stash for months before inspiration strikes. When an idea finally hits, I’ll work up a small swatch in a similar weight yarn to see if it has merit. I use that swatch to estimate the finished size, then calculate the length of my foundation row.

That’s when the graph paper comes out! I like to plan out stitch placement before diving in. Once that’s done, I’ll cake up the skein (never work directly from a skein — that way only leads to pain and frustration!).

Other times, inspiration comes from the name of a shade. For example, the “Death by Honey” yarn I picked up at The Wool Monty immediately made me think of bees and honeycomb — and my Fractured Bee Line Scarf was born.

Then there are moments when I just want to try out a new stitch. At such times, stitch dictionaries are a must-have. I can spend many happy hours browsing and doodling stitch patterns together. Sometimes they work beautifully in a sample, but not always. I’ve learned it’s better to abandon an idea that isn’t working than to persist and try to “fix” it.

Occasionally, I’m intrigued by an unusual shape. My Falcate Shawl, for instance, grew out of a desire to play with increases along just one edge of the design.

With Tunisian crochet, I often design directly on the hook. I’ll choose a yarn and an appropriate needle size, usually starting with honeycomb stitch to prevent the curling that’s so common in this technique. From there, I simply see where inspiration takes me — as it did with my Celebration Scarf.

In the same way, with weaving, I love to design on the loom. I’ve found that I enjoy plain weave with inclusions of handspun yarn and stripes, and I like to play as I weave — watching the design evolve with each pass of the shuttle.  You can see the effect on the shawl here, one I made for myself.

Next week, I’ll share the story behind one of my most popular designs — where the spark came from a picture in a gallery and how it grew into a finished piece.

In the meantime, happy crafting.