Notes on blocking Citron (our May 2010 KAL)

After many trials and tribulations (and having to frog a section and a half), I am FINALLY finished with my Citron! This is the second Citron that I've blocked, since I also blocked Kirsten's, so I have a bit of extra wisdom as to the methodology for getting the desired results.

Now, triangle shawls require extremely aggressive blocking to stretch open the lace and pull sharp the points. Citron, however, is a very different beast, as she lacks both lacework and points. The pattern recommends threading blocking wires across the flat edge, which is critical to getting a good result, but that doesn't answer the question of how to treat the curved edge.

The quandry is two-fold: first, how to stretch the pattern without using a thousand pins, and second, to not over-stretch, which would make all that pretty rucheing look like nothing more than slightly darker stripes.

Kirsten wanted her shawl blocked rather aggressively, so stretch I did. I pinned it at the base of the ruffle, i.e. along that last increase line, and did not put any pins along the cast-off edge. The result was a pronounced ruffle and a wide shawl. Ruched sections do look a bit more like darker stripes, but the heavily variegated yarn she used minimizes this effect. Pinning at the base of the ruffle allowed me to use fewer pins, since the ruffle itself did a good job of hiding any hint of a point (I only had about 25 pins to use for hers, so it was pinned every 3-4 inches, which resulted in some gentle pointing). My only complaint with this method is that the resulting ruffle is very curly (this may be a feature that you desire, in which case this is the just-right method).

For my own Citron, I wanted the ruffle to lay as flat as possible, with some gentle curling just at the very edge. I had accidentally left it to soak for two days before I remembered to pull it out of the basin, so even a gentle stretch resulted in a rather aggressive blocking, since the fibers were so saturated. I pinned every inch or less along the cast-off edge, as well as every 4-5 inches at the base of the ruffle. This did an excellent job of flattening the ruffle -- so excellent that it no longer resembled a ruffle at all! I resolved this by un-pinning the entire shawl and re-dampening just the ruffle. I laid the shawl flat (no pins) and the next day the ruffle was PERFECT: mostly flat, but with a gentle curl at the cast-off edge. This solved the problem with the ruffle, but the rest of the shawl was still terribly over-stretched, and I was not especially pleased with the result. So I re-dampened the entire thing (I dipped it briefly in a basin of water, though a squirt bottle would probably have worked even better) and again laid it flat to dry without pins. FINALLY the shawl had the look I desired.

After all these experiments, my recommendation is this: Soak the shawl overnight, then either run it through the spin cycle on your washer or thoroughly squeeze out excess water. As the pattern states, run blocking wires across the top (flat) edge. I recommend NOT using ANY pins whatsoever. Instead, stretch and smooth it into shape with your hands, and then take a towel or an extra set of blocking mats, and lay them over the top of your shawl. The weight from the extra fabric will help to hold it in place without causing over-stretching. If you do want to stretch your Citron, then block it as I did my own: first, with several hundred pins, and then with no pins at all after a gentle re-dampening.

KAL for June 2010: 10 in 2010 Shawl(ette)

Continuing our shawl-of-the-month KAL, this month we will be doing the '10 in 2010' Shawl or Shawlette. This pattern is awesome because the two variations provide two VERY different results:




pattern & images © Guernseygal Designs

The patterns are available free on Ravelry:
10 in 2010 Shawl
10 in 2010 Shawlette

As a reminder, our CAKAL (that's Crochet-and-Knit-a-long) groups meet Sundays form 1-4pm, though of course you're welcome to bring your project in on Tuesdays or Fridays.

Knitting, S.E.X.*, Chocolate, and a Couple of Math Skills - June 2010

Clever Knits is pleased to present a special event featuring knit-celebrity Cheryl Brunette, author of Sweater 101.

Knitting, S.E.X.*, Chocolate, and a Couple of Math Skills
*Stash Enhancement Expeditions



Registration: Come in, call 760-806-6744, or email cleverknits@gmail.com to register. Advance payment is required to reserve your space.

Cost: $10 or FREE if you purchase a copy of Cheryl's book. Your $10 admission fee is non-refundable, but it can be applied to the purchase of Cheryl's book.

Date: Saturday, June 19th, 6-8pm including book signing

Limit: We expect this event to be 'Standing Room Only' so you may want to bring a camp stool or cushion to sit on.

You will learn:
In this session you’ll learn two very handy knitting math skills: how to use your calculator memory, and the “More-Or-Less-Right-Formula” which Meg Swansen (Elizabeth Zimmerman’s daughter) says “is worth the price of the book [Sweater 101] unto itself.” You really want to know this skill. Recently, Ann Budd taught at a weekend knitting camp and wrote in her blog, “From the feedback I got, the best trick I showed the campers was the shaping formula from Cheryl Brunette’s book Sweater 101...” The chocolate is just for fun.

BRING TO CLASS: A calculator, notebook, and pencil with an eraser. Books will be available at the event and Cheryl will happily sign them.

Note: Cheryl will also be offering an intensive workshop while she is here. More details about that can be found here.

Knitnews #8: Clever Knits updates for May 2010

I hope that April showers are bringing you plenty of May Flowers!

Contents of this message:

1. New Hours - starting May 1st, new hours at the shop
2. New things - LOADS of om nom nommy sock yarn, GREAT for summer projects (socks, lightweight shawls, tanks)

3. May Classes - including THREE NEW CLASSES never before offered!4. May KAL - Join us knitting the Citron from Knitty!

1. New Hours

Effective May 1st we will be cutting back our hours a wee bit. This shouldn't interfere too terribly much with your yarny needs, since the hours being cut were generally very, very quiet here at the shop.

Sat & Sun: 12-7pm
Mon, Wed, & Thurs: 12-6pm
Tuesdays: 12-10pm
Fridays: 12-8pm

The good news is, none of our social knitting events are changing at all. They remain as always:

Knitnight: Tuesdays 6-10pm
Friday Night Knitters: Fridays 5-8pm
Crochet-and-Knit-a-Long: Sundays 1-4pm


2. New Things

Lots of new things this month, many of which are already depleted. Follow us on twitter or facebook to get news of new things the MINUTE they come in.

Salivating yet? Just be careful not to drool on the yarn!

• Ella Rae Lace Merino - 2 of their brand new semi-solids, two gorgeous handpaints, and more on the way!
• Trekking Hand Art (another old favourite) in some bright and cheerful new colours for spring & summer
• Pagewood Farms Chugiak, Yukon, & Alyeska
• Crystal Palace Mini Mochi in more bright summery colours
• Crystal Palace Panda Silk - a merino/bamboo blend, supersoft and cool enough for summer
• Louet Gems Fingering - brand new to us, this is a reasonably priced sock yarn in gorgeous solids that is machine wash AND DRY!
• Austermann Step - infused with Aloe and Jojoba, for soft hands
• Ambiente restocked in all 5 of its delicious colours
  
• Trekking XXL (an old favourite) in MANY new colours
• Zauberball in one delightful new colourway, 2 more on the way!
• Punta MeriSock - a sampling of the most popular colours, full bags of a select few on the way!
• Cascade Heritage Sock - brand new colours, including YELLOW!
• Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky in some delicious new multi-colours
• Handmaiden Sea Sock - in 10 gorgeous colours, we've been waiting for this for over 6 months!!
  

3. May Classes As usual, we'll be offering Knit & Crochet 101 - check our website under 'classes' for dates each month. These fill up fast, so tell your friends to sign up in advance! Lots more classes coming in June, too!

**NEW** Crochet Flowers (link) taught by Karen - moved to May 14th, 2-4pm
 
**NEW** Dyeing Workshop (link) taught by Lexi - May 8th

Toe-up Socks (link) taught by Rhonda - May 15, 22; June 5, 12 (no class held on Memorial Day weekend)



4. May KAL: "Citron"

Continuing our monthly shawl KAL, we'll be knitting up the Citron from Knitty in May. 'Official' CAKAL meeting time is Sundays from 1-4pm, but feel free to bring yours with you on Tuesdays or Fridays, too.

Warm (& sweatery) regards,
Helena, Karen, & Lexi

Clever Knits
214 S. Indiana Ave, Vista CA 92084

HOURS:
Sat & Sun 12-7pm
Mon, Wed, & Thurs 12-6pm
Tues 12-10pm
Fri 12-8pm

FREE social knitting events:
Tues 6-10pm, Fri 5-8pm, Sun 1-4pm

http://cleverknits.com
cleverknits@gmail.com
phone: 760.806.6744

--

if this message is reaching you second or third hand, there are many ways to keep up with Clever Knits activities:

Web: http://cleverknits.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cleverknits
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CleverKnits
Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/cleverknits