Wet Blocking and Steam Blocking Acrylic Yarn

Learn how to finish an acrylic blanket properly with the right blocking methods. This tutorial goes with the crochet sampler baby blanket pattern, which is a great pattern to practice lots of different crochet stitches and techniques.
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[@KendyJane67]

Sent to learn about how to block by Crystal with BOD. Thank you for the information.

[@Vee0204]

Crystal from Bag-O-Day mentioned that this was a good video to watch for blocking. Great information, thank you!

[@brittany45]

@MarlyBird One tip: if you *have* to use an iron, get a towel (fold it in half if it's thin) and place over your acrylic piece. Makes it much less likely you'll accidentally ruin your piece.

[@mauro4823]

finally good video about this theme. bravo

[@mariaineseguia5759]

Dear Marly: thanks God I found your excellent and clear tutorial!!! I've just finished an acrylic baby blanket which needs blocking AND, As I've never done it before, I was afraid to spoil my project.But your lesson has cleared all my doubts!!!Thanks so much for your master class!!🧶🌹🙋‍♀️🇦🇷

[@TNBredRose]

Best blocking video tutorial out there. Thank you

[@0871clare]

I think this is one of the best videos you have done. Finishing a product makes such a difference and I am going ahead to steam my acrylic block baby blanket, using your 'care' techniques. Of course, mine is already assembled, but I am doing the steaming prior to the edging and I am confident your instructions will make all the difference. Crochet On!

[@Yarn_Lab]

Thanks for the great video, very informative (covered a lot of bases). I just used some of your advice to steam block the edges of a knitted acrylic sweater... to help them want to curl in less.

[@jangoodman6855]

Thank you so much for the lesson on blocking. I've never done it before and have added a hand steamer to my shopping list. I have just finished knitting blankets for my sister's 1:24 dolls house beds. I knitted with one strand of wool from a 4 ply ball of wool and used the smallest needles I could find... size 16. The result was amazing and will be even better when blocked. Big thanks again for being so clear with your instructions.

[@cgdesign270]

Really great info, I never knew I could block acrylic yarn.

[@tamara5655]

Thank you for this helpful video. I’ve never tried to block any of my crochet pieces cause I’m scared they will shrink, but I might give it a try to see how it will look after.

[@startagain126]

this was supper helpful thank you so much Marly. I've just started knitting my first major piece it's a cardigan in 20% wool and 80% acrylic I've been told you can block acrylic but you proven them wrong. thank you so much hunni xx

[@jenniferannfox2316]

interesting.Iwould imagine that Red Heart doesn't promote steam blocking because even if it doesn't"kill" the yarn, it probably changes it's softness. I am knitting with acrylic now as we speak and there are so many pros and cons of it. I like to use natural fibers to be able to stretch it out without changing the softness of the yarn. But i am using some Lion Brand Jeans yarn that isacrylic and probably the softest acrylic I've ever used but I don't want to ose that softness so probably will not block it as such as it doesn't have memory anyway. The video was helpful. Thank you for your time to explain so well.

[@claudiamachado8694]

You are wonderful!! I loved!!! Kisses from Brazil!!!!

[@ruth-ellennightingale7970]

Thank you. Great tutorial

[@MarlyBird]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ghostsoup1313]

Great tutorial. Extremely informative. Thank you so much!

[@sarag1158]

Wow! I really appreciate how much work you put into this video. Subscribing

[@astrellastella4284]

Thank you!!!!

[@joanmachado9063]

Thank you

[@jankuhnert4768]

Great video, thank you so much Jx

[@knotyourgrannysquare2865]

Great video! Thanks for the info. Also your hands are beautiful!!😊

[@yvonnemaisonette9230]

I use a dedicated yarn "salad spinner" to drain my knitting projects. It gets more water out and I don't have to use any of my towels.

[@MarlyBird]

YES! I have one too!

[@BoudiccaPLG]

That's a great idea.

[@avamaria429]

Where can I get one??

[@avamaria429]

+Marly Bird what if you are new to this and don't have a block to pin it to

[@susanstephens9334]

thank you very much for this video. I have a couple questions if you don't mind. 1. how long do you steam the piece for? i know we don't want it shiny but i also don't want it to be under steamed as well. 2. why does red heart not want us to steam block their yarn? 3. after blocking it the piece once will the washer and dryer make it take a new shape?

[@teetracyfrazier5162]

Question if you steam block acrylic will it always stay to shape ?? As ive made a combined knitted / crochet jacket and the front finished edge is twerling a curl to the left, i want it to stay with a nice straight egde to enhance the look of the garment?

[@evab7580]

Thank you!

[@toodie535]

Steam blocking at 10:27

[@shellinearmstrong7177]

You should always use cotton when making hot pads and potholders.

[@michaelagrace6210]

Hi this is a great video. I am currently making a large crochet granny square so that I can just keep going around the edge instead of making small squares. Could you please give some tips on how to steam block a large one piece item such as a blanket for those wondering? 😃😊

[@dianeerhart8218]

How to block three dimensional crocheted

[@jacjap]

Where did you get your steamer from, what brand is it, can it be used horizontal..thanks

[@vindab06]

I have never blocked my afghans/blankets, is this why, when i fold them to put away, they don't fold evenly or appear to not match up evenly when folded? They look crooked even tho I know the rows are evenly crocheted. I hope I'm explaining this correctly.

[@waltons-crochet]

Thank you so much for sharing your information about acrylic!! Your squares are beautiful. Fan trellis 🙀Love that lace one❤. Do you have a tutorial on it? I believe you said “pineapple “?

[@kilodeltawhisky1504]

I recognize your name! I have a free red heart pattern designed by you in my pile of free patterns. Was looking at it just this morning. Ha! Subscribe!

[@maryvanhouten6712]

Thanks I wanted to block but didn’t know how

[@dccd673]

I’ve never blocked and I have around 5 baby blankets and I would like to block, so would I need to flip the blankets to stem the other side? I’m using double crochet stitching (granny squares). Have you steamed Paintbox (100% acrylic) yarn before?

[@Rose-xc7wz]

I may have missed this but if you steam block acrylic, will it go back to the original 'behavior' (pulling in, rolling, etc.) when washed if not blocked again? (Assuming you don't kill the acrylic of course.)

[@samantharichmond1502]

Hi Marley! I heard you say you block everything to give it that more finished look. Did you mean steam block? It seems like wet blocking would be pointless if the fiber has no memory as with acrylic. Can you or would you recommend steam blocking every fiber? and will wool always need to be reblocked after washing or is there a trick to making that permanent like the acrylic ? sorry for the tons of questions! Love your videos 😊

[@MarlyBird]

Samantha Richmond when I’m to the blocking part I decide which method to use based on the fiber of the yarn :)

[@Toofastfourluv]

This is 3 video parts Does it cover blocking for baby tennis shoes?

[@jfdc8432]

Many yarns are 75% Acrylic and 25% wool. Does this method work for wool blends too? If not, do you have a link to your video to block wool? Also, do you have a link to the wash you use for wool? Thank you!

[@LisaKinter]

How would you block a large ripple afghan

[@DeniseMckinley-eg1sy]

When steam blocking do you have to lay it flat or can it hang on a mannequin?

[@MarlyBird]

If you hang it the shaping could go wrong. I would lay flat- personally.

[@vicmcd123]

I must be donig it all wrong. I've been crocheting baby clothes, blankets, afghans even doilies. Never ever blocked anything. My squares dont curl up. I stack then until i have them all done, line them up in order onmy bed and sew them together. I have never had a complaint. Maybe its because i do not use wool i am allergic to it. Just dont get this sudden rush blocking.

[@PhoenixMinistry]

I know Red Heart doesn't recommend steam blocking, but if you are careful, is steam blocking still play with their yarns? And also, is it okay to add a little Downey fabric softener to the spray bottle during the water blocking process?

[@PhoenixMinistry]

*still okay

[@sarahjimenez8427]

Do you have to block every project? Also do you have to block it every time you wash it?

[@MarlyBird]

+Sarah Jimenez no, you don't have to block _every_ project. As far as having to block it every time you wash...that depends...for Acrylic...you don't have to block again; for Wool...you will have to block each time.

[@sarahjimenez8427]

Marly Bird thank you so much! Also thank you for replying so quickly.

[@CompletelyRandomlyBroken]

Marly Bird what about cotton yarn and mixed fiber yarns?

[@michellegregory5246]

Can you steam block velvet?

[@MarlyBird]

No, I would not block velvet!

[@sonyacooper7519]

How can I get a 6 point star baby blanket 2 lay flat

[@leftycrafter]

At around 19:00, when you present the four 11x11 squares, would you share what is the stitch / pattern for the square on the upper right side? (The white/ cream colored one). Thanks!

[@leftycrafter]

Never mind, I found your Stitch Sampler Baby Blanket on Ravelry. Yeh!

[@DH-qz2so]

...she called it a 'cross hatch' stitch in the video

[@AnneluvsKatz]

Lots of good info thanks! Ps… you might want to rethink wearing a high contrast top like that in your videos. It drove my eyes CRAZY 👀 😵‍💫!!! I almost stopped watching at one point, but toughed it out.

[@MarlyBird]

Thanks for the tip!

[@wasomaabdallah1178]

when I make a sweater and block it should I re-block it every time I wash it

[@MarlyBird]

If were talking about an animal fiber, I would say yes. Think of it like you would if you had a shirt that had to be ironed every time it was washed. Could you wear it unironed? Yes, but it would look better if you took the time to iron it, right? Same with blocking. It is best to block every time you wash it.

[@wasomaabdallah1178]

Marly Bird and the same for acrylic fiber right??

[@jessicapaige8211]

I only have enough (acrylic) yarn for my project but need to steam block my gauge swatch . That means I need to unravel the swatch once I have measured my rows and stitch count and then proceed with my knitting pattern by reusing that same yarn from my swatch. But how do I get the blocked yarn back to it's original condition so that it will knit up exactly like the rest of my yarn in the skein?

[@MarlyBird]

You can’t.

[@MarthaM4858]

After you have done all of this and then sew the squares together doesn’t it revert back to the unblocked size the first time you wash it?

[@MarlyBird]

Like a shirt you iron, you have to rebook the piece after washing if you’re using wool. If you’re using acrylic and steamed it then it should remain in place because you “melted” the plastic.

[@TNBredRose]

Ok. Im confused. I thought steam blocking acrylic could be done Without killing it as you show in your tutorial. Then when I read the comments, you say the acrylic has been killed. Im so confused.

[@MarlyBird]

The acrylic in the hot pad was killed.

[@Toofastfourluv]

WTH is a no rinse laundry soap? I’m blocking for baby clothes

[@makeupaddict1000]

What happened when you steam block and accidentally stretch your project out to much

[@MarlyBird]

If you are using acrylic, there is nothing you can do as you have "melted" the yarn to that precise measurement. If it is a wool, you should be able to wash the piece and re-block it.

[@judyw9407]

too much repetition. this video could have been five minutes long

[@MarlyBird]

+Judy W thank you for your feedback. Everyone has a different teaching style. Mine happens to be explaining the how and the why. Sometimes that mean repeating things so the crocheter understands.

[@dlbutcher]

I really appreciate that Marly is thorough in her videos and doesn't assume anything. I just started crocheting about 4 months ago, and I always look for Marly's videos when I have a question, because I know I will get all the info I need to understand both how *and* why to do something.

[@ChaCha-np2he]

Too looooong!!!!