Once upon a time I would knit a hat and just wear it – no washing, no blocking – nothing. Now I know better because blocking does wonders for any knitwear, especially where lace is concerned.
Here are some pictures of my Dandelion Beret (available to download for free) before blocking…
… my Starflower Beret (AU$4.00) before blocking…
…and both hats being blocked on dinner plates.
And the final results – all blocked and ready to wear.
To block a beret style hat you need to hand wash it and then stretch it over a plate and let it dry naturally. This opens up any lace and stretches out any weird shapes – some hats look like traffic cones before they are blocked.
An adult beret can be blocked on a dinner plate of approximately 27 cm diameter.
i love your barret pattern, it`s beautiful
greetings
I was just umming and ahhing whether to block a hat I just finished, and now you’ve gone and convinced me. ^_~