Blocking is such a pain, and very time consuming, to boot..............But there's no disputing that the results are well worth it. And since I got a set of blocking wires (which, by the way, are actually tig wires, used in welding; and also as mandrels in glass beadmaking), the task has become a little less of a pain, since I no longer need to use tons of T-pins. The blocking wires do a good job of ensuring nice, straight edges.
Having just finished the second of 2 Gryffindor House scarves for a couple of fans (Harry Potter, for the uninitiated) I set about blocking it. This one is the style for years 3 and 4; I already finished the one for years 1 and 2. Those blocking wires really came in handy, since the scarf had been crocheted in mostly double crochet, interspersed with narrow stripes in single crochet; resulting in a less than perfect straight edge.
When I first learned to knit and crochet, way back when I was a kid, I never blocked anything. We always just took the finished piece to the knit shop where we had purchased the yarn and they did the blocking. At a price, I'm sure. I vaguely recall that sometimes they even sewed up a garment, as well. I suppose some LYSs would still block and/or sew together, but somehow that detracts a bit from saying something is Handmade.
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