Has anyone blocked the sweater?

One way is to soak the sweater in lukewarm (not hot!) water for a few minutes. Squeeze out excess water, but do not wring it. Place the sweater on a towel, roll up the towel with the sweater inside, and push down. This will remove most of the water. Unroll the towel and place the sweater down flat on a clean trash bag. Then you can pull or push the sweater into the correct measurements. If you want, you can flip the sweater over when it is dry halfway to ensure both sides are how you like.

Another way is to place the sweater down on a trash bag and spray water on it with a spray bottle until mostly damp; then pull it into your desired shape. This is a better way if you only want to block one side.

Of course, the last way is to take the sweater apart and block each piece before sewing it back together again. Not recommended. ^_^

Good luck.

You can block this sweater without all the work that has been suggested. Put your sweater in a lingerie bag (pillow case if necessary), put it in the washer filled with water and a bit of wool wash (doesn't matter if the sweater isn't wool), turn the machine on for about 30 seconds to agitate it a little bit, and let it soak for a half an hour. Move the machine controls to the final spin cycle and let the water spin out of a couple of minutes. Take the sweater out and lay it on a dry bath towel on a table top that won't be hurt by a bit of dampness (or on your bed, the sweater isn't all that wet, but it will take a while, so aim a fan on it to blow air across it) and pat it into shape with your hands so it is flat and let it dry. Check it after a few hours, if the top is dry, put a new towel down and turn it over so the damp side is up, pat it out again and let the rest of it dry.

I do all my sweaters this way, even the non-superwash wool ones and it works just fine. Yes, you can block the individual pieces before assembling them, but it isn't absolutely necessary. I knit most of my sweaters in one piece so that they are complete when they come off the needles except for weaving in the final ends. I also wash and block my wool/silk lace shawls this way.

Unfortunately, before piecing your sweater together, each of the individual pieces should have been blocked to the sizes indicated by the pattern. Blocking prior to sewing ensures that the pieces (such as sleeve caps) can be sewn into place without puckering or pulling.

If you've spent a long time knitting the garment, I would suggest ripping out the seams and reblocking your sweater pieces and then sewing them back together again. It is far better to do this than to try to block the whole thing into shape.

Remember, the method that you will use for blocking will depend largely on the material. You can "man-handle" synthetics with a dunk in water, quick squeeze and then pinning or placing the wet pieces to size on a towel. However, fibers such as wool, cashmere, silk, cotton and alpaca, linen and angora require a "light" hand for blocking. If you try wetting some of these yarns, it might destroy the materials, so be very careful. Some materials respond better to "steam" blocking, others to a light spray of water, and still others need to be thoroughly dampened before blocking. Your materials will dictate the proper method. If you check out some of the knitting websites, there are great articles on how to block the various types of yarns without distorting or damaging the fibers.

Good luck!

I have blocked sweaters before and after joining and they seem to be fine after. Just try to keep as close to the finished measurements as possible. I usually place the article in the sink with cold water and a mild soap. Gently squeeze and then rince in cold water until all traces of soap have disappeared. Roll in a towel and gently squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Lay on a flat surface on a towel and gently stretch to the required measurements. Allow to dry flat. You may have to turn it over and place on another dry towel if the garment is very heavy.

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