Wet it in tepid water, squeeze the water out gently, spin dry (only recommended if it has the ‘memory’ of wool) or roll in a towel. Then… take a deep breath…peg it on the clothes line. Not just the top edge but the lower edges too. Move the pegs and smooth out to accentuate the 'holes' from time to time.
Hours of work down the drain? Yet another cat blanket? Exhale. It works. And it’s quick. But if you are working with fibres other than wool, stretching, patting and pinning on a bed is safer.
Maybe you are the kind of person who would try it if others had not done it? I’m not. I was encouraged by by Liz Gemmell at a knitting workshop in late February at Grampians Texture - a series of weekend and whole week craft workshops in a beautiful setting. The 2011 Grampians Texture dates are here.
The focus of Liz's workshop was feather and fan. From a feather and fan fancier, I became a feather and fan fanatic. It’s such an easy pattern. And pegging it on the line turned my shawl from a non-descript looking garment into a graceful lace adornment.
It’s good to take a deep breath and leap into the unknown once in a while.
