Block Your Socks Off

Do you use sock blockers?

I have had a sock blocking revelation with the most recent pair of socks that I knit. I’ve never used sock blockers in the past. Once socks are finished they end up on feet which naturally blocks them, right? When I knitted my first original sock pattern, Ocean Mist Socks, I bought sock blockers for the sole purpose of using them to photograph the socks. Socks look great on sock blockers. It’s what you see in so many Ravelry photos. The stitch pattern is more visible when the socks are slightly stretched and it gives knitters a better idea of what the finished sock will look like.

When I finished the first sock of the pair, I put it on the blocker and it stayed there for several days while I worked on the second sock. I admired it daily. It looked great on the blocker. When I finished the second sock and put it on a blocker and looked at the two socks side by side – I saw the difference! The blocked sock had smooth, even stitches and the newly finished sock was a little more ‘frumpy.’ The stitches weren’t as smooth and even. Hmmm. It actually made a difference.

Can you see the difference?

Yes, yes, I know. Putting them on feet will do the same thing. And washing and drying them will do the same thing. But they sure look good on the sock blockers!

What do you think?

Michelle