Crochet Along - Afghan Blanket - Blocking your Squares

If you would like to know what this Crochet Along is about, then please click on INTRO to read all about it  :)

This post is about getting your squares ready to put together into the final blanket.   I could have written this at the end, but I thought it might be useful to block as you go, then you can check your squares are indeed square, and will work together nicely when joining.

You can find previous squares by clicking on the links:
Square 1
Square 2
Square 3

Square 4

So, you will need an ironing board  (or table, or mat) and a steam iron.

Get your iron up to heat, and place your first square on the board.   Now you are going to steam your square - no touching iron to material, it is going to be blocked simply with the use of hot steam.

Give your iron a good few puffs of steam about an inch above your square.

Remove the iron (otherwise you will burn your fingers) and manipulate the square into an exact square shape.  Pushing the corners out and making sure the edges are straight.  You can use a ruler if you like.

And now you should have a perfect square - and the template to steam all your other squares too.

So, leaving that first square in place, add a second on top.  Note how I have all the start chain tail and the end tail in the same place.  This ensures each square will end up the same.

Give it a good few puffs of steam, and with your fingers manipulate it to fit the bottom square as close as you can.

Repeat with your other squares  (12 in total for each design) piling each one on top then steaming and manipulating to fit.

You will end up with a beautiful pile of steamed, flat squares.

Now for the next set of squares.....  Using Square 1 as the template this time, add your next square pattern on top.

Steam and manipulate in the same way until it fits.

Keep adding squares, steaming and fitting.

And you have another set done.

Lovely!

So each set of square you do, steam them in this way, always using Square 1 as the template to make sure there is as little variation in size as possible.

It will take you ages to steam all 96 squares once finished, so it might be a good idea to make a start on them now  :)

Share photos of your steam squares on my Facebook page if you like  :)