The same goes if you are working with any other delicate fibre. Keep the heat / steam at a safe distance. Lay your knitting down on the surface with the right-side facing up. Begin carefully stretching the fabric to fit the size and shape you need. When pinning out, place the pins around a cm or more in from the edge to minimise this dipping, particularly if you are bringing quite a lot of stretch to the project . They are essentially boards with holes drilled into them at regular intervals, like peg boards, into which tall solid doweling type ‘pins’ (pegs) will fit. As the fabric dries, it will retain the size and shape it was pinned to. 6. Seam the Pieces Together

If you are working with a larger or more complex shape, this process can take a while as you may need to adjust pins as you shape your work. Especially if you’re working with lace patterns. Ideally you would use a garment steamer because you have more control, however a steam iron can work if you hover it an inch or so above the fabric. It’s important not to work too close to the fabric and not to apply direct heat to the fibres. First you will add 1 wire on each side of your project. Then either pin the wires out flat to shape or hang the piece from one of the wires, depending on the shape you’re working with. This method is recommended for synthetic fibers, wool and animal fibers, and some novelty yarns. It’s not recommended for fabrics knitted with cotton or delicate yarns that may lose their shape when wet.Starting in the centre of your work, use your fingers to manipulate out the fabric to the tension you are looking for and work out towards the edges. It may feel counterintuitive, but do not put your first pins in the corners. Pin in the centre of the sides and keep opening up the fabric out towards the corners. When pinning out finished garments (rather than flat pattern pieces), you may just want to focus on specific areas which may need more shaping.

In this section, we’ll teach you how to steam your fabric and then pin it, so the yarn is pliable first. Set your iron to the lowest temperature that allows steam. Once it has heated, hover it slightly above the surface of the protective cloth and steam the entire garment in an “up and down” motion. You can also use a steamer for this process if you have one. It is also used to evenly shape pieces; whether they are panels for a sweater or simple granny squares, finished items look a whole lot better if their parts are neatly shaped.

Lightly spray the fabric with clean, lukewarm water from a spray bottle. Aim to dampen and relax the yarn fibers without completely saturating them. Throughout the instructions, I have given some guidance about the best method for different fibres but I wanted to take a moment to clarify this.