Okay,s o now you've got the six blocks, and they are all different sizes and you're wondering how in the world they will ever make a square baby block! Have no fear!! We're going to "block" the blocks. Essentially, blocking is done in two ways-either steam block or wet block. The method you choose will depend on your fiber. Steam blcok for wool, wet block for acylic. (If you steam block an acrylic, it will "kill" the fabric, meaning that you will wind up with limp, lifeless blocks).

For both methods, you will need:

For the steam method, you will also need an iron with steam ability.

Wet Method

Okay, you've got all your acrylic blocks gathered. You need to get them wet, so if you're already doing laundry, you can throw them in the final rinse cycle with a cold wash and let them spin. If you're not, then just fill a sink with coolw ater and let them soak for a few minutes, then gently squeeze as much water as you can out from them. I usually lay them in a towel, then fold it and step on it a few times to remove all the water I can.

Lay your first block on your flat surface, and put the cardboard template over it. Shape your knit block underneath so that it matches the edges of the template. Pin your block into place (I use a LOT of pins so that I don't get wavy edges, being careful not to pin the template). Once you've pinned it down, remove the template.

Repeat this process for all blocks. If you get a knit block that is larger than your template, then you'll have to try to squeeze it into place and pin it that way. It is possible to shrink blocks!

Leave the pinned blockas alone until bone-dry (usually overnight). Remove pins and you're ready for the next step!

Steam Block

Steam blocking follows pretty much the same as wet blocking, excpet instead of wetting the blocks before you pin them, you will pin them dry and then gently steam them with an iron held about 2-3" above the surface.

So, Lay your first block on your flat surface, and put the cardboard template over it. Shape your knit block underneath so that it matches the edges of the template. Pin your block into place (I use a LOT of pins so that I don't get wavy edges, being careful not to pin the template). Once you've pinned it down, remove the template.

Repeat this process for all blocks. If you get a knit block that is larger than your template, then you'll have to try to squeeze it into place and pin it that way. It is possible to shrink blocks!

Once all the blocks are pinned, turn your iron on to the highest steam setting and let it get good and steamy. Hover the iron above each block, about 2-3", and let it steam for about 45 seconds-1 minute. You will see the block relaxing and the stitches even up (it's pretty cool to watch, actually!) Once the block is good and damp from the steam, move on to the next block.

After the last block is steamed, leave them all to dry (usually overnight). remove the pins and you're ready to seam!

Seaming

We're going to be putting together the 4 sides first, then adding the bottom, then seaming two of the top sides, adding the foam block, and finishing the last two seams. So, get your yarn needle (I use the blue plastic ones from Susan Bates-they are sharp enough to go through easily, and cheap!) and get ready to seam!

Blocks 1 & 2- "Knot to Knot"-Irish Moss to Rice Stitch

I call this the "knot to knot" seam because it helps you remember what your putting the needle through. If you look closely at the edges of your irish moss and rice blocks, you'll see bumps at the end of every row-I call these "knots." What you'll be doing is putting the needle up through the outermost edge of these knots, row-to-row, to make a virtually invisible join.

To begin, you'll orient the moss block so that you've got your yarn tail hanging down from the bottom right corner, and the rice block so that you've got a yarn tail hanging from it's lower right corner as well. Thread the moss tail through your needle, and then you'll do what I call a "figure-eight". Take the needle, from front to back, through the last cast on stitch (on the left bottom corner) of the rice block. Then bring the needle (from back to front) between the blocks and back through the first cast on stitch of the moss block (needle goes from front to back).

You are now ready to seam the first "knot" on the rice block. Needle goes from bottom to top, one rice knot, one moss knot, and back. (See picture at right) repeat this process until you get to the top, and then repeat the figure-eight as above through the corner bind off stitches at the top.The finished seam will look like the picture below.

Block 2&3: "Knot to Bar"-Rice to Stockinette

With the next blocks, you'll be seaming a "knot" piece (the rice stitch) to a piece with no knots (stockinette). Stockinette (and others based on it, like ribbing) has a smoother edge. For these fabrics, we use a "bar" seam. If you take you stockinette piece and stretch it just a bit, you'll notice horizontal lines running between each stitch. This is the "bar" you'll be seaming.

So, begin by orienting the stockinetter piece so that there is a yarn tail hanging on the lower ight corner. Thread the lower right corner rice tail through your needle, and do the same figure eight stitch through the bottom cast on stitches as you did for the first blocks.

Insert the needle, from bottom to top, under TWO of the stockinette bars (it's easiest if you work one stitch in from the edge). Pull through, and then work one knot stitch from bottom to top on the rice block. you'll work this way to the top, one knot for every two bars. At the top, work the figure eight again and pull taut.

the finished seam will look like this:

And your piece should look like this:

Blocks 3 & 4: Bar to Bar - Stockinette and Mock Cable

Somehow, my pictures of this seam got lost, but you can refer to the pictures above for the bar seam. Line up your blocks so that the stockinette piece is on the left, and the cable has a yarn tail hanging on the lower right corner. For this seam, you will start with the figure eight at the cast on edge, and then take the needle from bottom to top through two bars on the cable piece (the "bars" on this piece, since the purl side is facing, so actually the purl loop). Take two bars on the stockinetter piece, and continuing in this way to the top, finishing with the figure eight at the cast off edge.

Blocks 4 & 1: Bar to Knot-Mock Cable to Moss

Refer to Blocks 2 &3 for this seam.

Your piece will now look like this (please note that I did not block my pieces-shame on me!-so the moss looks like it is buckling because the cable is pulling in).