The last few weeks I have been talking about re-purposing ordinary household items as knitting tools. Using items from around the house instead of buying specialty equipment for every knitting task means I have more money for yarn. I the spirit of eco-friendliness, I thought I might share one of my favorite blocking tips.

Hats are always a challenge to block because they are round. A great blocking form for a hat is an ordinary dinner plate. The size of the plate will depend on the size of the hat. A child’s hat can usually be blocked over dessert plates but adult hats must be blocked over larger dinner plates or small platters. Once you have soaked your hat and squeezed out the excess water with a towel, just stretch the hat over the plate and place it on a flat surface to dry. The only trick is to remember is that you will need to remove the hat from the plate before it is completely dry so you don’t stress the brim when you remove the hat.