The Taming of the Curl - A Crochet Tale with a Moral

Once upon a time there was a scarf. A lacy, feminine scarf. Made as a gift for a dear distant friend, in a soft drapey yarn of her favourite hue, with loving thoughts in every stitch.

It should have been beautiful. But instead, it was...

CURLY!

Alas, the unfortunate nature of crochet is to scrunch up and curl in upon itself, and this scarf was merely following its natural bent. 'Tis true, 'tis pity, and pity 'tis 'tis true. But all was not lost.

Enter the shining hero:

See, the conqu'ring water comes

Like a soft spring mist the droplets fell. Gentle fingers smoothed the scarf, and the curl began to recede. But the yarn was stubborn. A complete overthrow was necessary to tame its curly propensities - so the scarf was turned over and sprayed again.

Face down on the ironing board cover, chastened by moisture and time, our scarf yielded at last to its beauteous fate.

Here we see it, docile and lovely, ready to be wrapped and sent winging on its way to delight the heart (and warm the neck) of its wearer.

And the moral is: block your work! Often a good spritzing and shaping with the fingers is all it takes to turn your crochet from crumpled to sublime. Your projects are worth it.

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