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Kathy has posted more articles about the environment and global warming at 1st Rate Articles. She also writes articles for 111 Travel Directory and A Language Guide. In addition, she creates short stories and poetry in German-English parallel translation.

How do i block a crochet shawl realized with pure cotton in lacy style?

hi, i just finished crocheting a shawl using pure cotton, the fiber itself is very thick but i used a 7.00 mm hook (bigger than requested on the label) to create big '' holes'' since i wanted a lacy effect.
i know i have to block it to give the pattern a shape but i only know how to block pure wool projects, i have no idea if cotton has to be blocked in the same way. (wool=cold water, some drops of wool wash or wool conditioner, soak everything, squeeze gently, squeeze in a towel, pin on a board or bed and let dry. some say to use liquid starch but there's no such thing in the country where i live. the only starch we got is the one used for cooking)
thanks in advance to whoever can provide me with a clear and detailed answer.

Blocking cotton works similarly, except it's a little less work. Pretty much you want it damp, then you pin it out in the shape you want. I use a lot of cotton and linen (well, more of the latter) and what I do is this:
lay out plastic over my blocking area/board/whatever
set my shawl/scarf/thing on top of the plastic
use a spray bottle to dampen it
pin it how I want it (redampening as necessary)
cover it overnight
uncover and air dry
remove pins

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