I am currently knitting a scarf out of fine chenille yarn with a lace patternThe scarf is curling rediculously even though I put a garter border around itim supposed to block the final product but i have heard that blocking doesn't always work any suggestions????
Air Conditioning/Heating Lights Refrigerator Computers other I've heard a lot of energy is used by keeping things in standby mode, ready for a remote or something to turn them onsometimes up to 40% of electricity used could be eliminated by turning devices off completely, like putting a television on a switch, or computer monitors on a power strip.
The link below will take you to a home energy savings guideOn page 3 it gives a break down for average home energy usage.
Ok, this is going to sound harshPEOPLE use the most energy in the homeThe biggest user of electricity is the person who turns things on and doesn't turn them offIf you are not the only person in your home, you need to get everyone else on the bandwagon, or you will see little difference in your electricty consumptionAfter everyone is committed, the following are steps that will make the most difference in your bill without breaking your wallet: Replace outdoor patio adn porch lights with LED lights
My local utility has an online energy auditAccording to my 2000 sf 2 story home with my habits here is a break down of my energy usagePool pump 17.18% lighting 14.21% air conditioning 12.77% other uses 12.67% refrigerators 12.10% fans 10.12% laudry 9.05% freezer 6.32% TV's 2.67% heating systems 1.25% stereos .68% microwave .33% A little explanationI do have 2 refrigerators and a freezerI also use my fans a lot, have my a/c set at 80 during the summerMy heater thermostat is set at 65 and I use a high efficiency pellet stove for most of my heatingI line dry my clothes and have CFL's in most of my fixtures I recently reduced my utility bill by eliminating most of my standby energyMy May and June bills were $70 less than same months last yearI have my tv's, vcr's, stereos, and game systems plugged into a power strip with a switch, when not in use they all get swithced offI also unplug anything that charges a battery when not in use, that includes phone chargers, toothbrushes, laptops, and batterybackups.
Lace is always going to need some blockingUnless the yarn is an animal fiber (which would be unusual with a chenille) use wet blockingThat means you gently hand wash the garment, lay it out on a flat board, preferably one with a grid on it, and pin it out in the shape you want it to be when driedMy blocking board is made out of a piece of styrofoam housing insulation covered with a 1 grid gingham printSo I didn't have to mark anything, I just pin to the 1 grid created by the gingham patternFor a scarf you'll tend to want to use blocking wiresIf you have a metal/welding shop in the area you can ask them for stainless steel tig wire which makes nice blocking wiresIf you put at least a 1 border of garter, a combination of that and blocking should straighten your lace out satisfactorilyLace doesn't fight blocking as much as regular stockinette doesHowever, most lace is worked in garter stitch, which is an additional way to avoid curling (ie knit one row in a pattern followed by knitting a plain row).
