Okay, you've finished knitting that scarf (or sweater, or whatever). It's finally done, and you've spend tedious hours sewing in and trimming all the ends. Enough! But wait, isn't it time to block the project? This means some form of dampening the fibres and pinning the finished item out to the correct dimensions. It can be pretty time-consuming, so it's tempting to skip this step, especially if your project is an item like a scarf where exact size isn't crucial. But to my mind, blocking is essential for most knitted items.
It's a great technique for rescuing pieces that are oddly shaped due to irregular gauge. Even if you think your project looks not-too-bad and is fairly evenly shaped, you may find that blocking it really improves its look and drape. Lace knitting almost always has to be blocked, or its beautiful patterns will never show properly.
Depending on the type of fibre, you may want to completely soak the item, or dampen it a bit, or spray it with water, or steam it. Some information on blocking can be found in an article at Knitty. Ultimately, it's your choice whether to block your knitting, but I strongly suggest giving it a try.
