I am making my DIL a hat with Noro Silk Garden. It is definitely going to need some shaping and blocking when I am done with it. I do not understand the label and have no experience with this type of yarn, does anyone else? Advice on how to go about it would be greatly appreciated.

I have to tell you I am not impressed with this product. I have read many favorable reviews and was expecting to really like it. I don't. The colors are gorgeous but it is stiff and scratchy, not soft like I was expecting it to be. I plan to tell my DIL that if she doesn't like it I'll be happy to make her another out of a different yarn. I would certainly never make an object I was planning to wear next to my skin out of this yarn.

Anybody out there have other experience with it?

It's supposed soften up quite a bit when washed or blocked, though I don't care for it either. You would hand wash and lay flat to dry; a little hair conditioner in the rinse helps too.

I made two blankets out of it, and it does soften up some when washed, but I don't think I'd like it directly on my skin, but I'd wear a hat from it.

The colors are what sells Noro Yarn, and I have to say that the blankets I made look brand new, even though they get used daily, slept on my cats and the occasional dog.

I washed the blankets and laid them flat to dry, and they didn't change size in any appreciable way. I can't say they were exactly blocked.