Blocking Question

[Knitnite]

I finished my first sweater (simple tank) in Blue Sky Alpaca. I mattress stitched both sides and am now blocking it. (I learned later that you're supposed to block before you sew.) Anyway, my sweater fit well before blocking and now it looks huge. Do things get bigger when you block? Is it just an illusion because it is wet and laid out straight? Help! Should I do something else while it is still wet?

[suzeeq]

Many people block before they seam but there's no rule that says you have to, nor that you have to block at all. Some yarns grow a lot, whether they're blocked or just wearing them. When you block, you should block to the specific measurement you want and not just stretch it out. You can wet it and smoosh it back to the size you want and see if that works.