Do I block a ribbed scarf?

[eburnside]

Hi,
I am a new knitter just finished my first piece - a merino wool scarf. I cast off and now I am not sure if I am supposed to block before I give it away. Any suggestions? I actually do not really even know what blocking means!

[suzeeq]

Blocking is wetting or washing the scarf then it could be as simple as laying itflat as is, or stretching out which is needed in lace or when the piece you made isn't quite large enough. With ribbing I would say not to stretch it, that will cause the ribs to not be so sproingy - you want them stretchy. You may want to wash and lay flat to dry and that will even out the stitches as well as clean it.

[blueygh2]

I did block a scarf with parts of ribbing, and it turned out quite nicely. I like the result.
Matter of preference ...

[Marria]

I think you could go either way--it kind of depends on the end result you desire.

This pattern is for a ribbed sweater, but if you scroll down the page you can see examples of the sweater both blocked and unblocked, which might give you an idea of the difference.

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/PATT3xchic.html