When I first started knitting, the topic of blocking was one of the most mysterious things I encountered. The term "blocking" can mean everything from a full wash and soak, to a quick spritz with a spray bottle, to steaming and pressing the heck out of your knitting with a steam iron. And sometimes people said you should block acrylic, but other times they warned that this can "kill" it.
What's the deal?
First of all, let's get specific. I recommend a full wash and soak after you finish knitting an acrylic item. Even though the yarn is just plastic and won't , it still helps even out your stitches. Acrylic yarn is also amazingly adept at picking up odors, so this will ensure that your knitting is nice and fresh before it goes to its new home.
And finally, some acrylic yarn has a coating (called "sizing") that will wash off the first time you clean it. This will make your finished knit a lot softer and nicer than it had been straight off the needles.
However, when it comes to using a hot iron, be cautious. If your acrylic yarn gets too hot, or you press it too hard with the iron, it can become permanently damaged. It will melt, which causes the fibers to lose their zip, and your whole project turns shiny, flat, limp, and unhappy. This is what is meant by "killing" acrylic.
There are some situations where you want to "kill" your acrylic, in order to achieve a specific result. Here's a great tutorial on how to do this the right way. Anecdotally, I have also had luck using a steam iron to "kill" the very top of a hat, where I had decreased too slowly, and it came to a point. The iron flattened it out nicely so that the hat turned out head-shaped.
Once acrylic yarn has been "killed," that's it. There is no going back, it's a one-way operation.
Image courtesy Flickr/@udrey5432
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