Starching / blocking knitted items?

Dear users, dear authors,
How do you do this when, for example, you’re knitting washcloths and want the edges to be nice and even and not curl up, etc.?
Can you block these washcloths? Starching probably doesn’t make much sense if you’re not just knitting the washcloths for decoration, but actually plan to use them, right?
With crocheted washcloths, they don’t tend to curl up, do they?

Dear Josefa,

in general, when knitting, you should choose a border that doesn’t curl—so don’t knit the entire washcloth in stockinette stitch, but instead work at least a few rows or stitches along the edges (top, bottom, left, right) in garter stitch, seed stitch, or something similar.

Right after knitting, I iron my patterned washcloths, working from the wrong side and placing a sheet of parchment paper between the yarn and the iron. That way, they turn out nice and even, and the pattern stands out even better. This works wonderfully with cotton or a cotton-bamboo blend. After use, I toss them in the washing machine and the dryer; they come out pretty smooth that way and don’t need to be ironed. And then they’re used again right away anyway :-)

Best regards
Sonja

Thanks for writing this down. So there are tricks for things like this. :-)