I need to block a crocheted shawl... never done it before... have questions!?

Well, from the woman who regularly blocks wool, mohair, alpaca, silk, and cashmere shawls....

Get your self a few boxes of T pins (rust-proof), a lingerie bag, and some wool wash. Put the shawl in the lingerie bag and zip it closed. Fill the washer with warm water and add some wool wash (not much, doesn't need it) and agitate the machine a little to distribute the wool wash. Push the bag and shawl under the water and shut the machine off. Walk away for an hour or two. Now advance the machine to the final spin cycle (wool wash doesn't need to be rinsed out) and spin the water out for a minute or so (this gets most of the water out). Take the bag out of the dryer and then lay the shawl out on your bed (no it isn't wet enough to hurt anything) and use the pins to pin it out straight on the bed, stretching it gently into shape (most yarns can take a lot of stretching, but if this is acrylic, just pat it out, it won't block into a larger shape) and let it dry on the bed. Most yarns, including worsted weights, will dry in 2 to 6 hours without mildewing. If it's a humid day aim a fan at the shawl to keep the air moving over it.

Yes, you can steam it, but again acrylic and heat don't mix well and you may not press it out evenly.

Acrylics can simply be washed in the machine on a gentle cycle with cool water and simply laid out to dry after the full machine cycle. Don't put it in the dryer.

Very lovely job, too.

I would soak in in cool water, roll it in a towel to blot some moisture out of it. Then lay it on a dry towel to dry. You could aim a fan at it to dry faster. Hot water or steam could cause cotton to shrink. I've never had a problem doing it this way. Pretty picture of the shawl.

Very beautiful!

I've read of a method similar to the first, but you wet the item according to the yarn (You know, hot water for cotton (I think?) and cold water for wool), pit it to some quilt matting and allow for it to air-dry.

The first item I blocked was a bag and I just got it wet and with push pins tacked on to the floor (I have carpet) when one side finished, I flipped it around.

Kind of worked....and it didn't smell funny.

I'd go with ironing, though. Try making a swatch and use that as your guinea pig. >:)