diff --git a/hash/blake.cpp b/hash/blake.cpp
index 14d395e..9586c72 100644
--- a/hash/blake.cpp
+++ b/hash/blake.cpp
@@ -218,6 +218,22 @@ compress (
 ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 template <int width>
 typename blake<width>::digest_t
+blake<width>::operator() (
+    util::view<const uint8_t*> data,
+    util::view<const uint8_t*> salt
+) const {
+    std::array<typename traits<width>::word_t, 4> fwd {};
+
+    if (salt.size () > sizeof (fwd))
+        throw std::invalid_argument ("oversized salt");
+
+    memcpy (&fwd, salt.begin (), salt.size ());
+    return (*this) (data, fwd);
+}
+
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+template <int width>
+typename blake<width>::digest_t
 blake<width>::operator() (
     util::view<const uint8_t *> data,
     const std::array<typename traits<width>::word_t, 4> salt
@@ -243,7 +259,9 @@ blake<width>::operator() (
          (unsigned)(last - cursor) >= sizeof (dw);
          cursor += sizeof (dw))
     {
-        t+= BLOCK_SIZE;
+        // use the number of bits as the size
+        t+= block_size * 8;
+
         memcpy (d08, cursor, sizeof (d08));
         std::transform (
             std::cbegin (dw),
diff --git a/hash/blake.hpp b/hash/blake.hpp
index 19ad9fd..cc24b66 100644
--- a/hash/blake.hpp
+++ b/hash/blake.hpp
@@ -46,6 +46,14 @@ namespace cruft::crypto::hash {
     };
 
 
+    //-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+    template <>
+    struct traits<224>
+    {
+        using word_t = traits<256>::word_t;
+    };
+
+
     //-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     template <>
     struct traits<512>
@@ -58,13 +66,38 @@ namespace cruft::crypto::hash {
         static constexpr int rounds = 16;
     };
 
+
+    //-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+    template <>
+    struct traits<384>
+    {
+        using word_t = traits<512>::word_t;
+    };
+
+
+    /// an implementation of the BLAKE hash function
+    ///
+    /// note that this is _not_ BLAKE2, but the original SHA-3 candidate
+    /// function.
+    ///
+    /// \tparam width   the number of bits for the digest
     template <int width>
     class blake {
     public:
         using word_t = typename traits<width>::word_t;
-        using digest_t = std::array<uint8_t,32>;
-        static const size_t BLOCK_SIZE  = 512;
-        static const size_t DIGEST_SIZE = sizeof (digest_t);
+
+        // size of each round's data block in bytes
+        static const size_t block_size  = 16 * sizeof (word_t);
+
+        // size of the digest in bytes
+        static const size_t digest_size = width / 8;
+        using digest_t = std::array<uint8_t,digest_size>;
+
+
+        digest_t operator() (
+            util::view<const uint8_t*> data,
+            util::view<const uint8_t*> salt
+        ) const;
 
         digest_t operator() (util::view<const uint8_t*> data,
                              const std::array<word_t,4> salt) const noexcept;
diff --git a/test/hash/blake.cpp b/test/hash/blake.cpp
index 0f2dead..0cf5579 100644
--- a/test/hash/blake.cpp
+++ b/test/hash/blake.cpp
@@ -7,72 +7,147 @@
 using cruft::crypto::hash::blake;
 
 
-///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-static blake<256>::digest_t
-operator"" _digest (const char *str, size_t len)
-{
-    blake<256>::digest_t res;
-    for (size_t i = 0; i < len; i += 2)
-        res[i/2] = util::ascii::from_hex (str[i]) << 4 | util::ascii::from_hex (str[i+1]);
-
-    return res;
-}
-
-
-//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-std::vector<uint8_t>
-operator"" _u8s (const char *str, size_t len)
-{
-    std::vector<uint8_t> res;
-    res.resize (len);
-    std::copy_n (str, len, std::begin (res));
-    return res;
-}
-
-
 ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 static const struct {
     std::vector<uint8_t> data;
-    std::vector<uint8_t,16> salt;
-    blake<256>::digest_t digest;
+    std::vector<uint8_t> salt;
+    blake<224>::digest_t d224;
+    blake<256>::digest_t d256;
+    blake<384>::digest_t d384;
+    blake<512>::digest_t d512;
     const char *message;
 } TESTS[] = {
     {
         {},
         {},
+        "7dc5313b1c04512a174bd6503b89607a"
+        "ecbee0903d40a8a569c94eed"_hex2array,
         "716f6e863f744b9ac22c97ec7b76ea5f"
-        "5908bc5b2f67c61510bfc4751384ea7a"_digest,
+        "5908bc5b2f67c61510bfc4751384ea7a"_hex2array,
+        "c6cbd89c926ab525c242e6621f2f5fa7"
+        "3aa4afe3d9e24aed727faaadd6af38b6"
+        "20bdb623dd2b4788b1c8086984af8706"_hex2array,
+        "a8cfbbd73726062df0c6864dda65defe"
+        "58ef0cc52a5625090fa17601e1eecd1b"
+        "628e94f396ae402a00acc9eab77b4d4c"
+        "2e852aaaa25a636d80af3fc7913ef5b8"_hex2array,
+        //"716f6e863f744b9ac22c97ec7b76ea5f"
+        //"5908bc5b2f67c61510bfc4751384ea7a"_hex2array,
         "empty, default salt"
-    }, {
+    },
+    {
         { 0x00 },
         { },
-        "0ce8d4ef4dd7cd8d62dfded9d4edb0a774ae6a41929a74da23109e8f11139c87"_digest,
+        "4504cb0314fb2a4f7a692e696e487912"
+        "fe3f2468fe312c73a5278ec5"_hex2array,
+        "0ce8d4ef4dd7cd8d62dfded9d4edb0a7"
+        "74ae6a41929a74da23109e8f11139c87"_hex2array,
+        "10281f67e135e90ae8e882251a355510"
+        "a719367ad70227b137343e1bc122015c"
+        "29391e8545b5272d13a7c2879da3d807"_hex2array,
+        "97961587f6d970faba6d2478045de6d1"
+        "fabd09b61ae50932054d52bc29d31be4"
+        "ff9102b9f69e2bbdb83be13d4b9c0609"
+        "1e5fa0b48bd081b634058be0ec49beb3"_hex2array,
+        //"0ce8d4ef4dd7cd8d62dfded9d4edb0a7"
+        //"74ae6a41929a74da23109e8f11139c87"_hex2array,
         "NIST 8 bit zeros, default salt",
-    }, {
-        "0123456789abcdef"_u8s,
+    },
+    {
+        "000102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f"_hex2u8,
         {},
-        "9dc03986e7cc2973fd21f0c0c804922ef160313d3b4e52c187a1661c5e89877c"_digest,
+        "41729acd98684538f559a789035bd893"
+        "b644f38942a8b5614da5a8a6"_hex2array,
+        "0f899aa730b1b1c5fa8ff2a5013a6f5f"
+        "cbe5fdac46f18e2a9a9ecb9a99160219"_hex2array,
+        "b718141c2ca282eb2b91e021444d5bab"
+        "dc812d13af25d210c0e10423d10e6024"
+        "5b113161ae0b7d80a60be1794c09a925"_hex2array,
+        "47bc13549402bb583227ec8c4c408136"
+        "ab4ecc5dbb11a98a2e755388c8ca11a7"
+        "521d1d375cf3afe5d958013c9c505493"
+        "2c3b0fc76a8ff7a1dead2c0b46bdd1f0"_hex2array,
+        //"0f899aa730b1b1c5fa8ff2a5013a6f5f"
+        //"cbe5fdac46f18e2a9a9ecb9a99160219"_hex2array,
         "16 bytes, default salt"
-    }, {
+    },
+    {
 
-        "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456"_u8s,
+        "000102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f"
+        "101112131415161718191a1b"_hex2u8,
         {},
-        "f58834fc24e109248d33194551a28852cd3d2d6ed4aba9ab3562bb5a97ce76e1"_digest,
+        "483d8043171efeb3a6d52e7387f2e90b"
+        "c81ebeeb647412aa8837b063"_hex2array,
+        "755f9ce025a066492e2b29c47462c985"
+        "4ede6874f43467e7fb548172335b4d50"_hex2array,
+        "28eed2bb102cd19344c9857b29c8adf3"
+        "11eeaaed0334bc66809bbf0a515171a3"
+        "cc5a13373a47f16f975290691afb6ec1"_hex2array,
+        "0a47642c0b54f52cb780a2f425c6e81b"
+        "4d3d26d60b3ba6e7c7d2f164e28041e2"
+        "83c4366fd94644d2a6ba5dd7ddb33b70"
+        "979bbdf6169436840d34a0f18ad7debc"_hex2array,
+        //"755f9ce025a066492e2b29c47462c985"
+        //"4ede6874f43467e7fb548172335b4d50"_hex2array,
         "exactly pre-padding size, default salt"
-    }, {
+    },
+    {
         std::vector<uint8_t> (576/8, 0),
         {},
-        "d419bad32d504fb7d44d460c42c5593fe544fa4c135dec31e21bd9abdcc22d41"_digest,
+        "f5aa00dd1cb847e3140372af7b5c46b4"
+        "888d82c8c0a917913cfb5d04"_hex2array,
+        "d419bad32d504fb7d44d460c42c5593f"
+        "e544fa4c135dec31e21bd9abdcc22d41"_hex2array,
+        "e37d96e5ca54058c348e8c67cac1f93a"
+        "a13fc64aa4bca19015a582e6505dcbc7"
+        "d39d661b464d485fb74c75485b30c6c2"_hex2array,
+        "2f31e729e269c7f22cac8b71cb80a504"
+        "afe38350498e0d178afb38cc356dfdaf"
+        "55d1e7d723c8ff686df0710c43d9abef"
+        "9f0f61b91ab3b49f72b96f899159a735"_hex2array,
+        //"d419bad32d504fb7d44d460c42c5593f"
+        //"e544fa4c135dec31e21bd9abdcc22d41"_hex2array,
         "NIST 576 bit zeros, default salt",
-    }, {
-        "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcde"_u8s,
+    },
+    {
+        "000102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f"
+        "101112131415161718191a1b1c1d1e1f"
+        "202122232425262728292a2b2c2d2e2f"
+        "303132333435363738393a3b3c3d3e"_hex2u8,
         { },
-        "c455dcfcf5c77950b92ff055e7e4f8139acac4cbd18dbed0b1383d95e4f1726c"_digest,
+        "0a5e8da4f27db9afe24c29a3c6f92ec8"
+        "831113f144c59a64c37a2016"_hex2array,
+        "cfce445066d35322557b432540bd2f0a"
+        "f4caf9f426568236d9944426a5df792a"_hex2array,
+        "4688779d44b6d0ee1be74fce5a3bf8c0"
+        "2069c816f01e68e541bd5e6772d6dade"
+        "b79b6c3193a1c2732206885f29391030"_hex2array,
+        "d8e947b518ad5700e94a32ebb2f4e5e7"
+        "34a907637dd24f26ba675cd5f984bdda"
+        "ce7392993576ff2ab387c19b3fbb920e"
+        "7f0c1368f910756306070aea6affe1e7"_hex2array,
+        //"cfce445066d35322557b432540bd2f0a"
+        //"f4caf9f426568236d9944426a5df792a"_hex2array,
         "almost block size, default salt"
-    }, {
-        "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"_u8s,
+    },
+    {
+        "000102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f"
+        "101112131415161718191a1b1c1d1e1f"
+        "202122232425262728292a2b2c2d2e2f"
+        "303132333435363738393a3b3c3d3e3f"_hex2u8,
         { },
-        "e25d021064a61d7af53cefaa0819bb6a351db1d760ed1f85fee671bc18ab7886"_digest,
+        "08b6960d0b0d6f864c9c2a2331341dd0"
+        "1745cfbfad200888cdb4b5b7"_hex2array,
+        "4432b2c1e983b0c326583516920f3949"
+        "c2acf5d85a99353601228cab40c867bc"_hex2array,
+        "917d92609d640f06cba773be8604d177"
+        "492649c39a4ce85df643c0b72293053f"
+        "f39967691cbb1809737eaf6734e1b185"_hex2array,
+        "4d47291b807750d2ce6ced17ae71dc24"
+        "f5a3205f4fe309537488242c4420cd32"
+        "d997beda4d560200cbcf3e9d68143e69"
+        "f08c54b82ce77db7c22d0e17b5a1363e"_hex2array,
+        //"4432b2c1e983b0c326583516920f3949c2acf5d85a99353601228cab40c867bc"_hex2array,
         "exactly block size, default salt",
     },
 };
@@ -90,8 +165,7 @@ main ()
 
     for (const auto &t: TESTS) {
         blake<256> h256;
-        const auto d = h256 (t.data, t.salt);
-        tap.expect_eq (d, t.digest, "%s", t.message);
+        tap.expect_eq (h256 (t.data, t.salt), t.d256, "%s", t.message);
     }
 
     {
@@ -99,7 +173,7 @@ main ()
         std::vector<uint8_t> data (1'000'000, 'a');
         tap.expect_eq (
             h256 (data),
-            "22be6de4aa4214c9403f10598f0a6b0e834570251a13bc27589437f7139a5d44"_digest,
+            "22be6de4aa4214c9403f10598f0a6b0e834570251a13bc27589437f7139a5d44"_hex2array,
             "million 'a', 256"
         );
     }