Winners and losers

The results from the fair are in.

I entered eight items this year (I know- crazy!): three hats, two scarves, a small afghan, a sweater, and a belt. The sweater nearly killed me. I was sewing seams two hours before the entry deadline.


I am proud to say that not only did I successfully attempt CABLES and BLOCKING, but the sweater actually fits me. Except for some weird arm shaping. I think I can fix that post-fair.

First, the losers.

Item 1: Knit scarf, in a 2x3 broken rib-type pattern. Prize: honorable mention.

Sorry about the poor detail photo. There's nothing particularly wrong with this scarf, although I admit it's not my best effort.

Item 2: Crochet baby afghan, half-double crochet surrounded by single crochet and a curly border. Prize: fourth place.

The crochet afghan category is highly competitive. I thought the curly edge would catch the judge's attention. It's perfect for little hands to grab on to. Alas, the judges did not agree.

Item 3: Crochet adult hat with celtic border in tapestry crochet. Prize: third place.

Wha? Third? This was the hat I made for my father last Christmas and in my opinion, the most challenging piece for me. This design was incredibly difficult to execute. Third??

Next, the winners.

Item 4: Crochet scarf, overall curly. Prize: second.

(I love how they display the entries under Saran Wrap.)

I was into the curlicues last year. I actually wore this scarf in my passport photo. I look like I'm being strangled by a sea slug.

Item 5: Crochet infant hat. Prize: second.


More curlicues! Brewgal's standard baby hat design.

Item 6: Knit sweater, plain knit with cable arm design. Prize: second.
A step up from last year's shruggigan. Cables attempted! Ha!

Item 7: Crochet belt. Prize: second.
I made this for Little Brewer #2 last year. I entered this on a whim just because there was a category for it. I couldn't tell if there was any competition in this category. Little Brewer #2 was very anxious when I entered this. He was afraid he would not get it back. Not that he ever wears the darn thing.

And finally, Item 8: Child's crochet hat with flower. Prize: first.

I made this the week before the fair. Little Brewer #1 chose the color scheme. I felt it was a winner. Faux hatband with two-tone crochet flower? How could the judges not love it?

In conclusion, I have no idea what the judges like. They typically do not provide comments, so I cannot tell what I did wrong or right. I'm plotting next year's entries. I may attempt a log cabin blanket from Mason-Dixon knitting.

XXOO

Designs that fail, part 2

Remember the evil eye hat? I remade it with trees. I feel the hat has suffered in the process. I look at the hat and my overall impression is "meh." If you squint, the design resembles evergreens as seen on a winter's day through a snowstorm. If you squint really hard you'll see sparkles. This means you are squinting too hard and should stop now.





I've worked this design before, much more successfully. For some reason it just doesn't thrill me here. I do like the two-tone curlicue at the top- I'll use that again. I was hoping to enter this in the Montgomery County Fair but I probably won't. Unfortunately, this means I'll have to crochet a replacement, in addition to finishing the pullover I'm working on.

The fair countdown begins!