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Original poster

Entering a knitted item in the local agricultural show

50 replies

Daisybell1 · 13/07/2012 21:25

Right, I've got the show schedule of classes, I've got the project in mind (it's this which I've been planning on making for a while anyway) and my mum's lined up to babysit whilst I tackle the tricky yoke section.

I've never done anything so detailed so it will be a challenge!

Are there any standard pet hates which judges have? I must confess I haven't been anywhere near a handicrafts tent since I started knitting regularly so have no idea of the type of comments which are usually made...

OP posts:
ThisIsNotWhatIWasAfter · 13/07/2012 21:32

Wishing you luck. I'm jealous I quite fancy doing the same but my local show is the Royal Highland Show and it's just a tad intimidating.

The cardigan is lovely sorry i don't have a clue what judges want.

LatteLady · 13/07/2012 22:23

What a super little cardie...

OK, the obvious thing that the judges will be looking for is uniformity of stitches throughout the stocking stitch section. Join new balls at the ends of rows. No split or dropped stitches... even ribbing, which is tighter than your main body. Neat joins to your button band and smooth joins to your neck band. Even casting on and off. Evenly spaced buttonholes.

Continuity of technique when doing your colourwork... will it be intarsia or stretched across as you would in Fair Isle. For the former, you need to weave your ends in tidily and securely, for the latter you need to ensure that use the same technique in every row, eg if you catch the colour under every 3rd stitch (no more than three stitches ever) do not suddenly do it under every two then fourth. Remember to vary this in each row so that your work does not become lumpy when you block it.

Don't knit when you are tense or angry, it shows in you work, relax into it so it does not affect your tension... sounds silly but you can spot the section when I wanted to kill a fellow commuter on a pair of socks I was knitting.

You have to block it properly, makes a huge difference to the finishing.

Hope that helps :)

TeamEdward · 13/07/2012 22:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

UniS · 13/07/2012 22:32

keep the work clean. really clean. A comment I see on judges cards regularly is " item looks worn and marked" .

Good luck, my knitting isn't up it , but I do enter veg and baking and last year entered a patchwork which won its class to my surprise. DS enters every kids class he can and thus tends to get at least a 2nd or 3rd in something.
If people don't enter these show s don't continue. I think they are a great British tradition and I'm keen to keep our local show alive. What's the entry fee for yours? village show here it's 10p a class, 5p for kids. With prizes of up to 50. The nearby small town show charge 30p and 20p. But one can win a couple of quid.

fossil97 · 13/07/2012 23:06

I would love to do this. I am going to spy out the WI tent at our local show to suss out the standard this year!

I think with things you've knitted, it's nice to wash them first, sort of evens out the work. With proper lovely wool wash, and dried flat and blocked of course.

I'd want the work to be immaculate inside and out, very neat seams, good quality buttons. I've discovered with intarsia even if it looks uneven as you knit, when you darn in the ends (around their matching colours on the back) you can get rid of any holes and uneven stitches then. I don't like duplicate stitch, why not knit all the charts as you go, it makes for a flatter, more even result?

Original poster
Daisybell1 · 14/07/2012 20:17

Thanks for the list, I'm now terrified!!!

Fossil, can I ask what you mean by duplicate stitch? I'm confused Confused

OP posts:
MoaningMingeWhingesAgain · 14/07/2012 20:26

Duplicate stitch is part of your pattern - it's also called swiss darning AFAIK which the sheep are made out of.

Where you sew the pattern/motif onto the top of the work, rather than knitting it into the main piece. Sorry that wasn't very succinct!

Original poster
Daisybell1 · 14/07/2012 20:38

Ah thank you! I thought they were knitted in (at least that's what I was planning on doing!).

The only Swiss darning I was planning on doing were the flowers afterwards...

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Original poster
Daisybell1 · 14/07/2012 20:42

I've looked at the pattern again and see what they mean. I'm going to have to knit them, I think, as I was planning on doing some of the sheep dark brown with white legs, and so I don't think the white would cover the grass green well enough.

OP posts:
fossil97 · 14/07/2012 22:25

You could always knit a test swatch and try it out

Original poster
Daisybell1 · 14/07/2012 23:00

Good plan!

I've also found enough browns/creams for the sheep so each one is different. These are all left-overs from other things I've knitted dd so there's a bit of a memory 'blanket' element. Is it worth writing a pretty note explaining this?

OP posts:
fossil97 · 15/07/2012 08:13

Depends on competition rules. But to be honest, whilst we all have leftovers, I think they'll judge the piece on its merits. I'd want to have very good matching of yarns so it looked like they were all the same yarn just different colours, i.e nothing that stood out in terms of being too fluffy/too acryclicy.

Original poster
Daisybell1 · 15/07/2012 10:43

Oh dear, I've got two fluffy wools, and it's all in acrylic...

OP posts:
fossil97 · 15/07/2012 14:35

Oh ignore me, it will be fine Blush sorry!

Original poster
Daisybell1 · 15/07/2012 14:43

No, it's useful, thank you!! I've got to stick to the acrylic as it's all I can afford locally, plus I want dd to actually be able to wear the cardie without me panicking about it.

But your comments have made me realise that not everyone may appreciate my multicoloured sheep flock!

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fossil97 · 15/07/2012 17:40

I went to a show today actually and looked at the judges comments on knitting. They had a lot more to say about even workmanship, neat seams etc than design or materials, so I should go with your inspiration.

If the pieces were very neat and well executed they did make a few comments on how they could be improved design wise.

Original poster
Daisybell1 · 15/07/2012 19:22

Loving the research, thank you! I'll try it with the different sheep and if it looks pants, I'll re-do it Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
Daisybell1 · 15/08/2012 07:36

Oh god, oh god, oh god

Show is tomorrow, still have buttons to sew on, sleeve to seam and need to press it as it's all lumpy Confused

Must remember to finish crocheted scarf and find bottle for sloe gin too!

OP posts:
PurplePidjin · 15/08/2012 07:52

Good luck :o

SoupDragon · 15/08/2012 13:16

Just drink th gin. It will save you the trouble of finding the bottle and also make you calmer :)

Original poster
Daisybell1 · 15/08/2012 18:12

Hic!

OP posts:
Original poster
Daisybell1 · 16/08/2012 10:05

It's there! Looks enormous compared to the other prissy little cardigans so will probably get disqualified Confused

The cut throat world of village shows also saw a lady not let me peek in her catalogue for my competitor number Shock

Oh and the sloe gin is now mainly ribena after last night's stress Grin

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 16/08/2012 10:38

Fingers crossed :)

Ou local shows only have food or livestock related competitions. Which is bizarre since I am in South London bordering Surrey Hmm It should be the home of crafting!

aJumpedUpPantryBoy · 16/08/2012 16:48

Good luck!

We went to our local show yesterday and DH said that my blankets were nicer than the winning ones - mind you, I don't think the local WI would agree Grin

SoupDragon · 16/08/2012 17:05

You DH knows which side his bread is buttered :o

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