Game of Wool

[KnickerlessParsons]

What did we all think of Game of Wool then?

Personally I thought it was mostly all about Tom Daley - did he really have to try all the tank tops on himself? And also that there is never going to be enough time for each challenge for the contestants to make something worthwhile. Who would actually use a knitted sofa cover?
It’s such a condensed version of the challenge, we won’t get time for much witty banter either.

The jury is still out for me.

I agree @KnickerlessParsons , it all felt a bit forced. I wouldn't mind a rootle about in the yarn barn though but only when Tom Daley's away in his winnebago having his ego stroked.

Definitely not! Most of the people taking part, contestants and judges, lacked any personality. Watching someone knit does not make for interesting Tv and the challenges have to be over simplified to be carried out within the time. Chunky needles and chunky yarn is not very inspiring and all the ‘he’s steering’ mock drama was very forced. I could imagine some producer shrieking down Tom Daley’s earpiece to create some drama and it was like watching some stage school pupil act ‘horror’. Unfortunately Tom Daley’s behaviour on The Traitors put me off him so that hasn’t helped. I don’t think there’ll be a second series.

steeking not steering

I watched half out of curiosity, but won't be watching again.
I knit myself, but making it a tv challenge is just mad.

Even if it had been finished, the losing sofa cover was horrendous. And the winning one not much better.

I might watch it again in the hope of picking up some tips but it's hardly gripping TV.

And very much the Tom Daley show.

I doubt there'll be another series.

I’m going to watch the series then see how I feel about it. If they are going to knit in super chunky every week, it’ll be a little disappointing but I understand why.

All I know is, I could not sit for twelve hours knitting. My eyes would have ceased up by about the end of the second hour. All kudos to those knitters who actually turned out a credible tank top at the end of it.

I crochet and the last thing I’d want is to be forced to sit with other people with Tom Daley asking me questions while I try to rustle something half decent up in chunky yarn and a crochet hook the size of a lampost. It’s as if they’ve thought of a process as to how to make knitting and crochet absolute hell. I thought I’d love it but I hated it.

In agreement with most people. They were trying to make it interesting, but every challenge was chunky wool. It was like knitting with two broomsticks!
Knitting shouldn't be a time challenge, (although the Sewing Bee is similar, it's much easier to finish the garments).
Poor old Gordon was depressing and Holger was as miserable as sin, constantly complaining.
I might give it another week, but it's hard work trying to enjoy it 😦

As something to pass the time on a Sunday evening it was fine.
I don’t mind Tom D and let’s be honest, it must be hard going to be all bubbly and fun around people who are knitting for hours on end, trying to concentrate, trying to count, and who are possibly quite quiet, introverted characters as well. This makes for slightly jarring tv.

As with all series like this, when you have 10 (or more) contestants at the start, it’s hard to bring in their stories as well as the knitting and judging. I am hoping we will learn a bit more about them all as they seemed nice, but then crafters are my people!

I didn’t care for the challenges, mainly because super chunky is HARD especially as fair isle. Their poor hands! 12 hours of that would finish me off. It doesn’t allow the viewer to really appreciate the skill that the contestants have. Knitting a sofa cover is so pointless and I do feel sad at how much waste there is due to useless, unwearable items (sewing bee also annoys me for that).
Knitting and crochet isn’t meant to be a speed challenge. I appreciate detailed work, clever design and a high quality finish. That doesn’t stand a chance in this style of show. I did like Ailsa’s top though, very clever and beautifully made.

I would love to see a show about the whole process of yarn production, dyeing, crafting, finishing, different techniques and crafters just chatting and enjoying the process. Probably not high energy enough though.

I will keep watching, because there’s nothing else on that clashes, and I want to see how it develops. I don’t know how much it will appeal to others though.

My main bugbear are the reviews I’ve read mixing up knitting and crochet. Holger’s chicken was crochet! If I read one more thing about knitted chickens I will lose it! Can you tell I prefer crochet!!!

Do you think they actually sit and knit for 12 hours? Assuming breaks for stretches, wees and food are not included in the 12, that would be more like 14 hours.
And to do that for two consecutive days would be awful.
Do you think it might be filmed over several days with, say, 4-6 hours per day?
I haven’t liked Tom since he used surrogates to get his children, and I didn’t particularly like the prog, but I’ll give it another go.

It appears so far to be the Tom Daley Show, and the contestants, judges and gimmicky knitting are just stage furniture.

They’ve got cooking, baking, sewing and pottery, which bright spark thought ‘knitting’?

it was dire, and what the fuck was TD wearing?????

There’s a decent knitting contest show to be made but this wasn’t it. There was no space for the patience and mindfulness of knitting. You can’t just take the sewing bee format and reproduce it and expect it to do justice to the craft.

It would have been much more interesting if the challenge had allowed them all to use their own particular skills and let them shine. The autobiographical tank top idea was lovely but it would have been better if there had been a mix of fair isle, gansey pattern, lace, intarsia….

If I had been in charge there would have been one studio challenge per episode and one where they did it at home over one or more weeks. I quite like the team challenge idea but giving them so little time the result is a pig’s ear isn’t satisfying to watch at all, it’s just frustrating seeing talented people forced by pressure into making something ugly and wasteful.

I do hope it’s not going to be chunky week every week- they could use finer yarn and knit something small and exquisite in the time.

Steeking would make a great theme for an episode- the peril! Seeing it done inappropriately with the wrong yarn and nothing about reinforcement felt like a bit of a wasted opportunity.

I’m reserving judgement until I see whether they’re going to explore different types of knitting as well as vile chunky stuff. I want to see what else Holger and Ailsa come up with.

I didn’t find Tom Daley a very engaging presenter, he didn’t have charm or warmth or humour. Maybe they could get him a co presenter who is better at presenting but doesn’t understand knitting to bounce off.

Unfortunately Tom Daley’s behaviour on The Traitors put me off him so that hasn’t helped.

Oooh @AgapanthusPink tell me more (didn't watch Traitors)

I watched on catch up.

I don't knit or crochet but would love to know how exactly they do a 12 hour challenge, surely not all in one go, that would be gruelling. We chatted about it at the pub last night and decided that small 3 hour sessions with proper breaks might be doable.

I liked most of the tank tops that were produced but wonder if as the @TheCountessofFitzdotterel suggested above, they could be given a challenge to design and complete at home.

TD does a far better job of diving and should continue to concentrate on this , an effective presenter is worth their weight in gold and this programme desperately needs one, pronto. And yes, as @barbismyfriend lamented "WTF is he wearing", an insult to any knitter.

I hope we learn about the process of creating wool, from fleece to end product. I have learned to do this and its a fascinating process (I weave the wool I make rather than knitting with it). I use a hand spinner and it is to therapeutic to do. Also, to learn about using natural dyes to colour the wool (onion skin for example), the history of knitting, fashion.

I will stick with it despite TD and learn more about the contestants.

I am a returner to knitting after many years and am loving it. I thought I might enjoy this show, although I’m not keen on reality TV and I was concerned about the time constraints. I thought it was awful. I dislike TD intensely anyway, due to surrogacy, failure to acknowledge etc. and this was just another example of him being a supreme example of the glass elevator. Due to the format and projects chosen it was impossible for the contestants to show their skills and talents which is a real pity. I’m glad the Shetland knitters have weighed in on the complete misrepresentation of their craft. Also #teamgordon

Totally agree with the poster who said the sofa cover was horrendous. The winning one was only slightly better.

They shouldn't time them either. It's obviously all done for TV though.

I saw one reviewer call it the arse end of the Great British Bake Off phenomenon, I thought that summed it up nicely.
Also agree too much TD.

I’m going to watch the second one, but if TD takes his clothes off again, that’ll be it for me.

I really loved this programme! TD was ok and is well known as a knitter so he makes sense on that level. The knitting experts were ok too. I loved the finished knitted chair cover and would happily live with that but I don’t like the time limits and I would be happy to watch a slower more considered show

One good thing to come out of this so far is that Gordon put out a video explaining why it wasn't the steeking that caused problems for him, and got so much positive feedback that he's done another video and indicated that he'll continue. That man clearly knows his craft in great depth, and his manner of presenting is warm and gentle.

(The downside is that I'm now contemplating getting some 40cm dpns and the entire pattern output of a couple of his favourite knitwear designers.)

I'm halfway through and so far it's SO CRAP it's brilliant. But yes Tom looks ludicrous in whatever the hell he's got draped over his shoulders and of course he had to try everything on.

The Shetland knitters are not happy about it!

I wonder if Tom is going to be the surprise last minute model for the doggy jumpers too.

I hate hate hate the doggy knitting theme