Game of Wool – episode 1 (2 Nov)

Game of Wool – episode 1 (2 Nov)

Stephanine (left), Ailsa (centre) and Lydia (right) knitting in The Yarn Barn during the Team challenge in episode 1 of the Game of Wool.
Image credit: Hello Halo TV

It was wonderful to see Knitting & Crochet Guild member Ailsa win the first episode of the Game of Wool with her tank top.

Did you notice Ailsa’s jumper (Ailsa is holding her needles at chest height)? She made it from a pattern in the Guild’s Collection that is available for members to download. 

Inspiration for projects using the techniques in episode 1

 If you are looking for inspiration for using the techniques in this episode, here is a selection of colour work garments from the Guild’s Collection. 

Using stranded knitting (as in the individual task tank top) 

Colour patterned pullover hand knitted in Shetland using ten colours of wool

Shetland pullover (traditional Fair Isle)

Waistcoat with no fastenings, folded hems at armholes and all edges, pockets to front. Pattern of bright zig zags at the bottom that cross for form diamonds above the bottom of the arm holes. Muted contrasting colours separate the neons, and the whole is covered by a pattern of light coloured short stripes.

Brightly coloured waistcoat (designed by Kaffe Fassett)

Using intarsia (as in the Team 2’s sofa cover) 

Sweater with high round neck and set in sleeeves, welt, cuffs and double neck band in double rib. Front patterned with scene of hills, lake, house and sheep.

Adult picture sweater

Intarsia Zigzags

Waistcoat

What is a steek? 

Gordon used a steek in his tank top to allow him to continue knitting his colour work in the round rather having to alternate between knit and purl rows. His tank top fell foul of the time limit. His choice of using a steek with thick, non-sticky yarn would not have saved him as much effort as knitting using a yarn more typically used for tank tops. 

Steeks are a staple of traditional Fair Isle knitting, that uses “sticky” Shetland wool. When they reach the armhole (“armscye”) they add stitches between what will become the front and back of the garment so that they can continue to knit in the round (which is faster than continually turning the work, and easier to see the emerging fabric). When the knitting is finished, the knitter can cut up the middle of the stitches to create the armhole – usually “stabilising” the stitches in the steek with crochet or sewing (or, more recently, needle felting). If you would like to learn to steek, we have workshop notes on our website . 

What comes next? 

Episode 2 will be shown on 9 November with the themes of iconic knitting for dogs and 80’s knitting – and let’s hope that Dipti’s cardigan isn’t the last crochet we see! 

First published: 5 November 2025 11:40 am. Updated: 20 November 2025 8:15 pm.