Game of Wool – episode 2 (9 Nov)

In line with the 1908s theme, judges Di Gilpin and Sheila Greenwell were wearing intarsia sweaters they had designed in the 1980s, and Tom Daley a knitted jacket designed by Hope Macaulay. The contestants (apart from Simon, who does not knit for himself) were wearing their own makes, from the traditional gansey of Holger, to the colourful patchwork of Meadow.

With only 12h for the individual challenge and 10h for the team challenge, the contestants faced an uphill struggle to beat the clock. Judge Di likened it to the hours before a fashion show when the need to get something out there overrides the desire for perfection.

We saw a wide array of dog coats and hats in response to the challenge that they should be fit for purpose and include both knitting and crochet.

Here are some examples from our Collection, chosen because of their relationship to aspects of the competitors’ makes.

Moving on to the team task, to make a 1980s style jumper in mohair using blocks of colour (intarsia), the teams needed to work together on the design and spread the work between them.

Looking at the time and technical challenges they were set, all the contestants should be proud of what they achieved.

If you would like to know more about designing your own knit or crochet garments, we have a design section on our website.

The judges commented about the quality of sewing up. If you want to find out about different techniques for sewing up, Rox Richardson has a YouTube play list that might help.

Next episode

We look forward to seeing how the competitors handle next week’s challenges: swimsuits for the GB team and a crochet deckchair.