Setting up a Spinning and Knitting Scarf Contest
by Pegg Thomas
If you’ve ever had the privilege to participate in a true Sheep to Shawl
contest, you know what a project that is. Most Sheep to Shawl contests
now start with washed fleece instead of a sheep and shearer. But I’ve
been around long enough to remember them.
In our rural area, we don’t have enough people to do a Sheep to Shawl
contest at the county fairs. So here we’ve come up with something
less intensive, requiring just a two person team that still captures the
spirit of the Sheep to Shawl. And most importantly, it gives us fiber
artists a chance to get together and visit while we do what we love.
The fairs enjoy that fact that we’re “on display” and helping to entertain
and educate the people who come through the fair.
We enter the contest as a team of two. One is a spinner and one
a knitter. The contest runs from 10:00am until 2:30pm, including
a half hour break in the middle for lunch. The team brings their
wool all carded and ready to spin. The spinner begins at 10:00am making
yarn. As soon as the spinner gets enough yarn ready, it’s handed over
to the knitter to begin knitting.
At my county fair, we have some judging guidelines. These are
mostly to help the judge make those tough choices, but also to ensure that
the contest is about making a quality scarf and that it does not become
a speed contest. Here is a copy of our guidelines:
Teams: team of 2 persons, one spinner and one knitter
Fibers: unspun prepared fibers (commercially or hand carded/combed/roved)
consisting of at least 75% animal fibers, 100% natural fibers (no synthetics),
natural colors or dyed (commercial or natural dyes)
Equipment: spinning wheels (no electric spinners) or spindle,
knitting needle size between 0-10 ½ (no knitting machines)
Scarves: hand knit from either single or plied yarn, team’s choice
of pattern/design, minimum width of 25 stitches, no minimum length required,
scarf does not need to be finished to be judged.
Judging: 100 points possible
40 - The Hand (wearability and feel)
40 - The Aesthetics (visual beauty)
20 - Design Originality
Anything not prohibited in the above rules will be allowed if it falls
into the spirit of the competition. Any entry that does not comply
with the above mentioned guidelines will finish below those that do comply.
Most of the scarves are judged still on the needles. They usually
range from 12” to 20” in length. It is not a case of the longest
scarf wins, the judging guidelines put the emphasis on the quality and
not the quantity. We want to display and showcase our best work, not
worry about finishing as fast as possible.
Our fair offers premium money to the top three teams. Several
woolen mills in our state also donate gift certificates for prizes.
Often we have door prizes donated by yarn shops, spinning shops, or people
who raise fleeces. It makes for a fun day of competing.
These scarf contests are popular and enjoyed by those who participate
and those who come to watch. The above guidelines were written by
me, Pegg Thomas, and I give full and complete permission for anyone who
is interested in approaching their fair board or otherwise organizing a
contest to copy and use this article, including the guidelines, changing
whatever parts as needed to apply to the new contest.
All articles are copyright protected
and may not be copied for any use without the author's written permission.
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