Why on earth would anyone want to enter a handspun skein in a contest?!?
Some people turn green at the very thought of having their work judged
by a complete stranger. Others are more adventuresome and enjoy the
challenge of putting their best up against the best of other fiber artists.
Are you at one end or the other, or somewhere in between?
There are several different types of competitions to enter, but they
all have one thing in common, the rules. Be sure to have a complete
list of rules for the competition before you enter any skeins. There
may be yardage, weight, skein type, fiber content, presentation requirements,
etc. The contest may be broken into categories and you need to be
sure that your skein is properly entered. Nothing is more discouraging
that finding your skein didn’t get judged because that gorgeous two ply
merino wool was entered in the single ply category. So read the rules
first!
County Fairs
Most skein contests are offered at local county fairs. The skeins
are put on display for the entire time the fair is open to the public.
People who have no idea “that people still do that sort of thing” can come
through and see that the art of handspinning is alive and well. Youth
who are at the fair all week exhibiting their projects and livestock will
also see them. You never know who you may influence or educate by
having your skein available on display.
These local competitions are usually a lot of fun and consist of entries
by people in your local guilds. You may even meet a few new spinning
friends by entering! Most of these local events should be approached
as something fun and not as a high value critique on your work. The
county fairs have a hard time getting good quality judges for all their
events and it’s not uncommon for a non-spinner to be judging the skeins.
So take the ribbon with a grain of salt. This is a great place for
the nervous first time competition to enter a skein.
Fiber Festivals
Many fiber festivals hold skein and garment contests. Each runs
by its own set of rules and they can be much more complex than a simple county
fair. The judges will be experts with years of spinning experience
to draw on. The competition is tough and any ribbon earned is an honor.
But the best part of entering these types of competitions is the comments
and feedback from the judges. Even if you don’t come home with a
ribbon, if you come home with insights and information to help improve
your yarn… then it was worth the effort. So don’t wait until you’ve
been spinning “forever” to enter this type of contest. Jump in and
see what an expert judge can tell you about your work and how to improve
it. You may be surprised by how well your yarn does!
Specialty Shows
It seems that these are getting fewer and fewer in the last few years,
but some specialty animal shows still offer them, usually a national show
instead of local. These contests would have skeins featuring the
fiber produced by the animal being shown. For example, an angora
rabbit show would have categories only for angora and angora blend yarns.
So whether you’re in it for the fun or hoping for expert comments on
your skeins, don’t be afraid to take that first step and enter a contest.
What do you have to lose?
All articles are copyright protected
and may not be copied for any use without the author's written permission.
Home Page