Ch 4 Game of Wool. Britain’s Best Knitter

PaynesGrey. I made the Persian Tiles throw when it first came out. Bought it at Ally Pally direct from Lucia Dunn who designed the Eastern Jewels colourway. She is a lovely person.

I also made the Lily Pond blanket. Persian Tiles is my favourite though as the colours just sing. I have started making a second one. I haven’t tried the other two you mentioned though they are both lovely. I’ve also made several throws by Helen Shrimpton.

PaynesGrey. I made the Persian Tiles throw when it first came out
Just looked it up, that is a lovely pattern.

First must finish the Trellis blanket. I did promise myself not to make another blanket but it would use up the stash 🙂

Alie2Oxon

Thank you for putting in her name! I didn't catch it, and I was trying to get a good look at the shawl (?) that she was wearing, shall look her up.
Swimsuits of some interest. Wool all wrong for deckchairs!!

I liked it that Tom landed on the floor!
His outfits (not sure that either half of that word describes them) get weirder by the week.

She's Janie Crow on Instagram and Jane Crowfoot on Etsy

It's called the Climbing Rose Wrap and was originally a Crochet Along for a magazine

Search #climbingrosewrap on Instagram and lots comes up

Allira -surely nothing uses up the stash as generally you have to buy more in order to finish!

NotSpaghetti

Allira -surely nothing uses up the stash as generally you have to buy more in order to finish!

😂

Well, I was just looking at the Persian Tiles pattern and thinking 🤔 is three-quarters of a left-over ball of one of the colours enough, and I'd need four balls of navy and so it goes on!

Chardy

Alie2Oxon

Thank you for putting in her name! I didn't catch it, and I was trying to get a good look at the shawl (?) that she was wearing, shall look her up.
Swimsuits of some interest. Wool all wrong for deckchairs!!

I liked it that Tom landed on the floor!
His outfits (not sure that either half of that word describes them) get weirder by the week.

She's Janie Crow on Instagram and Jane Crowfoot on Etsy

Her name is Jane Crowfoot. I have been on a couple of her one day courses which were really good. That must be 10-15 years ago now. Couple of years ago she became Janie Crow.
Her designs are beautiful and she is a very helpful tutor.

Allira

NotSpaghetti

Allira -surely nothing uses up the stash as generally you have to buy more in order to finish!

😂

Well, I was just looking at the Persian Tiles pattern and thinking 🤔 is three-quarters of a left-over ball of one of the colours enough, and I'd need four balls of navy and so it goes on!

Allira. If you did the Persian Tiles in the Eastern Jewels colourway (rather than the original one which was in lots of navy) there would be less waste. I couldn’t work with all that dark navy. Very tiring on the eyes.

Here is mine. Made several years ago. I do a different border to the pattern.

I've just had to look up this pattern and her work as I'm not a crochet person - and have come across this lovely delft pattern which I think is similar and rather lovely with its gently scoopy edges.

Primrose53

Allira

NotSpaghetti

Allira -surely nothing uses up the stash as generally you have to buy more in order to finish!

😂

Well, I was just looking at the Persian Tiles pattern and thinking 🤔 is three-quarters of a left-over ball of one of the colours enough, and I'd need four balls of navy and so it goes on!

Allira. If you did the Persian Tiles in the Eastern Jewels colourway (rather than the original one which was in lots of navy) there would be less waste. I couldn’t work with all that dark navy. Very tiring on the eyes.

Here is mine. Made several years ago. I do a different border to the pattern.

That's lovely, Primrose.

Yes, I did wonder about the navy, especially in the electric light. I'm doing a border, some of which is in teal, at the moment and thst's bad enough.

Well, I've just watched the 3rd (?) episode, mostly, although I'll admit to 😴 through some of it.

The only thought that comes to mind is that knitting and crocheting has had quite a revival recently, as retro has become popular, but if anything is guaranteed to halt that revival, then this programme is it!

I couldn’t agree more, Allira. The programme has nothing much going for it at all. I skim through it just in case there is anything interesting (who am I kidding?) but I wouldn’t even start to watch any more if another series is coming up.

Crossstitchfan

I couldn’t agree more, Allira. The programme has nothing much going for it at all. I skim through it just in case there is anything interesting (who am I kidding?) but I wouldn’t even start to watch any more if another series is coming up.

I compared the lovely stole that the guest, Jane Crowfoot, was wearing with the efforts of the contestants!
Surely we want to see smaller items, if possible beautifully made?

I packed in watching after two weeks. I love knitting and crocheting too much for them to spoilt it for me. Each to their own.

I'd like to take over the programme and make a few changes 🤣

Get rid of those two women judges or maybe just the one with the hair who keeps crying

Each week show a tutorial about how to knit or crochet for beginners

Have a project that people can try themselves like...
A hat and scarf
A knitted throw
Something Christmassy like the candle and bottle holders

Nobody knits a sofa cover or a deckchair thing. I rest my case!

I'll vote for you, Millie22 👏👏👏

I’ll vote for you too Millie22.

Swimwear ! Deckchairs ! In November?

I have seen lots of clever beautiful Xmas hats scarves dolls teddies etc - much more appropriate in my humble opinion. At least they could be completed in the time perhaps.

Millie22

I'd like to take over the programme and make a few changes 🤣

Get rid of those two women judges or maybe just the one with the hair who keeps crying

Each week show a tutorial about how to knit or crochet for beginners

Have a project that people can try themselves like...
A hat and scarf
A knitted throw
Something Christmassy like the candle and bottle holders

Nobody knits a sofa cover or a deckchair thing. I rest my case!

You’re absolutely right. The format as it is would put off anyone wanting to try knitting or crocheting for the first time.
An explanation of stitches and types of yarn would also be helpful to a beginner.
The judges actually say very little that is either helpful or constructive criticism. Their demeanour is not up to date and would make a younger person think knitting and crocheting are for ‘Grannies’. In fact I’m a knitting Granny and they put me off!

A knitted throw is too big for 12hrs, but a baby blanket would show similar skills.

Sorry to be difficult but I like Tom Daley. I like him as a presenter, but most of all I like how he's got younger people knitting and crocheting, and men knitting and crocheting

So relieved that it's not just me! Just finished yet another 'using the stash' blanket, with enough left over for cushions, which may or may not need just a few new purchases ...

Thank you everyone 😊

Let's hope tonight's programme has something we can all aspire to make. I'm not holding my breath though.

I haven’t watched this, I would probably find it too irritating judging by some of the comments on here anyway.

There are so many instructional videos available on YouTube some very good that it would be difficult to give the same level of support needed on a tv programme.
Years and years ago (around the time that the Open University was broadcast on BBC 2 there was a lot of “teachy” content but also adult education was in it’s hey day too.

By contrast today for the past 20 years every skill based series singing, cooking, baking, dressmaking, pottery, and so on has had to have some element of jeapody or working against the clock, followed by someone being eliminated each episode. This is presumably because the producers feel that audiences would be too bored with straight forward “how to” nowdays.

I think of Delia Smith and how it was all about the food and not about her, no showboating -then compare and contrast with Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsey, all very “lifestyle” I know which of these I preferred and learned most from.
Although having said all this I have enjoyed The Great Pottery Throwdown mainly because there is hardly any crying in it…well not from the contestants anyway.😃

Enjoyed it tonight and I think most of the knitters have improved quite a lot.

Judges very critical tonight and the judge with the knitting needles sticking out of her head!!!

Right person sent home tonight.

Primrose53

Enjoyed it tonight and I think most of the knitters have improved quite a lot.

Judges very critical tonight and the judge with the knitting needles sticking out of her head!!!

Right person sent home tonight.

She was probably relieved!

Saw a post on FB where a wool shop owner was saying how good the prog has been for her business. She says she has loads of new customers coming in for yarn and hooks and needles!

If it inspires more people to have a go then that’s great. Once you know the basics and get a feel for it then you decide what you want to make and you don’t have to make sofa covers and dog coats! 😝