Well, the Minnesota State Fair is over for another year and I walked away without a ribbon. You might remember I knit theses Retro Goldy Gopher mittens and entered them in the colorwork mittens category.
I was a little worried, because from what I had seen in the past, the winners are usually a Scandinavian design. Still, there is nothing in the rules that says they have to be that style. The only rule is that they have to use at least two colors in a row. I was hoping my reference to the University of Minnesota mascot might get me some extra points. Looking at the winners, I would have to say my worries about not doing a Scandinavian design were right. Let’s take a look…
(Please excuse the quality, all the entries are behind glass and lit with florescent light.)
These were the first place winner.
Second and third
Two fourth place winners. (I couldn’t find the third fourth place winner.)
I was a little disappointed especially since these were my own design. I do have to tell you that I have heard from one person who went on Ravelry to find my mittens after seeing them at the fair. Also while I was there someone was pointing them out to someone else as a really good knit that hadn’t won. (She was disappointed that she only took third in another category and was questioning the judging.) I’ll be interesting to see the critique when I pick them up tonight. I wonder if they are going to say there wasn’t enough all over colorwork pattern?
Don’t worry, I’m already thinking of next year’s entry and this one will be more Scandinavian in design.
© 2005 – 2013 Kathy Lewinski & Susan Cornish
Rats! I was rooting for you! Your design was awesome. Be careful about changing your design to match what you think a judge is looking for. Judges can and do change, especially when Exhibits Coordinators notice that a judge’s personal preference is showing and a certain style keeps winning.
I am so thrilled you even entered something. You know I have a huge State Fair Romance thing. Fried Food, games and crafts all in one place? Oh Yes. I am a little disappointing with the 4th place winner, only because that is a pattern I recognize! And yours is original. But, as they say in Project Runway “you never know what the judges are going to say”. Congratulations for “sending them down the runway” I think they are beautiful.
You was robbed! Still #1 in my book.
I think they’re very clever, and well made. I guess the judges aren’t alumnae. I’ll bet these would be huge favorites with the right audience.
I agree with Dr. Russ. You were robbed! I’d interested in what the heck the judges had to say about it. I didn’t realize that you would get feedback. The others might be pretty, but you’ve got letters and logo, seems to me to be a more complicated and more difficult to pull off. Bummer!
You may not have won a ribbon, but you’ve got an awesome set of mittens now. Win.