So, without further ado ...
Let's start with the Lily Pond Afghan:
I love her, but she did not do well at the fair. (I was at the judging, so I know why. Doesn't make her less pretty to me. 😊)
Next up, the Flatirons Shawl:
And continuing with "didn't win any prizes," this slouch hat (which I made with the leftover yarn from the shawl above):
Again, there are lots of hats, so the competition is fierce. She did like my pompom, so that was nice. (Seriously, I'll take any compliments I can get.)
This stole was awarded second place:
I saw this in my local yarn shop. It was knitted, which is a craft I don't do. But I loved the yarn (it's eight different yarn textutres all dyed in the same color scheme—so one yarn is mohair, one is wool, one is silk, one has a bit of metallic in it, etc.), so I thought "How hard could it be do do a crochet version?" Answer: Not very.
And not to brag (OK, to brag), everything else I entered in the crochet department took first place:
Those of you who work with me might recognize this hat and the previous hat as my stitch 'n' bitch hats—the ones I work on in meetings at work!
I'm particularly proud of this hat, because it received the Reserve Champion for adult crochet. (Meaning, it was the second best among adults who entered crochet.) I believe in my talent, but I'm always ecstatic to win any kind of Champion ribbon in crochet. 😄
Hard to see, but this scarf has beads on it!
I know doilies are a little old-fashioned, but I'm a little old fashioned.
This poncho can be worn with the pointy part in front or on the side, so that's cute. And I love this yarn, which I got as a birthday gift from a co-worker who apparently loves me a lot. (Thanks again, GerRee!)
This tote—I did the crochet, and I don't think the crochet part is that great. But what makes this tote awesome is the finishing. The straps and the yarn came in a kit (with a button—though not this button). I probably could have sewn the straps on (and the button), but I wanted the bag to be lined. My sister-in-law has just started quilting, and when I asked if she thought she could finish this bag for me--lining, straps and button--she did not hesitate to say yes. She discarded the boring, plain button for this beautiful green button (the judge could not stop saying how much she loved the button!), and was meticulous about doing the lining. I am sure the finishing is the reason this tote took first place. (Thanks again, Alice!)
Next, let's move to the jewelry department! Here I entered one necklace and one bracelet. Both received first place:
Finally, surface stitchery, my original passion.
First, hardanger (a third-place finisher). I don't love doing hardanger, but I love how it looks after:
Next, a sampler. This is mostly cross stitch, but it does have some specialty stitches. This is a second-place finisher:
And here is a really close-up picture of this one:
On to beading:
Another first-place entry, and this one received a Champion ribbon (best in advanced/professional beading).
Last but not least, needlepoint, my favorite form of surface stitchery:
Here's a close-up of the middle:
This was a first-place entry that received a Champion ribbon in the advanced/professional needlepoint category.
Overall, I am super excited about my fair results this year. By the numbers:
- 15 entries
- 12 placed
- 9 first-place ribbons
- 2 second-place ribbons
- 1 third-place ribbon
- 1 Reserve Champion ribbon
- 2 champion ribbons
Thanks to everyone who supports me (by buying me yarn or shopping for yarn with me, helping me finish things, giving me advice on patterns, encouraging me, telling me how awesome I am [no, I know, super egotistical], and fawning over my pieces), and thanks to all the people who volunteer their time to keep the Boulder County Fair running! See you next year!
P.S. I mentioned a Harry Potter cake. I didn't make one, but check this out:
This was done by a child. A CHILD. So impressive.
