2015 Melbourne Show

This was not my best year at the Show.  Despite entering three categories the best I could manage was a Third place.  I've been told that you learn more from failure than success, so here are the things I have learned this year:

• I need to improve my blocking.

The blue one with white is mine.  As you can see it's hanging unevenly. 

With proper blocking it should look like this orange one.  Nice and even.

• I also need to remember to attach the yarn tags.

This was a sponsored category, which means I had to use a specific yarn and pattern.  I forgot to attach the tags to prove I used the right yarn.  Marks were deducted.

(I also had marks deducted for having ends visible.  I'm choosing to ignore this because I had to sew in about 400 more ends than any other competitor.  Those white segments aren't easy.) 

• Quantity beats quality for amigurumi

I know judges decisions are final, but I'm not sure about the judging for the Amigurumi category.  It seems like the more work has gone into a project, the less they care about consistency. 

Too be fair, the winner was pretty cool. Such neat stitching.

Second place was also very detailed. Embroidering a pretty face is a real skill and I really like the hair.

But Third place made me wonder.  

I'm not sure about all the different thread weights.  The cockatoo is made of much finer yarn than the other critters.  For my money, if you're going to make a set, make them all from the same sized yarn.  

At least this one didn't win. 

That is either a giant clownfish or a tiny seal. Extra points though for crocheting the ground.

• Amigurumi are bigger than I thought

My understanding of amigurumi was that they were small and cute (under 10 cm).  Whilst the winners were cute they weren't small, about 20 - 25 cm in height. For reference here is my Sherlock and Watson sitting with the other amigurumi sized amigurumi.  

Much cuter. Check out that tiny violin.

• Colour choice matters

In hindsight making my doily in sunshine yellow probably wasn't a good move.  I think it was a bit too much for the judges.  Instead the judges went with much more traditional colours.

First place

Second place

On the plus side, at least I managed a Third.

For an experiment maybe I should enter the same design next year in a more subtle colour.

Anyway enough with the whinging.  Here is the Best in Show a crochet blanket showcasing every stitch imaginable.  

Keeping it all one colour really shows off the variety of the stitches.  Pretty cool.