Game of Wool
My thoughts on series 1!
1/6/20263 min read
Game of Wool is the first knitting competition TV show, introducing new audiences to the world of knitting. Contestants compete in various knitting and crochet challenges, creating interesting and unique items. It is done in a similar style to other British creative competition shows, such as The Great British Bake-Off, The Great British Sewing Bee, and The Great Pottery Throwdown. I love all of these shows, and was extremely excited when I heard a knitting version was in the works. The show is hosted by Tom Daley, who is a knitter himself, and I first heard of the show since I follow him on Instagram. The first series just recently finished airing, and I would like to share some of my thoughts.
Why Game of Wool Matters
Concept and Format
The format of Game of Wool is similar to that of the other shows mentioned earlier. The series starts with ten contestants, one being eliminated in each episode, until there are three left in the final competition. Each episode shows two challenges that are to be completed in a particular timeframe, one solo and one in teams. Two judges, Di Gilpin and Sheila Greenwell, analyze the finished (or not) knitted pieces and decide who will win and receive a sheep badge that week, and who will be eliminated based on creativity, skill, and how well the contestants met the brief of the challenge.
The Challenges
The challenges were relatively short, with most projects expected to be finished in 10-12 hours. Anyone who has completed even one knitting project can tell you that most knitted things take much longer than that. Working with bulky or jumbo yarn will speed up a project, but many knitters are not used to working with those weights. The time constraints may make for compelling TV, but may not be the most fair in a knitting competition. There were a few challenges with mandatory crochet elements, which confused me a bit, as the show is meant to find the country’s best knitter. Some of the contestants even admitted that they had never crocheted before. Talk about learning under pressure! Some of the challenges were for wearables, some were more conceptual. Most were modern or experimental projects, instead of something traditionally knitted. (Warning: spoilers ahead) One particular challenge had the contestants in teams of two crochet beach chairs. This one was definitely out of the box, and not something that would be typically knitted or crocheted.
Judging
Di and Sheila are both well known in the UK for their innovative and contemporary knitting style and design, making them a good choice for judging. The judges inspected each piece carefully, and I largely agreed with their conclusions. They took into consideration how well each piece met the challenge given, the skill that was demonstrated in each piece, and the creativity. They often pointed out to the contestants that they wanted to see a variety of stitch patterns used, showing the range of skills the knitters have.
Controversy and Criticism
The very first challenge in the first episode sparked some controversy, particularly among knitters from the Shetland Islands. The challenge was to make a “Fair Isle” tank top, however, only one contestant (Gordan) stayed true to the Fair Isle technique, and he was eliminated! It made sense for him to go, given that his top was incomplete, but the controversy could have been avoided by calling it a stranded knitting challenge (all Fair Isle is stranded, but not all stranded knitting is Fair Isle). As I mentioned earlier, some of the challenges were a little too out of the box. There are reasons why no one knits or crochets deck chairs or swimsuits! I think the show would be much more successful if the challenges were set over multiple days, with time given specifically to design and swatch. The distinction between knitting and crocheting should be made clearer. If I wasn’t a knitter/crocheter myself and watched the show, I would probably think crochet is a form of knitting based on the awful AI-generated image explaining the two crafts. In general, it seemed to me that the producers of the show were familiar with reality TV but lacked knowledge of knitting.
Ultimately, I hope they continue the show, but with some major changes. I truly hope they consider the feedback from the knitting community to make improvements. Did you watch the show? What were your thoughts? Use the form below to let me know! As always, happy stitching!
