1, 2, 3, 4!

Yesterday was a perfect day to go to the California State Fair. The weather was cooler than normal--high 80's to low 90's--and there was a slight breeze. We arrived early enough to get one of the coveted parking spaces under the solar panels. Hooray!



Our first stop was the CA Crafts Competition. They moved it to a different exhibit hall and my initial impression was that there were a lot fewer pieces on display. But now I'm not sure--it could be that the different space and layout just made it seem that way. Anyway, I'll get right to the results of the Knitting, Scarves & Shawls competition since so many of my friends want to see the winners--


First Place
Brittany Birch Knitting Award
Amille Wedding Shaw
Kate Vanderslice
Sacramento


Second Place
Homage Shawl
Jillian Jackson
Butte


Third Place
Woven Friends Shawl
Denise Boyce
Placer

and of course,


Fourth Place
52 Pickup + 2 Jokers
Janice Kang

I liked all of the pieces that placed higher than mine and my favorite was the 3rd place shawl. The color choice and the woven sections made it stand out. Pretty and smart.

I wished I could have seen the first place wedding shawl in all its glory. Displaying it folded up didn't show off the size or detail of the piece.

Speaking of displays... the way my piece was displayed was more than unfortunate, it completely obliterated one of the coolest features of double knitting--that there is no "wrong" side to the scarf! Typically double knitting is done in 2 colors and one side is the negative of the other. But this scarf not only has no "wrong" side, each side of the scarf is a completely different pattern and all is worked in 3 colors. Unfortunately, the way it was displayed showed only one side of the scarf so the complexity and "how'd she do that?" mystery was hidden. It really bothered me. I could not let it stand.

Now it is fixed.



I have more photos from our visit to the fair and I'll post them in the next few days.