HKF / HMF

It's Hand Knit Friday and Hand Made Friday! What lovely handmade creations do you have close at hand?

This is a kit I got at Stitches West 2019. It's the Crossflower Shawl designed by Katy H Carroll of Katinka Designs in Marianated Yarns Hoth Practicality. The stitch markers weren't included in the kit, but they are handmade.

Closing the chapter

The CA State Fair closed at the end of July and my entry was returned this week. I tore open the box and pulled out an envelope that contained the ribbon and judge's scoresheet.





The judge's comments are,

Wow! This is a wonderful piece of double knitting. I'm amazed at how well you maintained your tension with so much going on! Good job!

I had to read it twice because I thought if anything was going to knock me down a few notches, it was going to be the tension. I guess not. And it was good to hear that she recognized the technique and the level of difficulty. So, that closes the the chapter on this year's entry. As I'm working on next year's entry, I'm thinking, "Why do I put myself through this?" lol

Here are the rest of the photos I took at the fair. Enjoy the amazing work by these talented makers and other sights from the fair!


Lunch on a stick


Kabobs


Meat on the grill


Cow wash


Best of Show
Decorated Cake, Tiered Cake
Wine Country Vines and Flowers
Shay Weisbrich


Best of Class
Decorated Cupcakes, Uniform Cupcakes
Hamburger
Joana Rodriguez


Winners in Leavened Bread, Non-Leavened Bread, and Quick Bread


Best of Division
Decorated Cookies, Themed Cookie Set
Golden State Sweets
Cynthia Torres


First Place
Decorated Cookies, Themed Cookie Set
Sunshine & Summertime
Kimberly Vadenais


Best of Class
Youth Decorated Cake, Age 16-18
Chess Cake
Sara Cheng


King Arthur Flour gluten free baking contest
First Place
Mexican Corn Stick
Jennine Quiring

Second Place
Strawberry Cabernet Cake
Rachael Ryen

Third Place
Brown Butter & Mixed Berries Mini Cakes
Peggy Linberg


Second Place
Models, Buildings and Rooms
Fallingwater
Bill Reese
Sacramento


Third Place
Models, Buildings and Rooms
Caveman Camping
Kevin Knight
Sacramento


Best of Division, Embroidery (Counted Techniques)
Judge's Choice
First Place
Mother of Winter
Lona Bradford
Sacramento








Award of Excellence
3-D Artworks
Patience
Molly Brown
Sacramento


First Place
Handspun Yarn, Wool
Sock Yarn
Melissa Plummer
Amador


Second Place
Handspun Yarn, Wool
Derby Girl
Rachel Coffman
Placer


First Place
Handspun Yarn, Art/Textured Yarn
Christmas!
Betty Henderson-Sparks
Sacramento


Second Place
Handspun Yarn, Art/Textured Yarn
Fairy Queen
Ha Dang
Sacramento


Honorable Mention
Handspun Yarn, Luxury Fibers
Sunset Silk
Tabitha Warren
Marin


Honorable Mention
Other Fiber Art, Weaving
Amethyst in the sunshine
Pamela McSmith
Riverside


Honorable Mention
Other Fiber Art, Weaving
Color: I can't help myself!
Roberta Valdez
Santa Cruz


First Place
Modern Quilts, Two or More People -Medium/Large
Alissa McBain
Sacramento


Honorable Mention
Crochet, Crocheted Afghans
2017 Temperature Blanket
Josephine Salazar
San Joaquin


First Place
Crochet, Any Other Crocheted Item
Bed Doily
Suzanne Sullivan
Sacramento


First Place
Crochet, Crocheted Wearing Apparel
Judge's Choice
Forest Fairy
Suzanne Sullivan
Sacramento


Second Place
Crochet, Crocheted Wearing Apparel
Summer Vest
Suzanne Sullivan
Sacramento


Honorable Mention
Crochet, Crocheted Wearing Apparel
Sacramento Crochet Guild Award
Royal Baby
Noelia Briones
Sacramento


First Place
Dolls and Toys, Amigurumi
Wakanda Forever
Adwoa Cooper
Solano


First Place & Third Place
Crafting a Brighter Future, Newborns in Need: Any Baby Hat or Booties
Melinda Wong
Sacramento

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.

HKF/HMF

It's Hand Knit and Hand Made Friday! What hand made pieces are you wearing today? I'm wearing Clapotis and a Beadlemania stamped pendant.

HKF/HMF

It's Hand Knit and Hand Made Friday at Stitches West! What hand made pieces are you wearing today? I'm wearing Chimney Fire, Mardi Gras Pincha, and a blingy butterfly.

HKF/HMF

It's Hand Knit Friday AND Hand Made Friday! What hand made beauties are you wearing today? I'm sporting Cal Pincha and a couple stamped pieces. Más café por favor.


Beadlemania

Ready, Set, Knit!

An amazing thing happened last week--I was interviewed by Kathy Elkins on the Ready, Set, Knit podcast!

How did this happen? When I received the state fair results, I dropped Kathy a line to let her know that both pieces were done in the WEBS brand, Valley Yarns. That's when she asked if I could come on the podcast. Eek. Scary. I was excited, flattered, and apprehensive. But I could do it, I could talk about knitting, right?


2017 1st Place & Best in Division
Project Details on Ravelry


2017 4th Place
Project Details on Ravelry

We agreed on a date and then I did some homework--on myself. That might sound strange, but I've been sending entries to Sacramento for years and I've been knitting since I was quite young. There are over 200 projects on my Ravelry page so I thought it would be best if I reviewed my knitting history.

I rediscovered the other Valley Yarns projects that placed at the fair in 2014:

Mixed Tide Shawl - original design

Mixed Tide shawl
Project Details on Ravelry

Honorable Mention, Division: Knitting,
Class: Knitted Wearing Apparel
Judge's Comments: Good color choice for a "tide" pattern. Better blocking would "show off" pattern more clearly. Well done for a challenging technique.

Crackle Sac

Crackle Sac
Project Details on Ravelry

2nd Place, Division: Other Fiber Art,
Class: Any Other Fiber Art
Workmanship: 20
Level of Difficulty: 19
Design: 19
Appropriate Pattern or Technique: 19
Creative use of materials or fabric: 18
Judge's Comments: Very good job! Weaving, making bag, matching pattern on seams! Well done.

When recording day came, I found a quiet spot in the house with the best cell reception, which can be iffy at best. Thankfully the phone showed 2 bars that morning. The call from Kathy came, she reviewed the process, and then I listened to her and Steve talk for a few minutes before my segment. I want to say that I waited patiently, but "patiently" doesn't describe the mass of butterflies that I swallowed with my morning coffee. Maybe I shouldn't have had so much caffeine, huh? Ya think?

Then it was my turn. [Deep breath] I did my best to slow down, listen, and think about what I was going to say before words started spewing forth. I was super nervous, but Kathy was a champ and guided me through the interview like the pro she is. Now when I listen to the podcast, I wish I didn't say "um" so many times. I wasn't even aware of it. Oh and there was the slip when I said I started the shawl in 2006 instead of 2016. Thankfully Kathy corrected that. Nerves. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the end product.

I still can't believe that I was a guest on RSK!

Here's a link to the web site where you can hear "Ready, Set, Knit! Show 491: Kathy Talks With Janice Kang"