Virginia State Fair

From reading the knitted-lace list, I got the idea of entering my knitting in a fair. I missed the Arlington County Fair deadline, so I thought, what the heck, I'll aim high and try the State Fair. I was torn between the Shetland Tea Shawl and the Springtime shawl, but since the STS has an awkward join at the edging, I went with the other one, and entered it in the "Knitting: Other" category.

Much to my surprise ... I not only won first place in my category, I also won Best In Section for all knitted items! Today I went to the Arts & Crafts exhibit at the fair. My shawl is displayed in the glass case with the other Best In Section winners. I saw some beautiful afghans, scarves, and sweaters that had also been entered, and am very flattered that the judges chose my piece.

It turns out there is a category for knitted and crocheted lace in the Lace section. There are two divisions: Novice and Expert. Their definition of novice is someone who has been making lace for less than two years; so I think if I enter that section next year, I will have to enter the Expert division. There were some wonderful crocheted tablecloths, so I think the competition there will be tough. I'm already thinking about what I want to enter.

This was so much fun. Next year I think I'm going to try to coerce my friends into entering other competitions. Duct tape, anyone?

In the photos below, my shawl is the blue one on the left.