Saturday, October 14, 2006

I WAS ROBBED!!

Okay, maybe not ROBBED, but I still want an explanation on why I didn't get a first.

Wait. Start at the beginning.

We drove to Columbia, rented a stroller, and checked out the state fair. This is the baby meeting some cows:

We also wheeled her up to the equestrian ring while they were doing dressage competition and she yelled "KITTY!" and waved her arms. Everyone within hearing distance burst out laughing.

We found the fiber arts building. My lace was nicely displayed, wrong-side out:


And someone hung up the Blue Shimmer. They flunk textile conservation for this year. Hanging up for a month will probably cure any questions we had about length, huh?

If you can see to the right, that's the top of a REALLY nice medieval-style dress that won a first in the sewing competition. I wish I'd gotten a better photo of it.

After much grousing and muttering (while the husbeast announced to everyone that I had knit the small-gauge blue doily, and no, it was NOT crochet, and the little old ladies looked at me in my old tee shirt, ball cap, and super-dark sunglasses suspiciously) I found the winning lace entry, in the case with all the other 'best of show' stuff.

And a closeup:


Now. I am not saying the knitter of this is not worthy of a first place (although it looks like acrylic from the way it blocked - which is to say, not terribly well - and was knit on pretty big needles, like fives/3.75mm) but if SHE won first place, I want to know why I didn't also.

I think this was what put her over the top:

A knitted-on border. They want a knitted-on border? Fine. Next year I'll do a bloody freakin' knitted-on border. On 0000's. With tatting cotton.

I am now a woman posessed. I have two more years living here to win a bloody first.

Second place, my ass.

10 comments:

Laura B said...

You DEFINITELY were robbed!

Sheepish Annie said...

Robbed is an understatement. That's all I can say about that. Cripes...

Alwen said...

Crivens. Maybe they can't SEE that small? Maybe you need to think rope and broomstick needles?

My sympathies -- I think you was robbed, kid.

PS -- Little kids are great, aren't they? I'd a snorked Coke out my nose. Heh, "Kitty!"

Bells said...

Oh. that's not fair. Really, simply not fair. You were going to pass on relevant email addresses to us right? So we can bombard them with hellish fury? They wanna see mad? they need to see knitters out for blood.

Kitty. tee hee!

Amy Lane said...

Whose gonna serve asses on a platter now! I'm looking forward to seeing you go! (I hate knowing that I'm right but that the vainglorious prickweenies in charge can't see it.)

April said...

Yep, you were robbed. I don't see anything spectacular in the first place winner. One of the winner's relatives probably judged the competition. That's some serious suckage.

Kitty? Umm, exactly how BIG is your cat at home?

Dez Crawford said...

Man, my heart bleeds for you. State fair judges can be so ... WEIRD.

Once, in our state fair many years back, Best Of Show went to an acrylic intarsia adult-sized sweater featuring geese with ribbons on the front.

I am not being a fiber snob -- maybe the knitter lived in Dry Prong or Haynesville or Cotton Valley, and only had a K-Mart within two hour's driving distance.

The acrylic intarsia goose-with-ribbon was perfectly excecuted, in a pattern from a magazine, in the color choices recommended in the magazine. You could not even find the tucked-in-ends on the wrong side.

What bothered me that year was WHAT DID NOT EVEN PLACE: a handspun, handknit lace baby set ... an original design with PERFECT laceweight yarn, spun from the knitter's very own sheep, and knitted in a complicated lace pattern.

Things that make you go, "HUH???"

Anonymous said...

Clearly they needed glasses but remind yourself...you live in the south and a Yankee would never be allowwd a chance of winning!!!!!

debsnm said...

If they hung your doily WRONG SIDE OUT - they obviously have no business judging the knitting. I'm up for a 3-day drive - where do I find these idiots?????

Anonymous said...

Right.

Don't they know the dangers of making knitters angry? We have stores of sharp pointy sticks at our disposal!