Who's off to the Knitting and Stitching Show in Birmingham tomorrow? I'm getting a day out of the office to go up to it. I'm looking forward to a couple of hours' knitting on the train there and back, but the real treat is going to be seeing the hats for the Catch A Sailor's Fancy competition that we ran with Coats and the Sailors' Society. Less of a treat will be having to single out some winners – as Deb is abroad, I've been given the task of judging the hats. At I Knit Day two competitions were judged, the Natural Dye Studio's loo roll dolly competition in aid of the Mirasol Project and I Knit London's own Design an Alien competition. The entries were superb (I especially liked loo roll dolly number 8, Bogpuss, which was one of the winning designs) and it must have been agonising trying to choose winners. I fear picking winning hats will be no easier. First there's the idea behind the hat to consider, then the craftsmanship… and with so much care and effort having gone into every entry, it seems mean not to be able to choose them all!
There will be some fascinating displays of textile art at the show, mostly embroidery. If you're looking for some inspiration for embellishing your knits, these could gave you just the boost you need. You can also join in workshops, bookable at the show, and do a bit of shopping. And don't forget to take a look at those marvellous, unwearable sailor hats!
Wednesday September 10, 2008 
