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00:00A new generation of knitters are taking the world by storm.
00:04With just two needles or a hook, they are testing the limits of creativity.
00:09And ten of the nation's most talented are joining me in Scotland to battle it out stitch
00:15by stitch to secure the ultimate crown.
00:19Each week they will face two mind-blowing challenges right here in our magical Yarn Bark.
00:25The solo challenge will test the knitters' individual talent and skill.
00:38I think those are going to look visually very pleasing.
00:41While the team challenge will see them collaborate on a scale never seen before.
00:46Is it straight?
00:47What do I care about straight?
00:49Nothing escapes the forensic gaze of judges Di Gilpin and Sheila Greenwell.
00:55Softly spoken, but with eyes sharp as steel.
00:58I will be looking at the smaller technical details.
01:01I want to see that creativity coming out.
01:04Oh my gosh, Sheila!
01:05I always cry when I see something beautiful.
01:10Ten knitters, eight weeks, 16 spectacular challenges and one ultimate champion.
01:19I need small sharp scissors.
01:20So as fast as you can.
01:21Oh, I've missed a stitch.
01:23We can do this.
01:24We can, we can, we can.
01:25At the end of the day this is a competition and someone has to be cast off.
01:30This is knitting like you've never seen it before.
01:36It's a big woolly adventure.
01:38Britain's best knitter, that would be unbelievable.
01:41Welcome to Game of Wool, Britain's best knitter.
01:48It's week one and ten talented amateur knitters have arrived in Scotland.
01:58Historic home of all things wool, where the sheep are fluffy, the stakes are high and our
02:04magical yarn barn awaits.
02:05Our magical yarn barn awaits.
02:06Wow!
02:07Oh God!
02:08Look!
02:09Doesn't this look fabulous?
02:10Oh wow!
02:11As our knitters battle it out to claim big knitter of the week and avoid the dreaded cast off.
02:32Welcome knitters.
02:44I'm Tom and over the next eight weeks I'm going to be guiding you through some incredible challenges
02:49where nine of you are sadly going to be cast off.
02:52But we will be left with one Game of Wool champion Britain's best knitter.
02:58And although I am knitting obsessed, I'm not going to be judging you through this competition.
03:02I have two people next to me who are true knitting VIPs.
03:07We have Di Gilpin and Sheila Greenwell who have worked with the likes of Chanel, Vivian Westwood
03:13and even His Majesty the King himself.
03:16These queens of couture have built their career on high fashion, hand-knit, show-stopping garments.
03:23And in this competition, nothing less than perfection will do.
03:27I'll be interrogating all of the technical choices that they have to make.
03:32I want to be completely blown away by creativity.
03:37Every stitch counts.
03:40These two boss stitches are going to be responsible for setting.
03:45Your challenges each and every week.
03:48And speaking of challenges, this is your first solo challenge
03:52where you will be able to show off your individual talent and skill to impress our lovely judges.
03:59For your first solo challenge, we'd like you to reimagine a fair isle.
04:07We'd like you to make a tank top.
04:09And we'd like you to make it your story defining who you are as a person.
04:14There are a few key elements to include.
04:18Repeating patterns.
04:19We would like to see periods or motifs in your tank top.
04:24Don't let the people of Fair Isle down.
04:28There you go. I mean you've heard Di and Sheila.
04:33They would love for you to make a modern twist on the classic, the Scottish Fair Isle.
04:38But as a tank top, you only have 12 hours.
04:41So, let's get knitting.
04:47Fair Isle is a traditional but tricky knitting style which was invented here.
04:52On Fair Isle, a tiny island in the Shetlands centuries ago.
04:58Fair Isle is a visual story told through repeating bands of symmetrical patterns,
05:02larger motifs and smaller periods.
05:05The yarn barn's fully stocked haberdashery is now open.
05:11This is my idea of heaven.
05:13And knitters have full creative freedom to design and knit their own Fair Isle story.
05:20All right. Come on later.
05:27To knit their tank tops, they will all start from the hem of the garment
05:31and work upwards using circular needles,
05:34which means they can knit continuously in a loop.
05:37Then, they will move on to their Fair Isle Piri's and motifs,
05:42which they have meticulously designed beforehand.
05:45To knit these, they will use a technique called stranded colour work,
05:49which is where they alternate two coloured yarns along each knitted row
05:53to create their iconic Fair Isle pattern.
05:56Once the body of the tank top is done, they switch to straight needles
06:00to create the arm and neck holes before finishing and weaving in any loose ends.
06:06An average Fair Isle tank top could take over 40 hours to finish using a fine weight wool.
06:12Our knitters are using chunkier yarn because they have just 12 hours to complete this first challenge.
06:19This is quite a first challenge, creating a modern twist of a Fair Isle, but with a tank top.
06:25We deliberately set a really tough first challenge.
06:29We wanted to push them both in creative and technical terms.
06:34It's a visual world, Fair Isle.
06:37We really want them to be telling their own story,
06:39talking about themselves through the medium of knit.
06:45I've started my tank top at the bottom edge with the ribbing.
06:49That will then go into the main body of the tank top.
06:52Originally from Germany, but now living in London, is Savile Row fashion designer Holger.
06:57I was always very much interested in the construction of clothes, the way they are made.
07:01And obviously for classic men's tailoring, Savile Row is like the place to be.
07:06Fair Isle is very much what I like doing, but not on this yarn and not on this needle.
07:12So to tell me that I have to express myself on a super chunky yarn is like asking a vegetarian to express themselves with a medium of steak or something.
07:24Holger has chosen ribbed neck and arm holes for his tank top.
07:30On the body, he's gone for classic Fair Isle motifs and peeries in a red, yellow and blue gradient, inspired by a previous project.
07:38She came into being around the time as everybody seemed to have been knitting emotional support chickens.
07:45It does represent me a nonchalant chicken.
07:50For my design, I've got a repeating pattern throughout of the Sierra Leonean flag because my family is from Sierra Leone.
07:56Cyber security student Isaac learned to knit when he was 10 years old.
08:03I knit primarily for myself because I don't have to impress too much. It's quite handy. I don't need to stick to any deadlines.
08:12I have in the past knit for my mum and my granddad.
08:16Isaac's family inspired tank top features a gaggle of geese marching across it as his motif and peeries in the colours of the Sierra Leonean flag.
08:27It's finished with a ribbed hem, neckline and arm holes.
08:33So Isaac, what exactly are you up to? You've gotten through the ribbing and you've done your first motif.
08:38My main motif is a series of geese. My mum calls me a silly goose. My girlfriend calls me a silly goose. I'm just a silly goose.
08:45In terms of time, is it something that you're worried about with this challenge?
08:49I'm not great at estimating time, so I suppose we'll see.
08:56Fair Isle is largely a lot of what I do when I knit for myself, so I sort of feel I know what I'm doing.
09:02Already familiar with the Fair Isle technique is cruise ship singer Gordon.
09:08I'm a very traditional knitter. I've never tried anything particularly avant-garde.
09:13Heritage knit enthusiast Gordon is combining his love of Shetland with his passion for music by knitting peeries of piano keys accompanied by the oxo motifs used in traditional Fair Isle designs.
09:26Gordon is the only knitter attempting the risky traditional Fair Isle method of steeking, which means to cut open the neck and arm holes.
09:36You heard that right. Cut into the knitting. You can't spell steek without spelling eek.
09:42It won't ravel out. People think it'll just completely disintegrate, but it won't.
09:53Knitters, that's two hours gone. You have ten hours remaining.
09:57A pile of wool next to me. A cup of tea on the side.
10:01Nice. It's altered.
10:03You guys are loving this, aren't you? Time over your lives.
10:07The best part of any day is a cup of tea.
10:14Hoping to impress the judges with a nature-inspired knit is psychotherapist Tracey.
10:19Hello. Hello.
10:20I'm a grandmother of eight and I've been knitting as long as I think I've been breathing.
10:27Do you want to tell us a little bit about the design?
10:29As I kind of thought about what I'm going to do with this, I saw a picture in a charity shop and it was a picture of trees.
10:35So I kind of believe that everyone's born as a little seed and then they grow into a mighty tree.
10:40And no one says, well that's a fat tree, that's an odd tree, it's a weird tree.
10:43We just love trees the way they are.
10:47Tracey's Fair Isle design story is all about the circle of life and incorporates nature symbols and scissors to represent pruning and shaping your path.
10:58So are you going to embellish it?
11:00I might be.
11:03You know, I've been known to add pieces of chandelier to a shawl, so I do like to change things as I go along.
11:10This whole thing has been absolutely new to me. I've never done Fair Isle before, ever in my life.
11:15Library worker Dipti knits to unwind, but is still getting to grips with some of the trickier techniques.
11:21I generally am very amateur. I have told my son that I'm going to be in a knitting competition.
11:28And he said to me, you're not very good, so you'll come home soon anyway.
11:34Dipti.
11:35Hello, Tara.
11:36How are we getting on?
11:37I am a massive fan of soft toys.
11:39Okay.
11:40And so is my little boy.
11:42This is a design for the love of his favourite soft toy.
11:46We love him so much.
11:47That's his own bedroom.
11:48He literally is a member of the family.
11:50We even celebrate his birthday.
11:52The first of August.
11:53Wow, okay.
11:55Literally, it is adorable.
11:58Dipti's knit has both heart-shaped motifs and her son's favourite birthday celebrating bunny,
12:03all incorporated in a blue, white and pink design.
12:08Is there anything with this project and this challenge in particular that you're concerned about?
12:11For me, it's always the fit.
12:13I'm not a massive maker of garments and finishing it because I'm quite a slow knitter.
12:22I'm back on track.
12:23I thought I was behind, but I'm back on track now.
12:25I'm so delighted.
12:26It's really exciting.
12:27It's making me run it faster.
12:32Oh, dearie.
12:33Can't stop them.
12:34There's smoke coming off me needles soon.
12:36This giddy knitter is life coach Stephanie, who first picked up a set of needles 45 years ago.
12:43I'm not your average gran.
12:44I do all sorts of things and now I'm in an extreme knitting competition that I'm going to win.
12:50Stephanie's Fair Isle design features motifs of all the things she loves.
12:57Games at the table with her daughters, knitting needles and a cup of tea.
13:02But she's hoping to wow the judges with a unique roll neck collar.
13:09Tell us a little bit about the design.
13:11I'm going to do a roll collar.
13:14A collar?
13:15That's exciting.
13:16That's the plan. Fingers crossed.
13:2018-year-old fashion student Meadow only got into knitting recently, but already loves its creative potential.
13:27For my motifs, I've decided to go with Daisy or my granny.
13:31I just really like bright colours.
13:33I'm the youngest knitter in the competition.
13:35I'm very excited to show people that I can make.
13:38Meadow's Fair Isle tank top is a multi-coloured love letter to her gran.
13:42Complete with checkerboard peeries and a giant daisy motif, her gran's favourite flower.
13:48I have my granny's knitting needles.
13:51She taught me how to knit when I was really young, so it's always something we've had a bond over.
13:59During the first half of the challenge, it is essential the knitters complete the body of their tank tops.
14:04To allow time for the fiddly neck and arm holes.
14:08Well, unless you've found a cheeky shortcut like me.
14:11Oh, starnit.
14:13That's me, finished with my Fair Isle sweater, and we're only halfway through.
14:18So, knitters, you're halfway through.
14:21Six hours to go.
14:24How you doing, Gordo?
14:27Um...
14:28I'm further behind than I would have liked to have been.
14:30It's like being in one of these anxiety dreams.
14:33It isn't a dream.
14:35I'm really here, and I'm knitting like mad.
14:36It's week one here in the Game of Wool yarn barn, and our ten knitters are over halfway through their first solo challenge.
14:51A modern Fair Isle tank top.
14:53The plans are still fine.
14:54I've just messed up this motif, so I'm just trying to fix it at the moment.
14:57Ex-Marine turned builder, Simon, has been knitting for over ten years.
15:02Generally, knitting on a building site goes down with a bit of shock.
15:05Like, what the hell's this dude doing with a set of knitting needles?
15:08Simon, can you tell me about your tank top design?
15:10So, my motifs are based around my life story, really.
15:15Simon's tank top is partly inspired by his time with actual tanks, as it uses the colours of the Royal Marines.
15:21He's also adding a trowel motif as a nod to his new career as a builder,
15:26and to reflect he and his wife's IVF journey, motifs of Petri dishes and egg timers.
15:32Each egg timer should, if I can get there, go down in time to signify IVF and the amount of time it took.
15:40Well, that's such a great idea, because Fair Isle usually repeats, but there's like subtle differences.
15:44Yeah.
15:45How far in are you?
15:46Not as far as I should be.
15:52Also struggling to stay afloat is cruise ship entertainer Gordon.
15:56I decided to do what I always do, and I'm stinking the armholes.
16:01Oh.
16:03Stinking using a chunkier yarn will be tricky, because this wool isn't as sticky, so it won't cling together like a Shetland wool,
16:10which is traditionally used in Fair Isle.
16:12That's quite a risky decision, Gordon.
16:16So, timing.
16:17Timing, yes.
16:18I'm hoping I'll be okay, but I don't think I'm going to be sitting around having a cup of tea.
16:23With just a few hours remaining, the knitters should all have moved on to the neck and armholes.
16:36I've done the main body of my vest, and so now I'm picking up stitches for the neckline.
16:42Lydia juggles her passion for knitting with a career in the charity sector, whilst also raising three-year-old twins.
16:49Right, I don't knit for barely anyone but myself, and yes, I have kids, and no, I don't knit for them.
16:56Wow, Lydia, what have we got going on here for your Fair Isle vest?
16:59I'm doing a take on a kente print, which is a traditional West African material.
17:04So, I was inspired by this dress.
17:06Oh, wow.
17:07This is me and my husband at our wedding party.
17:11Inspired by her wedding dress, Lydia's Fair Isle story explores her Ghanaian roots,
17:16combining traditional symbols representing love at her motifs and periods within a bright West African colour palette.
17:23Wow, that's so special. The meaning behind it, the patterns. You're cracking through it.
17:28I think I'm about an hour off.
17:30And she's not the only knitter approaching the finish line.
17:33It's possible, looking around, I might be one of the first to finish,
17:37but I've also got a couple of design features further up that take a good bit of time.
17:44Ailsa works for a ferry company and has been knitting for over 20 years.
17:49Ailsa, do you want to tell us a little bit about the story?
17:52My design is based on a day in my life.
17:55I live next to the beach with my dog Brillo. That's who this is.
17:59Oh, how lovely.
18:02Ailsa's tank top is inspired by her local beach with a waved piri accompanied by a motif of her beloved dog Brillo.
18:11She's pushing the boat out with a few extra flourishes, such as a vintage ribbon inspired necktie and a surprise on the back.
18:19I'm creating a hole, like a porthole.
18:21Oh.
18:22Because I work for a ferry company, I'm bringing that into my design because I'm lucky enough through work to be able to go to places with some of the best knitting and wool history.
18:34When I discovered that there's a history to knitting and it's such an interesting history, I was just down that rabbit hole.
18:43I have been called an old soul quite a few times in my life.
18:46I'm probably perceived as being quite quiet, but I'm just soaking everything up and seeing what I can do to be really loud with my knitting, albeit being quiet myself.
19:01How are you getting on, mate?
19:03I'm feeling very stressed about time.
19:05I am whizzing up my front piece. Unfortunately, the whizzing is not quite as whizzy as it should be.
19:12Do you want me to run across for a cuddle?
19:13I'm busy. I'm busy knitting.
19:17I think I'm here to just try and put a smile on Holger's face.
19:20Yeah, amazing. Thank you.
19:26So, right now, I'm adding a duplicate stitch to add the orange bills.
19:32So, instead of being these sad little bill-less geese, they're nice and happy and they can honk at you.
19:37Duplicate stitch is a common technique used to embroider over existing knitting to add detail.
19:44But Isaac is unusually combining this with the ladder back technique, a method to neatly hold strands of yarn on the inside of your garments.
19:51I've done duplicate stitch before, so I'm quite confident doing it. I've never done it cashing it on the back using the ladder back, but that was just as easy as doing it on the front.
20:01But I think timing-wise, I might be running a little bit behind. Still got three to go.
20:04Knitters, that's one hour to go.
20:09Is it really? No, no, no, no, no.
20:13One hour.
20:15I'm in big trouble. Major big trouble. I've got about 16 rows still to knit.
20:19In the final hour, our knitters must complete their garments and cast off their designs, which means securing their final row of stitches before presenting to the judges.
20:28Holger, how are you doing? Concerned about time, or are you...?
20:32Yep.
20:34Somebody just told me I've only got one hour left to do it in.
20:37And how are you doing, Dipti?
20:38Honestly, I haven't got the time. Sorry.
20:41Hungly!
20:44While some knitters are finishing up...
20:46I'm just finishing, casting it off here.
20:48Happy to have finished. Good to go.
20:51For others, the knit goes on.
20:53I'm unfortunately going to have to sacrifice the finish that I wanted on the neck and arms.
21:00Time-wise, it's not going to be feasible.
21:04This thing's not getting finished.
21:07I might not be able to sew the ends in, but I should have a garment that goes on a mannequin.
21:12Knitters, you have ten minutes remaining.
21:16OK, I'm going to cut these.
21:18I'm going to just stick the arm holes in the neck hole.
21:20It's not really feasible to do steeking with such a chunky yarn,
21:25because the risk of the steeks coming loose is far, far greater.
21:30I certainly admire Gordon for doing it.
21:32It takes guts.
21:39Gordon's steeking.
21:45What's that?
21:46That gives me one arm hole.
21:57Gosh, this cut is sticky.
21:59And...
22:06All done.
22:07The openings are now made.
22:08I've just got two big raggy gaping holes where your arms poke out.
22:13Knitters, cast off your stitches.
22:16This challenge is complete.
22:19Your time is up.
22:23I embraced my ends.
22:24You got them on show?
22:25Yes.
22:26Beautiful.
22:27This looks absolutely appalling.
22:29Dear God.
22:31Birthday bunnies, a gaggle of geese and steeking scares.
22:34That's 10 Fair Isle tank tops done in just 12 hours.
22:39I hope the judges see the fact that I've had a bit of fun with it.
22:43I worked really hard to create something that I think represents the culture well,
22:46so I hope I've done the side proud.
22:50Well done, knitters.
22:52Before we get to judging, I should let you in on a little secret.
22:55We're not going to be trying them on mannequins today.
22:57We have a special guest coming in to model them for you.
23:05Me.
23:06Yay!
23:09Let's get to judging with the first person, and that is Lydia, please.
23:18Wow.
23:20I mean, I could see somebody going straight down a catwalk wearing that.
23:25The colourways that you've chosen are so vibrant.
23:29Beautiful.
23:31It's a story, and Fair Isle, and knitting generally, is all about making stories.
23:37This has really answered the brief to show us you and your roots and your heritage.
23:44Well, thank you very much, Lydia.
23:46Stephanie.
23:47Stitch work is really even and flat, and as you would hope for a really nice piece of Fair Isle knitting.
23:59Colour, Stephanie.
24:01Yeah.
24:03Yeah.
24:04Well done.
24:06Next up, we have Meadow.
24:11Great colour choices.
24:12Yeah, thank you.
24:13Contemporary, modern, dynamic, can I say?
24:16Great Piri.
24:18Yes.
24:19There.
24:21It's...
24:23It's...
24:25Really worked out very well.
24:26Yeah.
24:28Next up, we have Simon.
24:33I think this is just such a lovely design story.
24:36Yes.
24:37And these I particularly love.
24:39The egg timers.
24:41Thank you, Simon.
24:42Next up, can we have Gordon, please?
24:43Ooh.
24:45The walk of shame.
24:53OK.
24:55So...
24:56You were...
24:58Steaking.
24:59Yes.
25:00Quite an undertaking in the chunky yarn.
25:04I think that's what has caused it to be more complicated.
25:08Those are difficult decisions when you're a steaker.
25:11Can I just say, Gordon, I really like the overall design.
25:16It tells me a lot about you.
25:18Piano keys, lovely Fair Isle, and it speaks Scotland.
25:22We're very sad that you ran out of time to finish it,
25:25because there is so many elements that we really appreciate.
25:30Well, thank you, Gordon.
25:31Thank you so much.
25:32Be careful.
25:35Ooh, are you OK?
25:36I'm all right.
25:37It's all right.
25:38There we go. We're out.
25:39I'm going to come and get yours, Tracey.
25:46Got tassels, Tom.
25:47Wow.
25:48Got embellishments.
25:49Who makes you do that?
25:51It's like...
25:52I actually love what you've done here, Tracey.
25:54We weren't expecting the tassels.
25:56Thank you so much.
25:57Yeah.
25:58Next up, we have Elsa.
26:07It is...
26:08Wow.
26:09Yeah.
26:10Really, really something else, actually.
26:11Yeah.
26:12I find this quite emotional.
26:15Sorry, because it's just so beautiful.
26:17Aw, thank you.
26:21There's so much about this, which is the balance, the wave pattern, your little fine detail, little tweaks that can make something completely new and different.
26:35The neckline, the classic V-neck with the tie, you've appreciated that this wool is quite chunky and that actually looks fantastic.
26:46Very much like the green touches.
26:48You know, the stitch work is really lovely.
26:51Yeah.
26:52And, oh, my gosh.
26:53I've just spotted the...
26:54Sheila!
26:55There's a porthole on the back here, Tom.
26:57It's not every day that you see a porthole in a Fair Isle tank top.
27:02Well, thank you very much, Elsa.
27:03Thank you very much.
27:05Next up, Isaac.
27:11The geese.
27:12That's a stroke of genius, really.
27:14I love it.
27:15I love the way you've put the feet one step in the grass, almost, the green.
27:20And the thing that really, really, I love, and we would need to just hold this up, the way you did a ladder back for holding your strands to use it for the duplicate stitch.
27:35It's very clever.
27:36And quite innovative, really.
27:38Yeah.
27:39I haven't seen it used very often in Fair Isle.
27:42Tell me about the neck, Isaac.
27:45I have been intending on doing ribbed neckline and armbands, but obviously I sort of ran short.
27:52Yeah.
27:53Yeah.
27:54Thank you very much, Isaac.
27:55Thank you very much, Isaac.
27:56Next up, we have Holger.
28:02Really lovely colour.
28:03Yes.
28:04And I love the transition.
28:05So how would you, Holger, have finished off the armholes?
28:08Well, I've finished one of the armholes.
28:10It's not ideally finished off either.
28:12Ideally, I would have finished the ribbing off with an Italian bind off.
28:18But there was like no time.
28:22It's a real shame about the armholes because that detracts from a really nicely tailored piece.
28:32Well, thank you very much, Holger.
28:33And last but not least, dip tea.
28:35Oh.
28:36Oh.
28:37Oh.
28:38Unfortunately not.
28:39Oh.
28:40Well, hold it up like this instead.
28:41Hold it up in front so that we can see it.
28:43Let's have a wee look.
28:44Well, it's a fab design.
28:45Yeah.
28:46Do you think you just had not quite enough time to plan the neck?
28:50Yes.
28:51Yes.
28:52I was rushing quite a lot to actually just get it into a garment.
28:54To get the top.
28:55Yes.
28:56Yes.
28:57Yeah.
28:58And then it was after I'd finished it, I realised that the neck hole was just far too small.
29:00Yeah.
29:01Thank you very much, dip tea.
29:02Thank you very much.
29:03It wouldn't go round his neck, so I was very upset that he couldn't wear it.
29:06That really upset me, but...
29:07Yeah.
29:08Yeah.
29:09I mean, I spend my whole working life under pressure, playing music live and Radio 3 and things,
29:16and that's pressure, but this really got to me somehow and I've disappointed myself.
29:22How I sort of cracked.
29:24under pressure of knitting that no one was paying me to do.
29:45With the tank top solo challenge complete, it's time for our first team knit.
29:57A surprise challenge on an epic scale.
30:01And one last opportunity for knitters to impress.
30:07This is going to be knitting like you've never seen it before.
30:11So grab onto those needles and get ready.
30:13You're going to be working in two teams to transform...
30:18...a sofa.
30:19Oh!
30:20What?!
30:21What?!
30:22A sofa!
30:23A sofa!
30:25We want you to come up as a team with a fitted sofa cover using a chunky yarn.
30:33You can use as much colour as you want, or you can use as little as you want.
30:38We're looking for a really cohesive design concept.
30:41And we want the best possible practical fit.
30:46All parts of the sofa must be covered.
30:50And it's a sofa that when we walk in, we really want to go, wow!
30:55Now for this challenge, it is going to be judged blind.
31:00So now I am sadly going to ask Di and Sheila to leave the yarn barn and come back a little bit later on to see your lovely creations.
31:06Now knitters, you are going to be working in two teams of five.
31:11So team one is going to be Isaac, Gordon, Meadow, Tracy and Dipti.
31:18And in team two, we have Simon, Lydia, Stephanie, Holger and Ailsa.
31:25So now you know your teams, there's no time to make friendly here.
31:29It's time to get going.
31:31And you're not going to have very much time to do it.
31:33You have ten hours to complete this challenge.
31:36So knitters, let's get knitting!
31:39Our knitters are used to working alone, but to beat the other team, they must now combine their technical skills and work together to pull off a cohesive design in just ten hours.
31:56This is quite an ambitious challenge.
31:59Well, not very many people have knitted a sofa cover.
32:02True.
32:03There's five people working on it.
32:04Yeah.
32:05And they have to work together to make it cohesive.
32:08Yes.
32:09At this point, we know they can knit.
32:10Yes.
32:11But it's down to those little details.
32:13They have to have planned right to the very end, including how they're going to put the pieces together.
32:25Has anybody done anything like this before?
32:27No.
32:28No.
32:29OK.
32:30I think about when we're splitting it out, how people knit differently.
32:32Yeah.
32:33So how does that fit into the design concept?
32:34Yeah, yeah.
32:35With his experience of precise Savile Row tailoring, Holger is the first knitter to pitch a plan.
32:41As it is a fairly angular design, that lends itself to being split up into lots of geometric shapes, as in like rectangles.
32:49The concept could be like, let's say it's a gradient.
32:53You know, you could then do various colours in different textures, for example.
32:57We could have a cable at every join.
33:00A diamond.
33:01Yeah.
33:02You know, one person knits solid yellow, one person knits yellow-orange, one person knits orange, and so on.
33:07It could literally be any colour gradient, and then you would join them together.
33:10Yeah.
33:11Roughly some sort of look like that.
33:13Yeah.
33:14It would be a relatively simple concept, but visually it's quite impactful and strong.
33:23Holger's idea is for each team member to knit strips in different colour combinations, holding two different coloured yarns together to create a marl effect.
33:32These will be accompanied with strips of a more complex cable stitch to add detail and texture.
33:39These strips would then be sewn together, creating a gradient or ombre effect.
33:44Okay team, each of us are going to do a panel.
33:47We're going to knit the length of the panel.
33:48Two metres.
33:49What?
33:50Two metres?
33:51Just under.
33:52Two metres.
33:53Whee!
33:54Once we've done that, we can allocate who's going to do the cabled panels with the solid colours.
33:58I'm good with Chunky, whatever you need me to do.
34:00Chunky.
34:01Hmm.
34:02Okay.
34:03We'll see.
34:04We'll see how it goes with Chunky.
34:05The other team haven't been putting their feet up either.
34:08Student Isaac has already hatched a plan.
34:11I had a thought.
34:12I'm a fan of colour work.
34:13We can maybe do some kind of like sunset across the back of the sofa.
34:17Oh, that sounds nice.
34:18How about holiday scenes?
34:20So we have beach, sand, sea.
34:23Maybe the sunset would be the star of the show.
34:28The team have struck on an ambitious design built around a picture postcard holiday scene
34:34of rippling waves, sandy beaches and even the starry night sky.
34:39But the centrepiece will be Isaac's sumptuous sunset.
34:43The team have decided to use a variety of stitches across the entire sofa.
34:48If you garter stitched them, that would be quite good.
34:50A garter stitch?
34:51Yeah.
34:52We'd have the stockinette on the front.
34:53That's why I did.
34:54I'm happy to do anything.
34:55I think that's going to be like a series of hands.
34:56Let's get started.
34:57Do we agree that we think it's cohesive enough?
34:59Yeah?
35:00Yeah.
35:01I mean, it has a story, right?
35:02Yeah.
35:09With only ten hours to execute these designs, both teams are getting to grips with the sheer
35:14scale of this sofa stitching showstopper.
35:16I've got a newfound respect for people who consistently knit in really chunky arms.
35:21I physically can't cope with size 20 needles.
35:24Isaac is tackling the centrepiece of his team's design, the sunset.
35:30I've been quite ambitious with what I'm aiming to do. Intarsia is a different beast.
35:36Intarsia is a colour technique used to create blocks of colour by using separate lengths of yarn.
35:42But unlike Fair Isle, where the yarn is carried along the back of the work, with Intarsia, you use a separate ball of yarn for each colour change.
35:51Every time you see a colour change in a single row, you're carrying a new set of yarn behind it.
35:56I'm basically switching which colour I'm using, so I have to, like, cross them in the back right here.
36:02This just sounds like a different language, doesn't it?
36:05Room for a little one.
36:06Wow, look at all this.
36:07It's getting a bit hectic over here.
36:09I've added in the gradient and it's starting to take shape.
36:12So quite an ambitious panel to be making.
36:14Yeah, it is.
36:15Was it your idea?
36:16Yeah, it was.
36:17If we can get it done, it's going to be really fantastic.
36:20It's going to have that wow factor.
36:22Yeah, because look at that.
36:23That's...
36:24Even as a knitter, that is terrifying.
36:29Here we go.
36:34Wow.
36:35So this is the plan.
36:36It's a gradient.
36:37OK, all with a bit of cabling.
36:38With a bit of cabling.
36:39So we've got these various colour combinations going on.
36:44This is what we've got.
36:45Great.
36:46Who has knit with wool this chunky before?
36:48Nope.
36:49Never?
36:50Nope.
36:51It's just not me.
36:52Not for you.
36:53I just can't knit with really chunky yarn and really chunky needles.
36:56These needles are some chunky...
36:58They're huge.
36:59Chunky, chunky.
37:00Huge.
37:0120 mils.
37:02Yeah.
37:03They're massive.
37:04Yeah, we love it.
37:07While the chunky yarn is slowing Holger down, on the other team, Meadow is racing through her pieces.
37:12Nearly done the first of the three back panels.
37:15Whoa.
37:16That's quick.
37:17So Meadow, when did you start knitting?
37:19Well, my granny, she taught me when I was really young.
37:22Like, as I'm autistic and I was having a really hard time managing some things in school.
37:29My mind could be so busy and stressed sometimes, so it's just really relaxing to just sit and focus on a project.
37:35Yeah.
37:36When I got to start it, it was just like, whoa.
37:38Yeah.
37:39I found my thing.
37:40It's the thing that I do for myself.
37:42Yes, it is.
37:43It is.
37:44Gordon, did you say you did knitting at school?
37:46Oh, yes.
37:47Even as a boy?
37:48I've always been a boy.
37:50You know?
37:51Cruise ship entertainer Gordon is knitting the beach using garter stitch, a beginner-friendly stitch.
37:57I don't often knit in a public place, especially on board the ship.
38:03Most of the time I do it in the cabin.
38:07It's only maybe in the last few years I've been a public knitter.
38:10I was once on a cruise knitting and a lady came past.
38:13She looked at me with great disgust and said, I think a jigsaw puzzle would be a bit more manly.
38:18Oh!
38:19Wow.
38:20So that was me told.
38:21I don't know any of this business of it being like, oh, you know, it's not very manly.
38:25Like, there are going to be people in life who don't like you.
38:28And if the reason that they don't like me is because I'm a bloke who knits,
38:31then I've got more, like, I've got better things to worry about, really.
38:35I've got stars on there.
38:48I know, I'm noticing that.
38:50We've got quite different designs.
38:54You say it.
38:56No.
38:57You say it.
38:58We Tom doesn't want to say it.
39:00You're halfway through.
39:02Five hours to go.
39:04Oh, my gosh.
39:07I think we need to start seaming because if there's a problem, then we need more time.
39:14The gradient team are now moving on to the critical stage of sewing their strips together.
39:19Right.
39:20Let's see if we can put this baby together to see how the whole principle that the whole
39:24decides based on whether this actually works.
39:26With that many strips, it's obviously crucial that they're going to be nicely aligned.
39:31As an analogy, this team, the gradient team, are doing a modern twist on a Victoria sponge.
39:38When executed well, lovely.
39:40Is it as ambitious as the other team?
39:42No.
39:43But while they are now racing to turn their strips into one cohesive cover, the sunset team
39:48are still knitting their individual panels.
39:51I'm slightly concerned that they're going to finish in time.
39:56Mainly, Isaac.
39:57The intarsia work and the colour work and the stranding that he's doing is very complicated.
40:03And he still has a way to go.
40:06We need to start joining.
40:07We haven't.
40:08We've got panels missing, haven't we?
40:13Currently, we don't have enough pieces to cover the sofa yet, which is slightly panic-inducing.
40:21Do we think we're on track?
40:25Debatable.
40:26It's getting tight.
40:27It's getting tight, isn't it, guys?
40:28Yeah.
40:29I don't think we're on track.
40:35The knitters are running out of time in their first team challenge to design and knit a sofa cover to wow the judges.
40:43Plowing one across this vast expanse of sand.
40:46While the gradient team are now sewing theirs together.
40:49I'll sew from this way, that way you sew.
40:50Yes, sir.
40:51We'll pass somewhere in the middle.
40:52The sunset team are still knitting individual panels.
40:56Close.
40:57Sorry.
40:58Hey, is it okay?
40:59Are you looking at that last bit?
41:00Not fantastic.
41:01Do you think your time might be better spent joining pieces together?
41:07If I start joining stuff together, there's going to be a massive hole.
41:10If I don't start joining stuff together and other people are doing it, there's going to be a smaller hole.
41:14I don't want to say that I've bit enough more than I can chew, but I think it just took me a bit of time to find my flow.
41:21Knitters, you have one hour remaining.
41:25No way.
41:26No.
41:27No.
41:28No.
41:29Simon and Holger are doing the sewing up and almost finished.
41:31I'm on one of two of the pink legs.
41:33I don't know if it's blind hope or optimism, but I think we're going to be all right.
41:40Right, fun knitting.
41:41Well done.
41:42Well done.
41:43I'm crocheting the back pieces together.
41:45Do I just cast this off and we have a massive hole?
41:47Yeah, yeah.
41:48Cast it off.
41:49Yeah, let's just get those other two bits on.
41:52Tip it upside down to put the feet on.
41:54Heave.
41:55Heave.
41:56Feat.
41:57Take a look.
41:58Is it straight?
41:59What do I care about straight?
42:00Are we all good?
42:01I think so.
42:02Five minutes, guys.
42:03Five minutes.
42:04Five minutes.
42:05Should we offer to help?
42:06Yeah.
42:07Guys, do you need help pinning up?
42:08Tell us where you want us.
42:09Thank you so much, guys.
42:10This goes together, right?
42:11Four balls of water put round the legs.
42:12What colour?
42:13Anything.
42:14Could one of you pin that onto the back?
42:15Yes.
42:16Can you pin a star on there?
42:17Knitters.
42:18Needles down.
42:19Place your final pins.
42:20Time is up.
42:23Thank you so much, guys.
42:24Well done, guys.
42:25Thank you so much, guys.
42:26Well done, guys.
42:27Welcome.
42:28Have a good cry.
42:29Yeah, right.
42:30It's just such a hodgepodge.
42:32We need to do, we need to finish on a group hug or something.
42:34Shall we have a team hug?
42:35I'd rather not.
42:36Okay, so we need a team hug.
42:37I'm not a massive hugger.
42:38Okay, I'll hug you too then.
42:39That's fine.
42:40That's fine.
42:41In 10 hours, both teams have completed their sofa covers.
43:02Sort of.
43:03Well done, knitters.
43:04It is now time to hear from the judges.
43:07time to hear from the judges. So, Di and Sheila, would you like to come back into our yarn barn
43:13and let us know what you think? Starting with the sandy sunset sofa, what do you think?
43:23Well...
43:30I mean, it's a very ambitious design.
43:37It saddens me to have to say that it's not properly finished, is it? It's not finished. There's some
43:43card crushes. Well, there's lots, actually. Yeah. We've got lots of holes because of garter stitches.
43:49It's stretched. Yeah. There has had to be some intarsia work done here, which is commendable.
43:59The stocking stitch going to garter, there's no cohesion, is there? No.
44:04I do think they're an inventive group. I mean, the balls of wool for the legs. We said covered.
44:11Look!
44:14Indeed. It is really quite fun, but it's incomplete.
44:19Di and Sheila, can I ask you what you think of the gradient sofa?
44:24It's the cables that strike me first, but you would probably say it's the sweep of the colour.
44:31Colour going through. It's very cuddly. That's because of the raised effect.
44:36With the wide cable. The diamond.
44:39Interlocking diamond design. Very clever. That's why this works so much. It does have feet.
44:43The feet, the feet are fabulous. Have each of these panels actually been knitted separately?
44:52Di, that's an incredible amount of sewing up. You end up with an uneven effect.
44:57It hasn't been neatly finished. No. At all. It's actually, you know, a very simple design and we
45:06did want something that is like, wow, wow, wow. It's wow, but it's not...
45:17Incredible.
45:18Di and Sheila, have you come to a decision? Ladies, tell us.
45:26One sofa demonstrated a better design concept and execution overall. And that sofa is...
45:39the ombre.
45:48Whose idea was the ombre so far? Holger?
45:52Yeah?
45:53Congratulations.
45:56Well, knitters, those are the challenges complete for this week. So it's time to wind up your wool
46:02and let Di and Sheila decide your fate.
46:08Intagra is a different beast when it comes to a lot of types of knitting. I don't know why I said I would do it.
46:14I think the bits that I completed were fine. If I do go home, I'd be disappointed.
46:19It was just time. And if we had more time, it would have been better executed.
46:23I'm worried.
46:25It's now up to Di and Sheila to decide who will be cast off based on their performance across both
46:30challenges.
46:33I mean, wow. What an incredible first two challenges. You asked a lot of the knitters.
46:39We certainly did.
46:39So who has done particularly well this week?
46:42Lydia.
46:43We found very striking.
46:47Ailsa.
46:49Her attention to detail.
46:53Who are you worried about?
46:56Isaac.
46:59The sunset sofa was a car crash. He didn't quite have enough time to finish.
47:05And then in the Fair Isle challenge, Gordon.
47:10I don't love the Stee King.
47:15No.
47:15Dipti didn't quite produce a garment that was fit for purpose.
47:24So, have you come to a decision?
47:29We have.
47:29It's time to hear who has knit big and whose journey has started to unravel.
47:43Die.
47:44So, our first big knitter of the competition is...
47:52Ailsa.
47:56And to commemorate the occasion, I'd love to present to you the sheep badge.
48:03You're very welcome.
48:04You deserve it.
48:05Congratulations.
48:07But this is a competition.
48:09And sadly, we have to say goodbye to someone.
48:15The person being cast off this week is...
48:19Gordon.
48:34Oh, give us a hug.
48:36You did so incredibly well.
48:38I just was so keen to come on and show that everyone can knit nowadays without shame or embarrassment.
48:45We'll have a group hug. Come on, everyone in.
48:49Gordon.
48:50Thank you, everyone.
48:51Oh, my goodness.
48:51I can't believe I'm here next week.
48:53I genuinely thought I was for the chop.
48:55It's literally going to diminish the humour in this room by about 50%.
49:00We've only got Simon to listen to.
49:04I didn't expect to be the first big knitter.
49:06It's a good confidence boost going into the next week.
49:10Next time, iconic knits for dogs.
49:17Don't hate me.
49:18I'm not a dog person.
49:20She's so beautiful.
49:23And a throwback to the 80s.
49:25Now, we all remember the 80s, right?
49:27The shoulder pads, the big hair results in fashion fabulousness.
49:32I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:34I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:44I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:46I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:47I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:48I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:49I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:49I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:50I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:51I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:51I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:52I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:53I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:53I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:54I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:55I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:56I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:57I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:58I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:59I love the big puffy sleeve.
49:59I love the big puffy sleeve.
50:00I love the big puffy sleeve.
50:00I love the big puffy sleeve.
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