- 18 minutes ago
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Most talented knitters embarked on the woolly adventure of a lifetime.
00:04We can do this. We can, we can, we can.
00:07Knitting like no one has ever knitted before.
00:10It's a workout.
00:12Stitching up Michelin star suppers.
00:15Making Sunday roasts.
00:17Olympic style swimwear.
00:19I just really wanted to make something that would make you and Sheila proud.
00:24And even high fashion for our furry friends.
00:27I always cry when I see something beautiful.
00:31We've seen seven sheep badges for outstanding craftsmanship.
00:36The sheep badge. Thank you.
00:39Seven knitters cast off.
00:43And now only three remain.
00:48It's the final week of Game of Wool.
00:51The needles have been sharpened, the haberdashery has been stocked
00:54and our knitters are looking to stitch their way to victory.
00:58And up for grabs are these golden needles and the title of Britain's best knitter.
01:05So, shall we do this?
01:07Welcome to the final of Game of Wool.
01:09I do want to win.
01:20Shoot for the stars and then you'll land on the moon.
01:23We've come this far.
01:25All of that sacrifice, all of that pressure, all of that stress.
01:28It would mean the world to win.
01:31I'm going to throw absolutely everything I've got at winning this.
01:34Hello knitters and welcome back to the Yarn Barn.
01:42It's the final.
01:43We've got two more challenges to go.
01:45At the end of this, one of you will win the accolade of Britain's best knitter.
01:52So, it's time to reveal what your final group challenge is.
01:57Di and Sheila would like for you to work as one team
02:00to transform the Game of Wool postbox.
02:10Yes.
02:12We are looking for you to create a postbox topper.
02:19So, we want you to recreate the Game of Wool world.
02:27And of course, to do that, we want the three of you together as a team to create us.
02:37You must create instantly recognisable and obviously beautiful characters.
02:43You also must showcase the techniques that we have all explored during the competition.
02:51This world must exist on top of the postbox.
02:57You heard the ladies.
02:58Now, Di and Sheila, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the Yarn Barn.
03:01Good luck.
03:03For the final time, everything you need is over in the haberdashery.
03:07But don't expect to find any red wool because I might have used a little bit of that.
03:11You have 12 hours for this challenge.
03:16Let's get knitting.
03:20The final team challenge is the last chance for our three finalists
03:24to collaborate and pull off knitting on a much greater scale.
03:28Yarn bombing.
03:30Has anybody yarn bombed before?
03:32No.
03:33This team challenge will test the knitter's intuitive design skills, 3D construction capability
03:40and technical prowess to breathe life into a miniature world through stitches alone.
03:47The way I'm picturing it in my head is just with the circular sofa, judges up front,
03:52just a little sign, a wee thing.
03:55For each person on the sofa.
03:56On the sofa.
03:57Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:57That they've been there.
03:58So who would like to do which judge?
04:00I like the idea of Tom.
04:02If you want to do him, I'm happy to do Di.
04:05Yeah, I'd be happy to do Sheila.
04:07Knitters must showcase techniques from across the competition.
04:10Fair Isle, intricate lace, characterful crochet, texture, intarsia, upcycling and more.
04:18Yarn bombing on this scale can take people months, but the finalists of Game of Wool have just 12 hours.
04:27So post box toppers, they're so, like, quintessentially British.
04:32This is a really difficult challenge because to make these figures, there's a lot of shaping.
04:38They're complex, engineered pieces.
04:42Replicating a mini Fair Isle tank top, for example, might be a bit challenging.
04:48Yeah.
04:49Post box toppers do tend to be for some kind of celebration or an event.
04:54I mean, what better challenge for the Game of Wool final?
04:57The celebration of all that they've been through, right?
04:59Yeah, yeah.
05:00Total celebration.
05:01But every little bit has got to be perfect.
05:04Yeah.
05:04Because we're in the final.
05:08She's going to have her pink knitting needles, glasses.
05:23Look at the part of them.
05:25I'm so sorry, Sheila.
05:27That's the part.
05:28Knitters will start with their characters, beginning with the feet and working up each leg to form the body.
05:37Both arms and the head are made separately, stuffed and then sewn on to create the base of their characters.
05:44Then it's up to them to bring them to life using techniques from across the competition.
05:49Holger will tackle me with the fiddly loop stitch to recreate my oh-so-subtle outfit.
05:55Elsa will recreate Sheila's patterned jumper using tiny intarsia.
06:00And Lydia will knit miniature fair isle and, of course, the signature dye-do, complete with mini knitting needles.
06:08The yarn barn will be represented by a scaled-down knitted sofa surrounded by the iconic Scottish landscape.
06:14All created using haberdashery scraps alone.
06:17Hello, finalists.
06:21Hello.
06:22What is the plan?
06:23The figures are going to be the most important thing on that toppers, right?
06:27So I think we just have to make them and see how much time that leaves us for the rest.
06:30It's turning out to be fiddly and complicated.
06:33Yeah.
06:34The figurines do take a little while to make.
06:36They're so, like, little.
06:37There's something about having to concentrate on every single stitch that you do with these.
06:43If there's anything that I've learnt from the judges on my time here on Game of Wall is that they are sticklers for detail.
06:52Yep.
06:52How are you going to make sure that you finish everything perfectly and they're not going to find any mistakes?
06:57OK, great.
07:06I'm so sorry.
07:11OK, good luck.
07:18A few hours into the challenge and the knitters are all heads down in quiet concentration.
07:24Complex shaping of the characters requires focus, and at this point, they should be almost ready for the stuffing.
07:30Some stuffing to start putting into the wee heads.
07:37Right, that's my little die.
07:39That's good.
07:39I've just sewed the two hands together so it looks like she's happy.
07:42Oh, OK.
07:43Oh, this.
07:44Yeah.
07:46But this final team challenge isn't just about executing the characters perfectly.
07:50It's about breathing life into those mini-me's.
07:54Perfect.
07:56I've just found some mohair in quite natural hair colours.
07:59These would be quite good to go on the judges' hair pieces.
08:02With this group challenge, you don't know what the judges are going to love and what they're not going to love.
08:06So there is pressure.
08:08I think all of us could win.
08:09In my general circle, I'm probably a really good knitter, right?
08:15Because not many people knit.
08:16But it's nice to be thrust into a room of people who are better than you to bring out the competitive element and to make yourself want to excel and be better.
08:25And I think this has made me a better knitter.
08:29I don't feel this is going to be very flattering.
08:33Maybe I can comb it down here.
08:35Yeah, I'm going to give her a comb over.
08:37Why not?
08:37Elsa, we're trying to be flattering right now.
08:43Remember, she specifically wanted to be beautiful.
08:46Yeah, not looking like Gollum.
08:48What the...
08:49Holger has finished me and is now recreating my fabulous coat using the loop stitch.
09:01I'm doing Tom's coat.
09:03His outfit this week was a gift, right?
09:06I mean, it's just too good to be missed.
09:09Not a technique I've previously used.
09:11Yeah, I like precision.
09:13I definitely think I would also probably consider myself a perfectionist.
09:19Which is, um, slightly unfortunate because I'm also an incredibly pessimistic perfectionist.
09:25So that's probably the worst kind.
09:27So I always strive for the absolute best and I never think I'm ever going to get there.
09:31Once he gets the big loopy mess on him, he'll hopefully look more or less like he did when we launch a challenge.
09:39All right.
09:40Di's jumper has been attached.
09:42Two pins in her little bun to represent her knitting needles on top.
09:47So that's my Diadol.
09:49I'm just putting Sheila's little jumper on.
09:54I used intarsia to make the little triangles.
09:57I've done a much better job of the intarsia here on the small scale than I did on the actual intarsia jumper that I'd done a few weeks ago.
10:04It is quite daunting being opposite to Holger and Lydia because I know they're both very talented.
10:11I just need to keep the good frame of mind.
10:15If I won this competition, I would love to go down a route of sort of being an ambassador for this craft and the heritage that we've gotten.
10:27It's an opportunity and I would be very, very angry at myself if I didn't make the most of it.
10:33I would consider myself quite close to finishing the doll.
10:38Then I'll be moving on to the post box.
10:42Knitters, we have a special delivery.
10:46You have six hours to go.
10:49That means you are halfway through your final group challenge.
10:54At the halfway point, knitters should be putting the final touches on their characters and moving on to the world around them.
11:03Lydia is using stocking stitch to knit a tiny sofa cover for a cardboard frame.
11:07I don't think I'd be making sofa covers again.
11:09After week one.
11:11While Elsa recreates the rolling hills using jumper offcuts.
11:16I just scrunched the jumpers up and then sewed them together with this.
11:21I'm a bit worried that they're even going to get anything to put on top of the post box
11:29because they haven't actually got the sofa constructed.
11:32They've got hills.
11:34But they haven't even got anything that can actually secure it down yet.
11:45It's the final and the knitters have just a few hours remaining in their last ever team challenge.
11:51To yarn bomb this post box into a celebration of Game of War.
11:56And the knitter being cast off this week is...
12:00Tom.
12:03With their miniature models complete...
12:05I see Sheila.
12:06Yes.
12:06Oh, Sheila.
12:08It's really good.
12:09It's like the glasses are great.
12:11No mistakes.
12:12No mistakes.
12:13The knitters have moved on to creating the world around them.
12:16How are the hills going, Elsa?
12:18I think when we add things to it, it'll look more hilly.
12:22Or we could be the sheep in the hills.
12:24We haven't got sheep, have we?
12:25Unless we're going to take those off and block them onto the street.
12:28That could be quite cute.
12:30And they've decided to place a few tiny mementos as a tribute to the previous knitters.
12:35We were trying to think about the Game of War World.
12:39And the thing that makes the Game of War World is the contestants and the people.
12:43So what we're going to have is a little something that represents each contestant.
12:48So, for example, we're going to make a rainbow for Dipti.
12:51So you've got Dipti, you've got the rainbow.
12:53Oh!
12:54That's very cute.
12:55How many of the seven pieces have you done?
12:58There's four.
12:59You've got Tracy, you've got Gordon, you've got Stephanie.
13:03I'm actually just making Stephanie's red slippers right now.
13:05So you've just got Isaac Meadow and Simon.
13:08For Simon, I would love if we could make a tiny little maze.
13:17One knit more row.
13:19Wellington.
13:19I hope it gets there in an hour because knitters, you have one hour to go in your final group
13:26challenge.
13:27There's nothing on the top of here yet.
13:34In the final stages, knitters need to attach all the elements to the postbox, apart from
13:40the removable individual characters, which will be inspected up close by the judges.
13:45Each knitter so desperately wants to win.
13:47They've made it this far.
13:48It is getting down to the wire now, but it's just, there is nothing on top of the postbox.
13:58All right, guys, let's start making a postbox topper.
14:08I've lost Sheila's glasses.
14:10Hunt for Sheila's glasses.
14:11That is like a needle in a haystack.
14:14Ah, I see them.
14:15I see them.
14:15Oh!
14:16I spotted them.
14:17Well done, my dear.
14:18Ah, they found him.
14:19I'm just finding chocolate.
14:24Just on the last stitch here, and then the sofa will be on.
14:28In three minutes.
14:29It's got a bit bendy.
14:33How's it looking at the front there?
14:35Yeah, good.
14:36Nothing about putting your work front and center.
14:3810, nine, eight, six, five, four, three, two, one.
14:56Time is up.
14:57You finish your last group challenge.
14:58You finish your last group challenge.
14:59Yay!
15:00Yay!
15:01Yay!
15:02Good challenge.
15:03Good challenge.
15:04Careful, careful, careful.
15:05Not done.
15:06Oh, okay.
15:07Whoops.
15:08It's like, it's done.
15:09I'm like, what will be, will be.
15:14I would say we definitely hit Debrief.
15:16I think, overall, it is a joyful piece.
15:20I hope they recognize and are not offended by what they see.
15:27Finalists, you well and truly delivered on this challenge.
15:32But it's now time to bring Di and Sheila in to see the postbox topper for the first time.
15:36Di and Sheila, come back in to the Yarn Barn.
15:40Oh, my word.
15:43Oh, wow.
15:50Wow.
15:52Congratulations.
15:53Goodness me.
15:54Well done.
15:55I love it.
15:56Well done, all of you.
15:57That is really something else.
16:01Can I ask who did Tom?
16:03That was me.
16:04That was you.
16:05Well, the impact, the outfit.
16:09The outfit was a gift.
16:11I do like the little v-neck and finished as you would knit.
16:16Yeah.
16:17V-neck.
16:18Tom Doll is definitely Tom.
16:20Mm.
16:21Tiny trifling little things, really, because I do like the coat on loose end.
16:28Mm.
16:29I was hoping it'd get lost with all the fluffards on the outside.
16:31You were, yes.
16:32I can see a couple of those.
16:34I do like the hair.
16:37The shading with the different colours and the whole shape of the cut and everything.
16:43Well done, Holger.
16:46So then we have Sheila.
16:48Who made Sheila?
16:52That was me.
16:53I really do love the Intasia.
16:58And it's been knitted really well.
17:02The colours, you know, the little bit of blue, the little bit of orange.
17:06Yes.
17:07I'm all matching.
17:08I do love it.
17:09I really do.
17:10So this one must be Lydia.
17:12I think you're jumping for joy here, are you?
17:17Whoop.
17:18Yeah, that one.
17:19Yeah.
17:20Not quite sure of what happened at the top of the sleeves, the armholes.
17:23There's a little bit of gapping there.
17:26But I like the action.
17:28Yes.
17:29The fact that it's on the move.
17:31I really do like that.
17:33And I love my bit of lace.
17:35That's very perceptive.
17:37So the top of the post box, I really don't know what they might be.
17:48Fields.
17:49It's Scotland.
17:50Yes.
17:51Should there be sheep?
17:53Ah.
17:54A tree would have helped.
17:56We're finding objects.
17:58Referencing everyone who's been with us.
18:02We've got this, Sheila.
18:04Oh, yes.
18:05Dipti.
18:06There it is.
18:07The mace.
18:08The mace.
18:09The mace.
18:10This reminds me more than a little of Lydia's lovely necklace.
18:14We asked them to make a Game of Wool-inspired post box topper.
18:20What do you think?
18:21I think they got the three of us spot on.
18:25And also very heartwarming to include everything.
18:30I think it's a huge success.
18:31And I absolutely love it.
18:32Well done knitters.
18:33That's your final group challenge done.
18:34And I think it's safe to say they've all been first class.
18:35I knew the hills would come up in the judging.
18:37Because they are just scrumpled up bits of jumper sewn down.
18:42Bit frustrated about that one stitch in the shoulder seam.
18:43I hope that's not affected my chances too much.
18:45I hope that's not affected my chances too much.
18:46I hopefully can tackle the solo challenge with the energy that it needs.
18:51Blah!
18:52Blah!
18:53Blah!
18:54Blah!
18:55Blah!
18:56Blah!
18:57Blah!
18:58Blah!
18:59Blah!
19:00Blah!
19:01It's the Game of Wool final.
19:02And me and my fluffy friends have witnessed 15 epic challenges unfold in the game of
19:04Wolf.
19:05Blah!
19:06Blah!
19:07Blah!
19:08Blah!
19:09Blah!
19:10Blah!
19:11Blah!
19:12Blah!
19:13Blah!
19:14Blah!
19:15Blah!
19:16Blah!
19:17Blah!
19:18Blah!
19:19Blah!
19:20Blah!
19:21Blah!
19:22Blah!
19:23Blah!
19:24Blah!
19:25Blah!
19:26Blah!
19:27Blah!
19:28Blah!
19:29Blah!
19:30Blah!
19:31Blah!
19:32There are also little practices unfold inside those magical yarn barn walls.
19:33But now only one more challenge stands in the way of the title of Britain's Best Knitter.
19:37Right, Weelang, who do you think's gonna win?
19:42Who's gonna win?
19:43Tell me.
19:44Blah!
19:46Blah!
19:47I think the solo will make or break it for all of us.
19:50Going into solo I don't know where I stand and I don't know if that's a good or a
19:53bad thing right now.
19:55Solo challenge is the culmination of the series, in a way.
19:58It is the last one.
19:59It's going to be the last big push.
20:04Knitters, the solo challenge is upon us.
20:07So, Di and Sheila want you to create a showstopper of a hat.
20:18What I really want is something that actually defines you,
20:22tells us about you as a knitter and shows off your skills,
20:28your story.
20:31You can use any yarn, any technique.
20:37We will need to see flawless execution and a signature style.
20:46Very best of luck.
20:48You heard the ladies.
20:49You are going to have 12 hours to knit up a storm
20:53and create a showstopper of a hat.
20:56Your time starts now.
20:57Let's get knitting.
21:03This challenge is the ultimate test, requiring creative design,
21:07precise stitch calculation and ingenious engineering
21:11to pull off an utterly flawless headpiece.
21:14And with no rules on yarn choice, colour or style, our judges will be expecting the knitters to use every trick in the book to pull off a hat worthy of winning the ultimate crown.
21:31So, a showstopper hat. What are you looking for to be showstopping?
21:39It has to be fantastic construction.
21:41It has to be fantastic stitch choice and I've got to see something of them in it.
21:47Because this is the final challenge, we've got to make it about us and really reflect us.
22:00Ailsa's clever use of retro designs has consistently impressed and for the final challenge, she's staying true to her style and going all out with a vintage Breton hat.
22:11It's going to be houndstooth, which is quite a traditional design from the borders of Scotland and I wanted my design to reflect where my love for knitting comes from.
22:22Ailsa's vintage hat will be knitted in the classic houndstooth pattern, but instead of black and white, she's gone for racing green and rose pink.
22:32To construct her Breton style, she will knit four separate panels to form the crown, knitting the upturned brim separately before tackling the highly skilled task of precisely sewing it all together.
22:44Her final flourish will be to add a feather and a secret Morse code patch for the judges to crack.
22:52I'm making one of four quarters that will make the crown of the hat.
22:57I've got to be quite neat because it will be on show. Any sewing that I do will be quite obvious.
23:05She's gone cross-eyed.
23:08Should have worn my glasses, let's just put it that way.
23:11Are you working on the brim then, Lydia?
23:14Yeah, I'm doing a folded kind of rim and then I'm going to do like a round of increases and start building up the hat.
23:21Lydia has effectively weaved her personal history and heritage into all of her designs and she's not holding back for the final.
23:32So I am making a beret, something like this.
23:36This symbol here, that incorporates garner for me.
23:40I found this one which means good family and I wanted to put something about family in it.
23:45Because of kind of the family ties with the yarn and because there was no restriction to what kind of yarn we could use, I obviously dyed my own yarn.
23:54For her showstopper hat, Lydia will use her own hand-dyed yarn in soft muted colours.
24:03First, she will knit in the round to create a perfectly fitting brim.
24:07Next, she will use signature lace style to form the beginning of the crown,
24:12which will then go into an intricate colourwork pattern for the top of the beret, showcasing traditional Ghanaian symbols, celebrating family and religion.
24:22Oh, I've cast on the wrong number of stitches.
24:25I cast on too many stitches for my ribs, so I was meant to have a smaller rib and then a more dramatic increase, but I cast on the wrong number.
24:38Lydia?
24:39All right?
24:40Yeah, I'm fine.
24:41I'm fine.
24:42I'm fine.
24:43This fits, right?
24:44It fits on the thing.
24:45Yeah, it does.
24:46In the grind scheme of things, it doesn't matter.
24:47Okay.
24:48Yeah, how are you getting on?
24:50Uh, steady, slow, but steady.
24:55There's various different reasons why I've picked this.
24:58One of them is it's fun to wear.
25:00You have something, like, dangling around you.
25:03Holger has consistently wowed the yarn barn with adventurous designs, complex engineering and precise stitch work.
25:11For the final, he's looking to home for inspiration.
25:14It's a stocking cap with a very long point.
25:18The shape is a reference to a character called the Deutsche Michel, which basically is a personification of the German nation.
25:28Holger will begin with a picot-edge detail for the brim.
25:31And then, as a tribute to his first-ever Ferrar design on Game of Wool, he will knit an intricate colourwork pattern in the round.
25:39He will then continue towards the point of his hat, creating texture with a twisted rib and a travelling cable, before finishing it all off with a flamboyant tassel.
25:49But with such a long point, Holger's stocking cap will require careful time management to ensure he can reach his peak in time.
25:56Hello Holger.
25:58Hello, Holger.
25:59Hello, Tom.
26:00You're changing to...
26:01Cabling.
26:02Cabling.
26:03Yes.
26:04I wanted to bring a little bit of this whole Bavarian Alpine cabling.
26:08I think it's really cool that you're bringing in this German aspect to your knitting.
26:12Is that something that's important to you?
26:14This challenge was specifically about us, our journey and who we are as knitters.
26:20There needed to be a German element in there because otherwise it wouldn't be me, would it?
26:24Yeah.
26:25I mean, you strike me as someone that pays such attention to detail of every little thing that you do.
26:31Yeah, yeah.
26:32I mean, it's always...
26:34How should I put that?
26:37You always want to make the people proud of you, right?
26:42You always have people in your life that you feel you don't want to disappoint.
26:46Diane Sheila, for example.
26:48You have almost like a weight of expectation on you with that.
26:53You win a gold medal.
26:55They expect more.
26:56You do feel like you have to be extra good if you have that very, very strong feeling that in certain areas you are disappointing them massively.
27:04Like, I mean, I know my parents, for example, would have dearly loved to have grandchildren.
27:09You then automatically try and overcompensate in other areas.
27:13For me, when I was growing up, I felt like there was a part of me that was wrong.
27:20I felt like I had to overcompensate in so many aspects of my life.
27:25One thing that you need to know is that the things that you've created in this competition have been absolutely incredible.
27:42A few hours into the challenge, knitters should be working their way into the body of their hats.
27:47Despite her earlier mistake with her brim, rather than start again, Lydia has decided to keep pushing forward with the rest of the design.
27:55I wanted to have a tighter rib, but it's fine.
27:58Probably just need a little bit of elastic just to slightly tighten the rib up a little bit.
28:03The judges will be expecting the knitters to demonstrate impeccable construction and a flawless execution of every stitch.
28:10Ailsa is the only knitter constructing her hat in panels.
28:16So, Ailsa, you're doing this in pieces and then sewing.
28:21What are the advantages for sewing as opposed to doing it seamlessly?
28:26I considered doing it in the round, but the maths of trying to work out where the decreases would be
28:33and how many, how many sort of segments to put it into. I liked the look of it being seamed.
28:41It's quite important with this classic houndstooth to have them matching.
28:48I want it to not take the attention away from the nice bits of the pattern.
28:53Yes, yes, so you want them to align really carefully.
28:58This bit is really crucial. It's important to consider every stitch.
29:05We'll let you get on with it.
29:08Hi, Tom. How's it going?
29:10Yeah, it's starting to look a little bit more like a hat now.
29:13And it's my final challenge. The relief is palpable.
29:16Really? Yeah.
29:17So, what would it mean to you to win this competition?
29:22You know, I keep thinking about it and this has been a real journey for me.
29:28Knitting's kind of been a constant in my life, which is why it was quite difficult when I was pregnant
29:33that I couldn't do any knitting.
29:35Suddenly, you're really ill with pregnancy and literally even the smell of yarn, absolutely not.
29:40That was really hard because knitting's either been a space where I can decompress.
29:45Being here in the final has kind of been a really great confidence boost for me.
29:50Just the fact that it's given you this confidence, it's doing things that you never thought you would ever do
29:54is exactly how I imagine you want to raise your twins.
29:58Yeah, yeah.
29:59To be able to feel like no dream is too big.
30:01Strong sense of self is what their preschool calls it.
30:04OK.
30:05Yeah, I wonder where they get that from.
30:07I don't know what I do.
30:09Knitters, you are halfway through your final challenge.
30:26Six hours remains.
30:30Brimstone, pungent.
30:33At the halfway point, knitters should be starting to consider the final stages of their hat construction.
30:39But Holger has still got a woolly mountain to climb.
30:42I'm feeling slightly anxious because I'd be further.
30:47There's still a lot of rounds to go.
30:49Speedy knitting has consistently been a problem for Holger in the yarn barn.
30:54But for the final, there will be nowhere to hide.
30:56It's always a stress, isn't it?
30:58I'm not confident about the time.
30:59It is what it is and it has to be done.
31:01I mean, honestly, it's not a panic station yet.
31:05You will notice when you physically hear me scream.
31:09It's the final and the three remaining knitters are under pressure to pull off show-stopping hats for the win.
31:21I've got to keep an eye on what I'm doing with the houndstooth.
31:24It's quite noticeable if you get one row slightly out of joint.
31:28Yeah, I'm on the final section of the crown at the moment.
31:33We will basically knit until the bell tolls and then we'll have a cap.
31:38With no rules to this final solo challenge, the judges will be expecting the finalists to surprise them with unexpected techniques and structural ingenuity.
31:49We are moving into a more textured pattern.
31:54Tell us what you're doing.
31:55This is going to be the rest of the body of the stocking.
31:58It's a knot to the more Bavarian heritage.
32:01I wanted to have those kind of travelling stitches, twisted stitches.
32:04I do like this very twisted rib.
32:06But you're going to have to shape it on the way down?
32:08Well, that's the thing. You can hide the decreases in the pattern.
32:11Holger is shaping his stocking cap to a point.
32:14But as he is also knitting a textured cable towards that point, he needs to follow a bespoke formula to achieve precision.
32:21So you've done all the math, you've had to calculate where you need to put your decreases to make the shape work.
32:31And then you've had to calculate where to put those decreases to hide them in the pattern.
32:37It's a formula which you've created to enable to get to your 32 stitches at the end.
32:44Yeah.
32:45I really appreciate the skill in it.
32:46Do you think you've got time to get to the end?
32:48It's going to be a challenge. We'll see.
32:53Elsa, where you at?
32:54I'm just finishing my little Morse code patch.
32:57Another part of knitting history that I love is its role in intelligence.
33:02There were agents who would knit information into their knitting.
33:07I wanted to put my interest in knitting into this because it's to reflect me as a knitter.
33:12We've got a wee house that we go to in Aberdeenshire that's so old, the building.
33:18In there, there's a sign of all the kind of crafting history in the family.
33:23There's tapestries and loads of handmade stuff.
33:26When I go there, I feel like I'm doing exactly what they would have been doing when they were sat there.
33:31That's what I kind of feel like with the vintage patterns too.
33:33Like someone else has sat with this project.
33:35I kind of feel the history, I suppose.
33:38What are you going to have on there?
33:39Dash, dash, dot, dash, dash, dot, dash, dash.
33:42Oh wait, that's in lace.
33:44There's lace and pearl bumps.
33:46Wow.
33:47So is lace the dash?
33:49Yeah.
33:50And then the pearl bumps are dots?
33:51Yeah, you've cracked it.
33:57It's crunch time in the last solo challenge and knitters should be moving towards final construction and finishing details.
34:04Lydia is adding elastic to solve her earlier mistake and ensure the brim fits perfectly.
34:10This is tricky.
34:11You want it to be as neat as possible.
34:13You don't want the judges to see the elastic poking through.
34:16Ailsa is about to cautiously sew up the individual parts of her crown.
34:21It is quite a critical moment because when you knit flat it's impossible to see what the 3D hat will look like until this part is done.
34:28What I'm trying to do is keep the pattern as closely matched as I can.
34:33And Holger is still painstakingly knitting his cap towards its point.
34:38I would love to say we're getting very close to the pointy end but unfortunately the pointy end is very long drawn out so we're not really pointing yet.
34:45Knitters, you have 30 minutes left until your final solo challenge needs to be completed.
34:55I don't know, kind of like the gravity of it is sort of hitting.
34:58So yeah.
35:00I feel sick.
35:01I'm just sewing like the clappers trying to get it done.
35:08My hands are getting a bit shaky now.
35:10Which is not ideal.
35:13There's still a lot of rounds to go.
35:18I really start to get a sense how much this means to the knitters.
35:22They all want to win, they all want to finish.
35:25Ailsa is the first knitter to cross that woolly finish line.
35:29Yeah, I think that's me.
35:30Very happy.
35:33Closely followed by Lydia.
35:35I think I'm done.
35:39But Holger is still knitting.
35:41How long have you got to go, Holger?
35:43Oh, you know, just about that much to knit.
35:46Five minutes.
35:47You're done.
35:49It's mainly for Holger.
35:51We're cinching in that tip of that hat, Holger, aren't we?
35:54We are indeed.
35:55You got this, Holger.
35:56We believe in you.
36:00We have a point.
36:01There we go.
36:04One minute, Holger.
36:05You can do it.
36:07Whoop.
36:08Is that it?
36:09No, no, no.
36:10This is it.
36:11Oh, look at that.
36:13That is it.
36:15You did it.
36:16You completed the game of wool.
36:23Well done, finalists.
36:25That is your final solo knit complete.
36:28And all that's left is to find out what Di and Sheila think.
36:32So, we'll start with Elsa.
36:41It's really lovely.
36:43Very stylish, isn't it?
36:45So, I actually love the overall shape.
36:49I'm just going to take it off and have a little look.
36:53Ah.
36:54Oh, my goodness.
36:55Ooh.
36:56It's got a little pattern here.
36:59Morse code.
37:01Do you want to tell us what the message is?
37:03It's G-O-W, game of wool.
37:06I did wonder.
37:10It just raises the hat to another level.
37:15My main concern is the sewing of the crown.
37:20It's really difficult to sew and to get it matching.
37:27It is one of the hardest things.
37:29I would have been tempted to go back over it and to sew it
37:34because you're starting to get little gaps.
37:37I mean, that's my only real concern, Elsa, is that...
37:41Thank you, Elsa.
37:44Well done, Elsa.
37:46Next up, we have Lydia.
37:57Ooh.
38:01This is quite delightful.
38:03Oh, good.
38:06The colours are, you know, you can really, really, really tell
38:09the hand-dyed.
38:12The back really, really works.
38:15We asked for originality and you've added in some shapes.
38:21A symbol that you know from your heritage is really, really, really lovely.
38:28So, too many stitches in the rib.
38:34I wouldn't normally put elastic in.
38:36I would expect it to be done within the stitches.
38:41But you resolved it.
38:43Which has meant that the rib now works as it should.
38:48And it's obviously seamless, which is lovely.
38:51And I think anybody would love to wear that hat.
38:55Thank you so much.
38:58Thank you, Lydia, and well done.
39:00And then we have Holger.
39:02Thank you, Holger.
39:11Really nice.
39:13Construction is great.
39:16Looking closely at how you achieved your decreases,
39:19I very much like the way something started as a big zigzag up here.
39:24Goes all the way down.
39:26Yes, I love that.
39:27Two stitches.
39:29And then one stitch.
39:33And this Fair Isle pattern, we've seen it before.
39:36Yes, this is a little note back to the very first week we had here together.
39:40And this is the same Fair Isle pattern I had in my tank top.
39:43Yeah, I love the Fair Isle.
39:46I'm not sure about the picot edge.
39:49OK.
39:51Just here, where you go straight into the Fair Isle, it feels too loose.
39:57OK.
39:59But it's very original.
40:03And it is very you.
40:06It's a real knitter's piece.
40:10And I absolutely do love it.
40:13Thank you, Holger, and well done.
40:16Thanks, Holger.
40:22After eight long weeks and 16 high-stakes stitch-offs,
40:25it's finally time to announce the winner.
40:28And to celebrate, the yarn barn has been packed to the rafters
40:31with knits from across the competition.
40:37And we've welcomed back a few familiar faces.
40:44Oh, wow.
40:46Oh, my gosh.
40:48Oh, look at this.
40:50Wow.
40:52Look at the hat.
40:54It's making me feel a bit tearful.
40:57It's bringing up so many feelings.
40:59Oh, it's just the end, isn't it?
41:01It's been a big journey.
41:05Every single stitch in the room represents time
41:09that people all spent together.
41:11We were all knitters.
41:12And that's what bonds are saw.
41:13And what's made the bonds so strong in the barn?
41:16As well as some loved ones from beyond the magical yarn barn walls.
41:21Yay!
41:24Hi, baby.
41:26Hi, baby.
41:28Hi, baby.
41:30It would mean the world for me to see Lyd win.
41:32Yeah, Mummy made that one.
41:34That's your one, right?
41:35Yeah.
41:36I've seen how much she's sacrificed over the weeks we've got this far.
41:38It's just a truly, truly fantastic achievement.
41:42You made all of them.
41:44No, not all of them.
41:49Hello.
41:51I think Ailsa shocks a lot of people because on the surface she does come across as quite quiet, quite friendly.
41:57But she does have this sort of fire in her belly.
42:00We were looking at your zebra and it's just, like, so cool.
42:05Hello.
42:08Olga's had a difficult few years.
42:09This process has given him an opportunity to just focus on himself.
42:15Getting to the final is outstanding.
42:21But while the celebrations kick off, it's crunch time for the judges.
42:27Wow, what a competition.
42:29I really think this competition has pushed some of the boundaries with what you can create with knitting and crochet.
42:36We've seen some great skills.
42:38We've seen some great design.
42:39We've seen people learning, literally growing from week to week.
42:43This final challenge has been amazing.
42:47And all three of them have come up with ideas that really fit themselves.
42:54So shall we start with Ailsa?
42:55The Ailsa hat, I think it really defined Ailsa.
43:01Quirky, funny, very detailed.
43:05Her work is so beautifully executed and engineered.
43:10We should probably talk about Lydia.
43:14The stitch work was really very good.
43:17Her hat is fabulous.
43:19We expect nothing else of her.
43:21So now we move on to Holger.
43:27So this is an entirely original design.
43:31It's a great design and I can, I mean, it's Holger.
43:36He comes up with really original designs.
43:41It's incredibly difficult to judge.
43:44So ladies, have you decided who will be the very first winner of Game of War?
43:51We have.
43:53We have.
44:05Well done knitters.
44:07The time is finally here.
44:13Over the last eight weeks, we have had a wild ride.
44:16And I think you've really defied what is possible with two sticks and a ball of yarn.
44:22We have been completely blown away by the ingenuity, the hard work, the incredible skills that we've seen.
44:34All three of you finalists should be so proud of what you have achieved.
44:40Very well done.
44:42So the knitter winning the title of the Game of War Britain's Best Knitter is...
44:57Holger.
44:58Holger.
44:59Holger.
45:00Thanks.
45:01Congratulations, Holger.
45:02You're great.
45:04Holger.
45:06I really don't know what to say.
45:08It's, um...
45:10It's massively overwhelming.
45:12It's a great start, man.
45:18Holger. Thank you.
45:20I really don't know what to say.
45:22It's...
45:24It's massively overwhelming.
45:30This experience has just been absolutely incredible.
45:33I think Holger is such a deserving winner.
45:36Everything that he's made has been absolute genius
45:38and he's just a real talent.
45:40Well done, sweetheart. Thank you.
45:42You've done a superb job.
45:44You're phenomenal. You really are.
45:46So well done.
45:47This has been a really, really long, hard competition.
45:51Having that opportunity to explore different parts of the craft
45:54and feeling like I'm coming out a better knitter,
45:57that has been something I've really enjoyed.
46:00I am extremely happy.
46:02I was not expecting that in a field like we had.
46:05I mean, to be named the winner, it feels very, very sweet.
46:09But really the thing I take back from this is like the community feel
46:14and the people you've meet and the friendships you form.
46:16Sounds like a cliche, but that's really what it is.
46:19That's the reality of it.
46:21That's the reality of it.
Be the first to comment