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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'll 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 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!
19:00It's the Game of Wolf final.
19:01And me and my fluffy friends have witnessed 15 epic challenges unfold in the game.
19:07Blah!
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19:09Blah!
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19:11Blah!
19:12Blah!
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19:31Blah!
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19:35Blah!
19:36Blah!
19:37Blah!
19:38B' Right.
19:39Weelan.
19:40Hey, who do you think is gonna win?
19:42Who's gonna win?
19:43Tell me.
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 bad thing
19:54right now.
19:55The solo challenge is the combination of the series, in a way.
19:58It is the last one. It'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.
20:19What I really want is something that actually defines you,
20:22tells us about you as a knitter,
20:26and shows off your skills.
20:28Your story.
20:31You can use any yarn,
20:35any technique.
20:37We will need to see flawless execution
20:41and 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,
21:09and ingenious engineering to pull off an utterly flawless headpiece.
21:14I am very nervous.
21:16I need to get it right for it to sit absolutely perfect.
21:18And 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?
21:37It has to be fantastic construction. It has to be fantastic stitch choice. And I've got to see something of them in it.
21:47I think it really has to be perfect. It really has to be out of the ordinary.
21:50I would hope so.
21:55Because this is the final challenge, we've got to make it about us and really reflect us.
22:02Ailsa's clever use of retro designs has consistently impressed.
22:06And 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.
22:18And I wanted my design to reflect where my love for knitting comes from.
22:24Ailsa's vintage hat will be knitted in the classic houndstooth pattern.
22:28But instead of black and white, she's gone for racing green and rose pink.
22:33To construct her Breton style, she will knit four separate panels to form the crown,
22:37knitting the upturned brim separately, before tackling the highly skilled task of precisely sewing it all together.
22:45Her 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'll be on show.
23:00Any sewing that I do will be quite obvious.
23:03She's gone cross-eyed.
23:09Should have worn my glasses. Let's just put it that way.
23:12Are you working on the brim then, Lydia?
23:14Yeah, I'm doing a folded kind of rim.
23:18And then I'm going to do like a round of increases and start building up the hat.
23:25Lydia has effectively weaved her personal history and heritage into all of her designs.
23:31And she's not holding back for the final.
23:33So I am making a beret, something like this.
23:37This symbol here, that incorporates garner for me.
23:41I found this one which means good family.
23:43And I wanted to put something about family in it.
23:46Because of kind of the family ties with the yarn and because there was no restriction to what kind of yarn we could use,
23:52I obviously, I dyed my own yarn.
23:54For her showstopper hat, Lydia will use her own hand-dyed yarn in soft, muted colours.
24:02First, she will knit in the round to create a perfectly fitting brim.
24:06Next, 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,
24:17showcasing traditional Ghanaian symbols, celebrating family and religion.
24:22Oh, I've cast on the wrong number of stitches.
24:26I cast on too many stitches for my ribs, so I was meant to have a smaller rib and then a more dramatic increase.
24:34But I cast on the wrong number.
24:39Lydia, all right?
24:41Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine.
24:43This fits, right? It fits in the thing.
24:45Yeah, it does.
24:45In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter.
24:47Okay.
24:49Yeah, how are you getting on?
24:51Steady, slow, but steady.
24:55There's various different reasons why I've picked this.
24:58One of them is it's fun to wear. You have something dangling around you.
25:01Holger 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.
25:15It's a stocking cap with a very long point.
25:18The shape is a reference to a character called Der Deutsche Michl,
25:23which basically is a personification of the German nation.
25:28Holger will begin with a picot-edge detail for the brim.
25:32And then, as a tribute to his first ever Fair Isle design on Game of Wool,
25:36he will knit an intricate colourwork pattern in the round.
25:40He will then continue towards the point of his hat,
25:43creating texture with a twisted rib and a travelling cable,
25:46before finishing it all off with a flamboyant tassel.
25:49But with such a long point,
25:51Holger's stocking cap will require careful time management
25:54to ensure he can reach his peak in time.
25:56Hello, Holger.
25:59Hello, Tom.
26:00You're changing to...
26:02Cabling.
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.
26:13Is that something that's important to you?
26:14This challenge was specifically about us,
26:17our journey and who we are as knitters.
26:20There needed to be a German element in there,
26:22because otherwise it wouldn't be me, would it?
26:24Yeah.
26:24I mean, you strike me as someone that pays such attention to detail
26:28of every little thing that you do.
26:32Yeah, yeah.
26:32I mean, it's always...
26:35How should I put that?
26:38You 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.
26:47Diane Sheila, for example.
26:50You have almost like a weight of expectation on you with that.
26:53You win a gold medal.
26:55They expect more.
26:57You do feel like you have to be extra good.
26:59If you have that very, very strong feeling that in certain areas
27:03you are disappointing them massively,
27:05like, I mean, I know my parents, for example,
27:07would have dearly loved to have grandchildren,
27:09you then automatically try and overcompensate in other areas.
27:14For me, when I was growing up,
27:16I 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
27:28is that the things that you've created in this competition
27:31have been absolutely incredible.
27:38A few hours into the challenge,
27:45knitters should be working their way into the body of their hats.
27:48Despite her earlier mistake with her brim,
27:50rather than start again,
27:52Lydia has decided to keep pushing forward with the rest of the design.
27:56I wanted to have a tighter rib, but it's fine.
27:59Probably just need a little bit of elastic
28:01just to slightly tighten the rib up a little bit.
28:03The judges will be expecting the knitters
28:05to demonstrate impeccable construction
28:08and a flawless execution of every stitch.
28:11Ailsa 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,
28:29but 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.
28:38I liked the look of it being seamed.
28:41It's quite important with this classic houndstooth
28:44to have them matching.
28:48I want it to not take the attention away
28:52from the nice bits of the pattern.
28:53Yes, yes, so you want them to align really carefully.
28:58This bit is really crucial.
29:00It's important to consider every stitch.
29:05We'll let you get on with it.
29:08Hi, Tom.
29:09How'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.
29:15The relief is palpable.
29:16Really?
29:16Yeah.
29:17So what would it mean to you to win this competition?
29:20You know, I keep thinking about it,
29:24and this has been a real journey for me.
29:28Knitting's kind of been a constant in my life,
29:31which 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,
29:38and literally even the smell of yarn, absolutely not.
29:41That was really hard because knitting's either been a space
29:44where I can decompress.
29:46Being here in the final has kind of been
29:48a really great confidence boost for me.
29:50Just the fact that it's given you this confidence,
29:52it's doing things that you never thought you would ever do,
29:55is exactly how I imagine you want to raise your twins.
29:59Yeah, yeah.
29:59To be able to feel like no dream is too big.
30:02Strong sense of self is what their preschool calls it.
30:04Okay.
30:06Yeah, I wonder where they get that from.
30:07Oh, I'm not watching.
30:08Knitters, you are halfway through your final challenge.
30:27Six hours remains.
30:31Brimstone pungent.
30:33At the halfway point, knitters should be starting to consider
30:36the final stages of their hat construction.
30:39But Holger has still got a woolly mountain to climb.
30:43I'm feeling slightly anxious because in Idyward I'd be further.
30:48There's still a lot of rounds to go.
30:50Speedy knitting has consistently been a problem for Holger in the yarn barn.
30:54But for the final, there will be nowhere to hide.
30:57It'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 stations yet.
31:06You will notice when you physically hear me scream.
31:15It's the final and the three remaining knitters
31:18are under pressure to pull off show-stopping hats for the win.
31:22I'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.
31:39With no rules to this final solo challenge,
31:42the judges will be expecting the finalists
31:44to surprise them with unexpected techniques and structural ingenuity.
31:48We are moving into a more textured pattern.
31:55Tell us what you're doing.
31:56This is going to be the rest of the body of the stocking.
31:59It's a knot to the more Bavarian heritage.
32:02I wanted to have those kind of travelling stitches, twisted stitches.
32:05I do like this very twisted rib.
32:07But you're going to have to shape it on the way down.
32:08Well, that's the thing.
32:09You can hide the decreases in the pattern.
32:12Holger is shaping his stocking cap to a point.
32:15But as he is also knitting a textured cable towards that point,
32:19he needs to follow a bespoke formula to achieve precision.
32:22So you've done all the math.
32:23You've had to calculate where you need to put your decreases
32:28to make the shape work.
32:31And then you've had to calculate where to put those decreases
32:35to hide them in the pattern.
32:37It's a formula which you've created to enable
32:41to get to your 32 stitches at the end.
32:44Yeah.
32:45I really appreciate the skill in it.
32:47Do you think you've got time to get to the end?
32:49It'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
33:00is its role in intelligence.
33:03There were agents who would knit information into their knitting.
33:07I wanted to put my interest in knitting into this
33:10because it's to reflect me as a knitter.
33:13We've got a wee house that we go to in Aberdeenshire
33:16that's so old, the building.
33:18In there, there's a sign of all the 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
33:28what they would have been doing when they were sat there.
33:31That's what I feel like with the vintage patterns too.
33:34Like someone else has sat with this project.
33:36I kind of feel the history, I suppose.
33:38What are you going to have on there?
33:39Dash, dash, dot.
33:41Dash, dash, dash.
33:42Dot, dash, dash.
33:43Oh, wait, that's in lace.
33:44There's lace and pearl bumps.
33:47Wow.
33:48So is lace the dash?
33:49Yeah.
33:50And then the pearl bumps are dots.
33:51Yeah, you've cracked it.
33:53What a hell.
33:53It's crunch time in the last solo challenge
34:00and knitters should be moving towards final construction
34:03and finishing details.
34:05Lydia is adding elastic to solve her earlier mistake
34:08and 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
34:19the individual parts of her crown.
34:21It is quite a critical moment
34:22because when you knit flat,
34:24it's impossible to see what the 3D hat will look like
34:26until this part is done.
34:28What I'm trying to do is keep the pattern
34:30as closely matched as I can.
34:34And Holger is still painstakingly knitting his cap
34:37towards its point.
34:38I would love to say we're getting very close to the pointy end,
34:41but unfortunately the pointy end is very long drawn out,
34:43so we're not really pointing yet.
34:44Knitters, you have 30 minutes left
34:49until your final solo challenge needs to be completed.
34:55I don't know, kind of like the gravity of it
34:57is sort of hitting, so yeah.
34:59I feel sick.
35:05I'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.
35:11There's still a lot of rounds to go.
35:18I really start to get a sense
35:20how much this means to the knitters.
35:22They all want to win, they all want to finish.
35:25Ailsa is the first knitter
35:27to cross that woolly finish line.
35:29Yeah, I think that's me.
35:31Really happy.
35:33Closely followed by Lydia.
35:35I think I'm done.
35:36Bam!
35:36Bam!
35:39But Holger is still knitting.
35:41How long have you got to go, Holger?
35:43Um, oh, 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.
36:02There we go.
36:04One minute, Holger.
36:05You can do it.
36:07Whoop.
36:07Is that it?
36:08No, no, no.
36:09This is it.
36:10Oh, look at that.
36:14That is it.
36:15You did it.
36:16You completed the game of wool.
36:18Well 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.
36:34It's really lovely.
36:43Very stylish, isn't it?
36:47So, I actually love the overall shape.
36:50I'm just going to take it off and have a little look.
36:53Ah.
36:54Oh, my goodness.
36:55Ooh.
36:57It's got a little pattern here.
36:59Morse code.
37:00Do you want to tell us what the message is?
37:03It's G-O-W.
37:05Game of wool.
37:06I did wonder.
37:10It just raises the hat to another level.
37:16My main concern is the sewing of the crown.
37:21It's really difficult to sew and to get it matching.
37:26It 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.
37:38I mean, that's my only real concern, Elsa, is that.
37:43Thank you, Elsa.
37:45Well done, Elsa.
37:46Next up, we have Lydia.
37:48Lydia.
37:48Lydia.
37:48Lydia.
37:48Lydia.
37:50Lydia.
37:52Lydia.
37:53Lydia.
37:54Lydia.
37:55Lydia.
37:56Lydia.
37:56Lydia.
37:57Ooh.
38:01This is quite delightful.
38:03Oh, good.
38:06The colours are, you know, you can really, really,
38:09really tell the hand-dyed.
38:12The back really, really works.
38:15We asked for originality, and you've added in some shapes.
38:20A symbol that you know from your heritage is really, really,
38:25really lovely.
38:26so too many stitches in the rib
38:32i wouldn't normally put elastic in i would expect it to be done within the stitches
38:39but you resolved it which has meant that the rib now works as it should and it's obviously seamless
38:50which is lovely and i think anybody would love to wear that hat
38:55thank you so much thank you lydia and well done and then we have holger
39:02really nice construction is great looking closely at how you achieved your decreases i very much like
39:20the way something started as a big zigzag up here goes all the way down yes i love that two stitches
39:28and then one stitch
39:34and 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 and this is the same
39:41fairer pattern i had in my tank top
39:43yeah i love the fair isle i'm not sure about the picot edge okay
39:51just here where you go straight into the fair isle it feels too loose okay but it's very original
40:01thank you and it is very you it's a real knitters piece
40:09and i absolutely do love it thank you holger and well done thank you thanks holger thank you
40:17after eight long weeks and 16 high stakes stitch-offs it's finally time to announce the winner and to
40:29celebrate the yarn barn has been packed to the rafters with knits from across the competition
40:34and we've welcomed back a few familiar faces
40:44oh wow oh my gosh oh look at this wow oh look at the hat
40:55it's making me feel a bit tearful it's bringing up so many feelings oh it's just it's at the end
41:00isn't it it's um it's been a big journey every single stitch in the room represents time that
41:09people all spent together we're all knitters and that's what bonds are saw and it also made the
41:13bond so strong in in the barn as well as some loved ones from beyond the magical yarn barn walls
41:20it would mean the world for me to see lid win yeah mommy made that one that's your one yeah okay
41:36seeing how much she's sacrificed over the weeks we've got this far it's it's a truly truly um
41:41fantastic achievement no not all of them hello
41:51i think ilsa shocks a lot of people because on the surface she does come across as quite quiet
41:56quite friendly but she does have this sort of fire in her belly we were looking at your zebra and it's
42:01just like so cool hello holger's had a difficult few years this process has given him an opportunity
42:13to just focus on himself getting to the final is outstanding
42:21but while the celebrations kick off it's crunch time for the judges
42:26the final challenge is wow what a competition i really think this competition has pushed some of
42:33the boundaries with what you can create with knitting and crochet we've seen some great skills we've
42:38seen some great design we've seen people learning literally growing from week to week this final
42:44challenge has been amazing and all three of them have come up with ideas that really fit themselves
42:54so shall we start with ailsa the ailsa hat i think it really defined ailsa quirky funny very detailed
43:05her work is so beautifully executed and engineered we should probably talk about lydia
43:14the stitch work was really very good her hat is is fabulous we expect nothing else of her
43:22so now we move on to holger so this is an entirely original design it's a great design and i can
43:34i mean it's holger he comes up with really original designs
43:42it's incredibly difficult to judge so ladies have you decided who will be the very first winner of game
43:51of wool we have
44:06well done knitters the time is finally here
44:13over the last eight weeks we have had a wild ride and i think you've really defied what is possible
44:19with two sticks and a ball of yarn we have been completely blown away
44:27by 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 very well done
44:41so the knitter winning the title of the game of wool britain's best knitter is
44:52holger
44:58congratulations
45:12I really don't know what to say.
45:13It's massively overwhelming.
45:26This 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.
45:42You've done a superb job.
45:44You're phenomenal.
45:45You 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.
45:59I am extremely happy.
46:01I was not expecting that in a field like we had.
46:05I mean, to be named the winner, it feels very, very sweet.
46:10But 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.
46:17Sounds like a cliche, but that's really what it is.
46:20That's the reality of it.
46:21That's the reality of it.
46:22That's the reality of it.
46:27And I take a look.
46:28Thanks, girl.
46:29Thanks, man.
46:30Thanks, man.
46:31See you next time.
46:32Bye.
46:34Bye.
46:36Bye.
46:38Bye.
46:40Bye-bye.
46:49Bye.
46:54Bye.
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