Game of Wool | Wk 4
...from a crocheter's perspective
So, it’s week 4. And knitters seem to still be finding Game of Wool a hard sell. I’m looking forward to sharing my thought as we are halfway thru the season: 4 episode down / 4 to go. Be sure to check out my blog as it comes available Friday, November 28, 2025.
But now, here’s a recap—
With 7 contestants left, it’s Kids Week in the Yarn Barn, and the solo challenge has the knitters performing a crochet-only task: create a unique toddler costume party outfit using only crochet. They want to be wowed by an instantly recognizable, stand out design, with three elements (main body, headgear, and accessories). The judges emphasize originality, structural strength, and a range of crochet stitches, signalling that at this stage of the competition, simple stitch choices won’t be enough to impress. They will expect a balance between creativity and technicality. The contestants had 12 hours.
Each maker tackled a different character.
Lydia designs a lion romper worked in the round using double (US Single) and treble crochet (US Double), plus a loop-stitch mane, cuffs, and tail for texture and kid-friendly pull-on construction.
Isaac builds an explorer costume with a pocketed safari jacket, an intarsia globe, and a canvas-like fabric in spike stitch, accessorised with binoculars, compass, and a cleverly engineered pith helmet.
Holger revisits his childhood fox toy with striped dungarees, crocheted buttons, and a brushed-yarn headpiece for whiskery texture.
Dipti turns a child into a walking crayon using basic double crochet and ambitious intarsia lettering, plus a crayon-tip hat and matching crayon bag.
Tracy creates a Queen Bee with treble (US Doubles) and cluster stitches for textured stripes adding a crown and wings.
Ailsa uses carefully planned variations in stitch height to mimic irregular zebra stripes and detailed facial features.
Simon builds a knight costume with granny-square “chain mail,” a double-crochet helmet, and a mace/chain accessory shaped with double crochet, pushing the limits of his small crochet repertoire.
The toddler “play test” provides a check for fit, durability, and comfort. During the critique, the judges praise Holger’s thoughtful construction and crochet buttons (which will haunt everyone whose outfit utilized buttons). They express worry about Tracy’s heavy wings and appreciate Lydia’s cohesive lion. They commend Simon’s planning and engineered accessories, admire Ailsa’s clever manipulation of stitch heights for zebra stripes, and are especially impressed by Isaac’s textured “canvas” spike stitch and neatly shaped globe and pith. Dipti’s concept and intarsia are not quite on point; the oversized shape and hard-to-read lettering count against her.
These were some of the best crocheted children’s costumes I’ve ever seen, particularly given the time constrains. Crochet vests and rompers made to fire a child’s imagination and work as play clothes. I really appreciated the exploration of stitches for texture, structure, and whimsy. This is the sort of free-handed thing a creative person can go crazy with, and while this involved no knitting, it was an excellent challenge that the contestants, in almost every instance rose to.
The team challenge shifted to interactive wall hangings for children’s bedrooms which is basically a knitted “Mix and Match Book”. The two teams were to create fantastical characters across multiple panels, focusing on texture, interactivity, and sensory elements. Teams had 8 hours.
Holger, Simon, Lydia and Dipti decide to construct a “sea creature” wall hanging mixes 4 panels of knit and crochet, zippers, pom pons, velcroed-removable elements, and textured seabed.
Isaac, Tracy, and Ailsa settle on a “shapes creature” and choose a unified cream background and garter-stitch frame, combining intarsia shapes, push and pull arms, textured yarns and stitches, laced shoes, beads, buttons, and a bell for sensory play.
Judges ultimately prefer the more cohesive, cleanly finished shapes wall hanging from Tracy, Ailsa, and Isaac despite it having fewer interactive elements.
Again, this is something that crochet is built for: it’s big, it’s bold, it’s sensory forward. The sky is the limit with regard to textures and all sorts of bells and whistles. Here is a video showing different crochet sensory toys that can be incorporate into a nursery room wall hanging.
I agreed with the selection of this week’s Big Knitter, and with the selection of the individual Cast Off. Unfortunately, with this departure goes the only remaining contestant whose professed better strength was crocheting. But this show is supposed to be finding Britain’s Best Knitter anyway.
Again, I feel compelled to state, I am not a reality contest person. But I’ll dive more into my reasonings and my likes/dislikes about the show in my next Exploration crochet podcast.
What were your thoughts about this week’s episode? Do you think the judges got it right? Leave your thoughts in the comments.