Game of Wool | Wk 8 - The Finale
...from a crocheter's perspective
It’s week 8 - and the finale opens with three contestants left—Ailsa, Holger, and Lydia—all chasing the golden needles and the title of Britain’s Best Knitter. And, as I did at the half-way mark, I will be sharing my thoughts about the whole season in an upcoming podcast - so stay tuned!
And now, here’s a recap -
The first challenge is a 12-hour final group build: the trio must work as one team to “yarn bomb” a post box with a Game of Wool–inspired topper, creating an instantly recognizable miniature world featuring the hosts/judges, signature techniques from across the competition (Fair Isle, lace, intarsia, texture, upcycling, and crochet), and a scene set in the Yarn Barn including the Scottish landscape.
Holger makes the Tom figure and recreates Tom’s coat using loop stitch for texture; Ailsa builds Sheila with tiny intarsia triangles to mimic her jumper; Lydia knits Di with miniature Fair Isle and lace details, plus small knitting-needle accents. Around the characters they construct a tiny sofa, rolling “hills,” and they made small mementos representing eliminated contestants.
Postbox toppers are such a quintessentially British thing that, quite frankly, when they announced the challenge I got a bit excited! And while I realize it is just an exercise in Yarn Bombing; honestly, I’m jealous of the fact that we don’t have a post box we can top here in the states. If you want to learn more about Postbox toppers, here’s a great article about the trend from the BBC.
The solo challenge is the ultimate personal brief: each finalist has 12 hours to create a showstopper hat that defines them as a maker, with flawless execution, signature style, and bold technique.
Ailsa leans into vintage design with a Breton-style hat using classic houndstooth colorwork, constructed in panels and sewn to align the pattern; she adds a feather and a hidden Morse code patch spelling “G O W.”
Lydia designs a beret using her own hand-dyed yarn, incorporating Ghanaian symbolism through intricate colorwork.
Holger highly engineers a long-pointed stocking cap inspired by his German heritage, featuring a picot edge, a returning Fair Isle motif, and finishing with a tassel.
In the final deliberation, the judges call the season boundary-pushing for both knitting and crochet, and weigh each hat’s execution and originality. In the closing celebration—with returning contestants and loved ones—the winner is announced.
Hats of all sorts are just a part of crochet that pretty much everyone does. Berets, beanies, stocking hats - the internet is teaming with patterns. Ailsa's Breton, on the other hand, is a little less common. I love hats…particularly women’s hats from the mid-1900’s and back. The Breton was last popular in the 1960s; I was able to find a vintage Dritz pattern from 1947, not quite as nice as Ailsa’s but it can get you started.
Now that the season is over, I can say with confidence, this type of show is not for me. I appreciate the stage and the acknowledgement of crochet’s artistry and versatility, but I wish it could have been done in another format. I was not surprised or disappointed by the selected winner; I do believe their work was worthy of the “Golden Needles”.
To hear a full rundown of the last 4 episodes of the season as well as my thoughts, please stay tuned for my next podcast.
What were your thoughts about the program? Do you think the judges got it right? Are you excited about the possibility of a Season 2? Leave your thoughts in the comments.