Tried competitive yarn winding at a fiber fest and nearly got disqualified

So I went to this fiber festival in Wisconsin last weekend, right? I saw they had a speed winding competition where you take a hank of yarn and wind it into a ball as fast as possible. I thought, hey, I knit a bit, how hard can it be? Sign me up. Got my hank, they said go, and I started winding like a maniac. Ten seconds in, I realized I had twisted the yarn into a massive knot because I wasn't keeping tension right. By the time I finished, the judge said my ball was 'too loose and lumpy' and almost disqualified me for 'creating a dangerous tangling hazard.' I learned that winding yarn is way harder than it looks, especially when you're trying to be fast. Has anyone else tried something like this and messed it up worse than expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia_hernandez10d ago

I did one of those at a local county fair last year and my ball looked like a sad little potato with yarn coming off it in every direction. The judge just stared at it for a solid ten seconds before sighing and handing me a participation ribbon.

willow_martin10d ago

Oh @olivia_hernandez, did you at least get to keep the sad potato ball? (I'm only half joking, because honestly county fair judges can be brutal in a weirdly polite way.) I tried a crochet class once and my "beginner-friendly" scarf ended up looking like a tangled fishing net that had been through a hurricane. The instructor just patted my shoulder and said "you'll get there" in that tone that meant I probably wouldn't. At least you went for it and got a ribbon - my sad creation just sits in a drawer judging me silently.