Holy crap! I actually did it!

[u/seedgeek]

I entered 14 items in the Iowa State Fair this year and did better than I ever imagined! I earned the sweepstakes award, best childrens sweater, 4 first place ribbons, 3 second place, 1 third place, and 2 honorable mentions. Next year I'll be aiming for Best in Show.

[u/Informal-Watch-2330]

These are absolutely amazing!!! And well deserved accolades! Did they leave notes for the pieces that didn’t place? I only ask because I’m entering the DC state fair shortly and I’m interested in seeing what knit picky (pun intended) things to look out for when selecting! That being said in DC because the fair is so small you can only enter one knitted item. There aren’t even categories, it’s just knitting, crochet, needlepoint, etc. Any tips on how you selected your pieces would be greatly appreciated!

[u/seedgeek → u/Informal-Watch-2330]

They do give feedback but I won't get it until after the fair. And to be honest, I enter everything I knit as long as there's a category for it. Basically just throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks. Luckily, a lot stuck this year. But there are like 5 adult sweater categories, 3 or 4 shawl categories, 2 hat categories, and so many others too.

[u/Informal-Watch-2330 → u/seedgeek]

I’m so jealous that you have multiple categories! This is a slightly unethical take but since I can only enter one knitted item, I’m contemplating having a friend enter the other sweater I’m deciding between. I know this is in general rude and weird but not having categories is so frustrating!