Game of Wool “Fair Isle” Controversy Just Won’t End – Knitting

I was trying to avoid writing about the controversy surrounding the first episode of Game of Wool, the knitting and crochet competition show hosted by Olympic diver and knitter Tom Daley. I haven’t seen the show so I don’t feel like I can comment on it, and the controversy is a bit of knitting geekery that even some knitters don’t think is a big deal. 

But after the show had competitors design “fair isle” sweaters worked with huge yarn, the Shetland Organization of Knitters came out against the show for spreading “negative misconceptions about Fair Isle knitting techniques.”

They went so far as to call the show appropriation that left the group “shocked and saddened,” particularly because of the misuse of knitting terms that you’d think a show about knitting would take the effort to use correctly. 

A major sticking point was that the contestant who was eliminated, Gordon Cree, was said to have been unable to finish his project because he cut the edges to insert armholes, which is a common and safe technique in Fair Isle and other colorwork knitting. They note Cree was the only knitter involved who had been to Shetland and learned the techniques used there, and the show was “judgemental” about his choice. 

Gordon released a video talking about some of these issues and his traditional approach to Fair Isle knitting, even having to make his own needles to be able to work in the traditional way. He says the needles were part of the reason he couldn’t finish in time because the tips weren’t as smooth as commercial needles would be, which slowed him down. He also made a mistake and had to rip back many rows, which was not shown on the show.  

The show also used terms like steeking and peeries that are not used in the Shetland islands. 

In response, Channel 4, which produced and airs the show, said the contestants were meant to create garments “with a modern twist on the Fair Isle tradition.” In which case the show should have called it colorwork, not Fair Isle, which has a long tradition of the use of specific patterns, colors, materials and techniques.

The show also released a “Behind the Knit” video on its YouTube channel that delves into traditional Fair Isle knitting, talking to people who live on Fair Isle and what the traditions of Fair Isle knitting are. Comments on the Facebook post about the video suggest it was meant to be part of the show, which might have helped reduce the backlash on the issue, rather than being something made after the controversy started.

As for the second episode, it had knitters make 1980s style sweaters and dog sweaters inspired by style icons, and while some people have said this episode was better than the first, others noted the show didn’t seem to know or care about the difference between knitting and crochet. 

This feels very much like a Hank Green situation. The lack of care with the subject is annoying to knitters and crocheters but I don’t know if the casual watcher would care, and the controversies definitely keep the show in the news. What do you think?