Judging knitting and crochet

is not a simple task. I do not envy the lovely person who comes to do it at our annual state Show. 

Faced with a seemingly Everest high pile of entries she had an apparently endless number of decisions to make. Sometimes it was easy and  at other times much more difficult. 

How do you make a choice between two items you think are of equal quality? Yes, it is difficult. The judge is very good at that. Listening to what she has to say is something we can all learn from.

I have always hated marking essays and other projects my students have worked on.  There are occasions on which I have felt students have not done enough work or really do not know enough to pass. It should be easy then - but it isn't. 

It is even harder when a student is "borderline" - do I pass or fail? Do I give a credit or a pass, a distinction or a credit? What do I do when I know who has written the paper and know they have worked particularly hard? What about the student who I know puts in minimum effort and is borderline? 

At least in judging the knitting and crochet at the Show the entries sit there anonymously. There are no names on the cards. Those are on a second set of cards elsewhere - cards which will be affixed at a later time in the day. These are not "life and death" or "career changing" decisions. Handicrafts at the Show are intended for everyone and most people enter simply because they believe they have made something worth displaying.

And those things generally are worth displaying. There were some really lovely pieces again this year. We all oohed and aahed over some and laughed at the amazing crocheted "stag's head" and wanted to hug the little toy dachshund or cuddle into one blanket in particular - and even eat the crocheted fruit and vegetables. 

It was exhausting. I had done my share of the judging in an entirely different area earlier. It's a much smaller area but I knew I was still making decisions which would give a thrill or disappoint. It's a responsibility.

And will I do it again next year? If they want me - and it seems they might - then yes, I suppose I will. What I really want is for people to be willing to show others what they have made - and encourage more people to do the same.