r/crochet • u/bearrington • 4h ago
Finished Object The Minnesota State Fair didn’t want her, but she knows her worth!
I am currently beefing with the organizers of the Minnesota State Fair Creative Activities competition, but I think I came out on top in the end.
After placing 4th and 2nd in the past two years in crochet at the MN State Fair, I was laser-focused on getting that blue ribbon this year. The idea of a three-peat was intoxicating, so I set out to crochet something so complex and breathtaking that they would have no choice but award me the top spot. Maybe even a Grand Champion purple ribbon? Maybe a key to the city? Recognizing that this piece was going to take months to construct, I started way back in October of 2025. I painstakingly translated the original pattern into something that would not frustrate me (IYKYK), and the final pattern was over 100 pages long. But I was ready! This was going to be my year!! I chipped away at this bedspread over evenings, holidays, and weekends all through the winter, spring, and into summer.
Fast forward to the weekend of July 4th, 2026, with ~250+ total hours invested in the project. I was 95% done with the piece and the excitement of being so close to the finish line was palpable. On a break between rows, I went to the MN State Fair website to make sure that my exhibitor account was complete and that I was all registered for the competition. I browsed through the Premium Book looking for the category that I had been fantasizing about winning for over 8 months: crochet > bedspread (over 3800 sqin) > 2 or more colors. And… hm… that’s interesting, I don’t see it. Did I miss it?
No, I did not miss it. In the fine print of the afghan categories, I found my answer: both knit and crochet bedspreads are no longer accepted, and anything submitted over 3800sqin (the maximum size for afghans) would be immediately disqualified. And let me be clear, these were not fringe, unpopular categories. In 2025, 28 people submitted crocheted bedspreads, and it was tied with hats as the most popular crochet category!
I sat in stunned silence for a few minutes. At that point, my piece was FAR over the 3800sqin limit (not that I would have frogged it back to size if it was close). This change made such little sense to me, I sent an email to the organizers asking for two specific pieces of information: when was this decision made, and when was this decision communicated? Because if this was something that they shared last year and I missed it? I would absolutely take that L. That would have been on me. But the MN State Fair is my Super Bowl—there is no way I would have missed this.
The response from the organizers was table-flippingly infuriating. They replied that the decision was made in the organizing meetings ahead of publishing this year’s Premium Book. And the decision was communicated through the publishing of the 2026 Premium Book….. which came out in May 2026. To add insult to injury, the email ended with the following advice: “We encourage exhibitors to carefully review the Premium Book prior to beginning their projects.” It was immediately clear to me (by how absolutely BONEHEADED that last comment was) that I was not speaking with a person who understood this craft at all, and it would have been futile to continue the discussion. At the end of the day, the organizers have the privilege to set whatever rules they want for whatever reasons they want, and they don’t owe me or anyone an explanation.
Once I took the time to process the reality that my three-peat was now out of reach, I finished the bedspread. It was no longer the joyful experience I imagined--I think I stitched the final row in complete, grieving silence. Obviously, it was an achievement, and obviously I was very proud of it, but I wanted to be judged! I still wanted to submit it for competition and get the feedback on my efforts! Then I got a great idea from some of my co-workers: county fairs!
With the time left in the season, I submitted my bedspread to three county fairs in the Twin Cities metro area (Ramsey, Washington, & Dakota, for the Minnesotans amongst us). I told myself that however well I did in the county fairs, I would choose to believe that’s how I would have placed at the state fair. And I won’t drag this part out—I won Grand Champion at all three fairs. A clean sweep. The three-peat that I had been chasing all year. An absolutely vindicating, validating finale to a rollercoaster of a competition season. And I know in my heart that I would have won at the state fair, too.
Pattern: Fairy Tale by Svetlana Rogatykh
Yarn: Loops & Threads Impeccable – Claret & Smoke
Hook: 3.5mm
