The national Make It With Wool competition (MIWW) promotes wool’s beauty and versatility and recognizes excellence and creativity in garment sewing and knitting. Garments must be made from fashion fabrics and yarns that are at least 60 percent wool-including specialty fibers, such as mohair, alpaca, camel, and llama. Contestants compete in skill categories and age groups: 13- to 16-year-olds compete as juniors; those 17 to 24 compete as seniors; and 25 and over compete as adults. State winners advance to the national judging round, which is in January. The Adult and Fashion/Apparel Design winners are preselected and receive all-expenses-paid trips to the national competition to model their creations. Here, Threads highlights seven individuals who won awards in the January 2016 national judging round.

National Junior Ambassador and Needlework Winner

Annaleigh DeBoover
Phelps, New York

For Annaleigh’s first year competing in MIWW, she was inspired by merino wool yarn in a color called “Pink Floyd” that she found at the 2015 New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. She knitted her sweater and hat with this vibrant yarn. She knitted a skirt from black highland Peruvian wool (KnitPicks.com) to complete the outfit. Annaleigh used the Not Your Boyfriend’s Sweater pattern by Vera Sanon and the Yoked Skirt with Pockets pattern by Cynthia Parker (both Ravelry.com). She used Keladry B’s Scopes for the hat and Cookie A’s Monkey Socks for the socks (both Ravelry.com). The sweater combines stockinette-stitch sides with lacy, falling leaves-stitch front and back panels. The stockinette-stitch skirt sports two front pockets. MIWW has helped Annaleigh feel more confident about her knitting, she says.
-Jessica Petersen

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