Lebanon County resident places in National Make It with Wool contest

A Lebanon County craftswoman earned recognition in January at National Make It with Wool contest in Reno, Nevada.

Mindy Bickel of Lebanon was named fifth runner-up in the adult division (ages 25 and up) of the competition.

The awards were presented after a fashion show of garments by 34 contestants from 21 states on Saturday, Jan. 31, in Reno, Nevada.

The objectives of the contest include promoting the beauty and versatility of wool fabrics and yarns, encouraging personal creativity in sewing, knitting, and crocheting with wool fabrics and yarns, recognizing creative skills, and developing life skills, including being responsible for oneself, being a good sport, accepting judge’s decisions, and learning about and appreciating diversity, according to a press release from the Make It with Wool organization. Each contestant created a garment or ensemble for the competition using wool or yarn that was at least 60% animal fiber.

Bickel has been knitting since she was 5, according to the release, and she “is always on the lookout for new sweater patterns.” She started working on a Martin Storey sweater jacket in April 2020 but put the project aside after discovering the design “had many mistakes and underestimated the amount of yarn needed.” According to the release, she resumed work on the project last year and finished it two months before the contest.

The sweater has beading on the knitted contrast at the bottom of the complicated design, Bickel notes in the release. It’s backed by a black top and pants she made from a merino wool ponte (double-knit) fabric that feels like terry cloth, using a design from Pamela’s Patterns “with modifications to create a top with boat neck and cut on sleeve and gathers in the back of the pants which is on trend right now,” the release explains.

Bickel is vice president of the Lebanon Valley Knit2Gether Guild, retreats chair of the Lancaster Area Sewing Network, and a member of the White Flint Knitting Meetup and Knitting Around NY.

Hope Wagner of Annville also competed in the senior division in Reno after winning first place in the senior (17-24) division at the state competition in Harrisburg on Oct. 4. Wagner, although not a winner this year, has earned awards for her creative work in years past.

The next Pennsylvania Make It with Wool contest will be held in Harrisburg on Saturday, Oct. 3, with pre-registration due by Sept. 2. The next national contest will be held next year in Charleston, South Carolina, on Jan. 14-17.

For more information on Make It with Wool, contact Pennsylvania state director Linda Siegel by email or by calling 717-274-1197.