Oldest Man in Australia is a Knitter

Alfred “Alfie” Date is considered the oldest man in Australia at 109 years old. He may also be the world’s oldest knitter, or the person in the world who has been knitting the longest, at around 80 years.

He says he learned to knit from the sister-in-law of his great-great-grandfather. His first project was a jumper for a baby, which he accidentally worked in (British) Moss Stitch instead of ribbing. It happens.

These days Date lives in an assisted living home in New South Wales, and he says he’d been in the home less than a day when nurses approached him about knitting jumpers for penguins.

He stitched some up because, he says, he’s incapable of saying no. (While the penguins don’t need more help, the humans at the Penguin Foundation are impressed by his skill.)

One of his knitting secrets is using heavier wool because, “if you’re using a light wool you’re wasting your time,” he says.

You owe it to yourself to click through and watch the video.

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The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical.

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique.

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead.

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit.

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern.

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like.

[Photo: Maymade Knits]

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