Once Most Prolific Knitter Has Died

Gwen Matthewman, an 86-year-old knitter who once held two world records, has died, according to reports from the Pontefract and Castleford Express.

Matthewman was once the fastest knitter in the world, at 111 stitches per minute (the current record is 118). She was also considered the world’s most prolific knitter after churning out 915 garments in a year using 11,000 ounces of yarn (that’s nearly 690 pounds).

She was born in 1927 and took up knitting at a young age. She was catapulted into stardom in the 1960s, when she was studied by Japanese knitters on a live television show. She also appeared on David Letterman’s and David Frost’s shows, among other appearances around the world, and was known for having knit a sweater for Neil Armstrong before he traveled to the moon.

Her son says she gave up knitting “many moons ago” to spend more time with her family and take up other pursuits including darts and dominoes.

[Photo via the Pontefract and Castleford Express.]

Adding a bit of knitting to your fall decor is a lot of fun, whether it’s knit pumpkins or a bunch of adorable knit ghosts like these.

Knit ghosts can be super simple like this free ghost knitting pattern from Trixie Zynch on Ravelry. Using about 50 yards of worsted weight yarn, they’re worked from the bottom up and are super cute as a pair.

This fuzzy little ghost from Forest Knitting Toys is holding a pumpkin and wearing a witch hat, though of course the accessories are optional, as is the fuzzy yarn. The main yarn is chunky and the ghost measures about 10 cm/4 inches tall. It’s worked in the round.

Another fuzzy ghost in more of a Pacman style is this ghost plushie form South Stitch Girls. It’s worked in the round with bulky yarn and includes a sweet little bow you can make in whatever color you like.

The ghost doll from Edith Grace Designs has little arms and a curl at the top of its head. The body is worked flat using DK weight yarn and you could also work it in glow in the dark yarn for extra fun. The body and head are worked in one piece with the arms knit separately.

The Grim Grinning Ghosts from Susan Claudino are super cute and you can knit them in any yarn and gauge you like to make ghosts of different sizes. These are worked in the round with the body done in one piece and the arms are knit separately. The ghosts shown were knit in sock yarn, DK and worsted weight yarn. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Make a ghost with funny striped legs with this ghost shelf sitter design from Claire Fairall Designs. It’s worked in three colors of DK weight yarn, and the letters spelling out boo are made with strips of garter stitch sewn into shape.

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