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.]

Next Pattern:

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.”

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them.

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits.

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves.

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit.

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy.

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?