# The Worlds fastest knitter, and the second fastest !



## Knitophile (Oct 22, 2012)

About once a year for the past few years I have carried out a search on the internet for worlds fastest knitter to see who comes up. This is how I came to learn about Hazel Tindall from the Shetland Islands and Miriam Tegels from the Netherlands.

See Hazel knit:






Hazels own videos:

Hazel knitting slowly so you can see her technique:




Hazels video showing how a knitting belt is used:




Hazel doing purl stitch:





I noticed today that Hazel is on Ravelry:
http://www.ravelry.com/designers/hazel-tindall
and she has her own website with blog:
http://www.hazeltindall.com/

With respect to Miriam Tegels, the Worlds second fastest knitter, whom Hazel refers to in the about section of her website in reference to a competition in which they both competed (and which Hazel won), Miriam is the Guiness Book of World Records, 2008. 
See Miriam knit:





and Hazel once again:


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## Pumpkin007 (Jan 2, 2013)

Amazing!!


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## bwtyer (Oct 31, 2012)

Bet she doesn't ever have to worry about finishing all her Christmas gifts on time like we do!


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## Helgajr1 (Feb 14, 2012)

WOW is all i can say :roll:


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## AmyKnits (Aug 20, 2011)

AND.... She is a thrower, like me. I can do both, but mainly throw. I am a pretty quick knitter, myself and most people assume I knit continental!

I cannot tell what method Miriam uses.... she is amazing! They both are!

Thanks for sharing these fun videos!!!!


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## crispie (Dec 17, 2011)

Wow, and I also am a thrower--but nowhere close to that fast!
i do like her projects.


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## crispie (Dec 17, 2011)

I just remembered my mother used to tuck the right needle under her arm--wonder if the stability of that needle (like the belt) aids in creating more speed?


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

crispie said:


> I just remembered my mother used to tuck the right needle under her arm--wonder if the stability of that needle (like the belt) aids in creating more speed?


From watching my sister-in-law demonstrating how she knits, I'd say it does.

However, she's absolutely unable to use my circular needles. And her knits are machine perfect and more tightly knit than any store-bought machine-knit sweaters! That's why, when she asked me to rip out an outmoded sweater, I refused. It's just too tightly knit for me to know where to begin! Yes, so stiff was it that it could stand upright without anyone inside it! Lovely detail work, but ... not in the least cuddly.

She no longer knits or does any crafts - assuming you don't count meal preparation as cooking.


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## Andrelsea (Apr 29, 2013)

Thanks for the videos, does anyone else want to move to the Shetlands now or is it just me. Imagine a community that grew up on knitting. I lived in Inverness for a couple of years but never got to the Shetlands, wish I had.


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## Andrelsea (Apr 29, 2013)

OK has anyone else been tempted to try and beat this record! I have some knitting on my needles with 116 sttitches so I gave it a go..... I did 116 stitches in 2 minutes 54 seconds! Half the speed that Hazel manages! Fun to try though.


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## maryannn (Feb 17, 2011)

I wonder if they have high blood pressure. Mine would be even higher if I tried that.


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## SouthernGirl (Dec 28, 2011)

Wow.


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## cbjlinda (May 25, 2011)

Mirium has the worlds record on knitting and she knits continental


AmyKnits said:


> AND.... She is a thrower, like me. I can do both, but mainly throw. I am a pretty quick knitter, myself and most people assume I knit continental!
> 
> I cannot tell what method Miriam uses.... she is amazing! They both are!
> 
> Thanks for sharing these fun videos!!!!


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## Laddie (Mar 17, 2013)

My speed would be somewhat slower, maybe sloth speed!


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## rubberlegstootsie (Jul 20, 2013)

I'm slow, too. And I'm trying to knit looser so I can relax more. Just watching these ladies makes me tense up! Think how many socks they could make. *.*


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## Patsy Ruth (Apr 19, 2013)

I am not a slow knitter but I don't break any sound barriers either. If I tried that It would no longer be relaxing, which is one of the reasons I knit after working all day. I admire them but do not want to be one of them. I enjoy just knitting and relaxing.


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## susanrs1 (Mar 21, 2011)

At my LYS there is a woman that I swear knits that fast, although uses the continental method. The first time I saw her knit I was in AWE - had never seen anything like that and had never heard of the continental method. I was told I knit fast also but just laughed since compared to these people I am slow as a snail. If i tried to go that fast there would be tons of mistakes that would take a while to frog and re-do.


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## Laddie (Mar 17, 2013)

So true! Lol! She's like watching a machine!


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## wishfulbarbara (Jun 29, 2012)

I would probably qualify for one of the world's slowest knitters without even trying. But I enjoy every stitch. And of course it takes much longer to enjoy the finished article.

Hats off to these incredible knitters!


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## Knitophile (Oct 22, 2012)

Andrelsea said:


> Thanks for the videos, does anyone else want to move to the Shetlands now or is it just me. Imagine a community that grew up on knitting. I lived in Inverness for a couple of years but never got to the Shetlands, wish I had.


You are closer than many of us, so you could still go there -- at least for a visit. I have been reading Hazel's blog and she talks a lot about local events. She also recommends this hostel as a great place to stay if you ever decide to go:
http://www.shetland.gov.uk/islesburgh/Hostel.asp
In the meantime, I encourage you to check out her blog:
http://www.hazeltindall.com/blog
She writes quite nicely.


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## Knitophile (Oct 22, 2012)

AmyKnits said:


> AND.... She is a thrower, like me. I can do both, but mainly throw. I am a pretty quick knitter, myself and most people assume I knit continental!
> 
> I cannot tell what method Miriam uses.... she is amazing! They both are!
> 
> Thanks for sharing these fun videos!!!!


Here is a video of Miriam knitting slower so you can tell what she is doing. 




I see in the description it is referred to as "simplified continental knitting". No doubt the simplification is to eliminate any extra movement in order to optimize the efficiency of the process.


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## tatesgirl (Mar 27, 2011)

rubberlegstootsie said:


> I'm slow, too. And I'm trying to knit looser so I can relax more. Just watching these ladies makes me tense up! Think how many socks they could make. *.*


My mother's Aunt Rhody knitted men's stockings - the kind they wore back in the 40s - all the way to the knee. She had lots of sons who had big feet (10s to 12s) and could make a pair in ONE evening. Her fingers flew so fast they were just a blur.


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## SweetPandora (May 9, 2013)

AmyKnits said:


> AND.... She is a thrower, like me. I can do both, but mainly throw. I am a pretty quick knitter, myself and most people assume I knit continental!
> 
> I cannot tell what method Miriam uses.... she is amazing! They both are!
> 
> Thanks for sharing these fun videos!!!!


Amy, I believe she uses a variation on this method (Russian).


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## SweetPandora (May 9, 2013)

Knitophile said:


> Here is a video of Miriam knitting slower so you can tell what she is doing.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've seen this demonstrated at Russian knitting, sometimes referred to as "picking".


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## Knitophile (Oct 22, 2012)

SweetPandora said:


> I've seen this demonstrated at Russian knitting, sometimes referred to as "picking".


You are obviously talking about Miriam's style, which is continental. However, from what I see in your video, Russian knitting is continental. When I knit continental, my method is essentially the same as in your video. I think your video is a good one for teaching continental - one can clearly see what the knitter is doing. It is slow enough that one can knit along with him, practising what he is demonstrating.


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