Shetland Knitters Really Did Knit 200 Stitches a Minute!

[@DaGizmoGuy]

Shetlander here - I can identify the two knitters outside standing next to the hay. On the left is Tina Clark, and on the right is her sister-in-law Euphemia "Phemie" Clark neé Peterson. The two plus and Johnnie Clark (Phemie's husband, Tina's brother) lived together in what is now my Grandfather's house in Heylor, Northmavine, Shetland. Tina is an old woman in this film, but is still seen in other films made around the same time period carrying heavy kishies (traditional Shetland baskets carried on the back) full of peats, and knitting at speed as she walked. The film was made in 1932 by Jenny Gilbertson, a pioneering female documentary maker. Tina passed away in 1977, age 107. The original film from which these clips are taken (showing the whole process from sheep to garment) is available to view on the National Library of Scotland website here: movingimage.nls.uk/film/1129 Hope this helps!

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Thank you so much for this information. I shall add it into the introduction, if that is ok with you.

[@DaGizmoGuy]

@@WoollyWoodlanders Of course, feel free to add it to the description

[@snokful]

This is amazing information to share, thank you. The internet is a wonderful place sometimes.

[@fleurjoyce1111]

Amazing! Thank you so much, this is really fascinating, and wonderful to be able to put names to these fabulous women

[@genevaayte5302]

My Irish grandmother used to knit with one needle anchored under her arm; it did not move. I remember coming home for lunch one day and it was cold. So while I was eating my lunch, she knitted me a hat to go back to school. Seriously.

[@resourcedragon]

That's how I hold the needles. I hadn't heard of Irish people doing it before. My mother taught me that method, she was taught by one of those friends of the family that children are taught to address as "Auntie", who had been taught that method at a home economics school. I've seen a woman of middle Eastern origin knit that way & my music teacher told me that that was how her northern English mother was taught to knit. (Her mother's family came from a fishing village.)

[@orlab9231]

I think its called Irish cottage or lever knitting and its honestly so amazing. I love it so much

[@TheGabygael]

i thought it was a really flemish thing to do ^^' i'm belian so i learned to knit that way but i almost have a gap between my arm and my ribcage so i just end up using my chair as a support because it just slides under my arm

[@midwestkatie4]

My Polish grandmother held her needles the same way.

[@nikiTricoteuse]

That's how l learned too. I used to be pretty fast (not like the women in the clip obviously) and was able to knit any stitch without looking at it. A few years ago my hands started to cramp and l stopped knitting but I missed it so, taught myself combination knitting. I still have to watch every stitch and I knit at about a tenth of my former speed but it doesn't make my hands hurt and I can knit again so its worth it.

[@bobbibuttons8730]

This takes me back. My grandmother was a Shetland lady and used to produce the most beautiful knitwear for all the family. In the early 60s everyone wore hand knitted stuff where we came from in a very small town. I remember sitting at my granny’s feet reading a book while her needles flew. She could easily knit a child’s jumper in the few hours we would be visiting and often I’d go home with the most stunning jumper. Her mum was from fair Isle and her dad was a shetlander and so she tended to produce the lovely fair isle pattern jumpers as well as the traditional Shetland patterns. It was granny that taught me how to knit but I was more interested in reading books than knitting.

[@bella-bee]

So do you know this method? I couldn’t really make out what was going on. We need to capture the info form a real Fair Isle source!

[@TheGabygael]

i wish i had learned to knit from my mother (it would have felt like some ancient craft passed down in my family both my grandmothers were/are incredible knitters) but she could teach someone anything to save her life (plus i'm lefty so it jus pisses her off because she doesn't understand how i do it) and she knits so fast that as a kid i wold be able to clearly see what she was doing (i tried to pick up that way didn't work)

[@bobbibuttons8730]

@@bella-bee sadly I was like a lot of children from the mainland and didn’t learn. Same with my other Grandmother who was the most exquisite crocheted and did shawls you could run through a wedding ring for every baby. She tried to teach me when I was about 12 but I was more interested in the pop charts 🙄

[@janscott7565]

@@bella-bee Hello. I just watched a woman demonstrate a fast method called 'Russian' knitting & it looks to me like the version of the first knitter in the slow motion, tho' the film is pretty grainy. If you search on youtube, you will find a few different ones but I think the channel was 'tenrowsaday'. I hope this helps.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Life is full of regrets, unless you can recall tiny movements and events and build up your knowledge.

[@MissRebekah1974]

We modern folk sometimes forget just how incredible our ancestors were. Thank you for the humbling reminder of the Standards set Long Ago. Aunt B

[@kiwin7119]

My mom tells me about all the work my grandma did on the family farm. All the veggies that were canned, the eggs gathered, the dozens of bushel crates of produce for the market. Hot dang, my ancestors were and are tough!

[@MissRebekah1974]

@@kiwin7119 >> You come from good stock Boo. Be proud of who they were and what they accomplished. Look around you and find something your community needs; something captures your interest, then put your time and energy toward that thing. Do good stuff so that when you go to meet you people you can also be proud of YOU!

[@n.ayisha]

they're doing colorwork, while chatting, and sometimes while waking... all at that insane speed! meanwhile, i have to frog back a few rows every time i try to do anything more complicated than stockinette stich while sat perfectly still watching You Tube videos.

[@karinberryman2009]

It’s hard to get your head around even while you’re watching it happen.

[@russellhoag4548]

Same here I would have a jumbled-up mess lol.

[@looloo4029]

I know where to find my knitting needles and wool quite quickly, 😂

[@SuperMommav]

Same. The shame of out all. 😆

[@iris7911]

I've been knitting for a while now, but still the very same slow speed, and when it's something more complicated, I cannot watch a video at the same time, listening to a podcast or a book is already too much in some cases...😬

[@lochlomond95]

I found this video extremely interesting for two reasons: 1) the speed with which they were knitting and 2) the method they were using. I have recently taken up a different method (for me at least) of knitting because of pain I experience when knitting in my usual way. For years I threw my yarn, then recently in the last few years I took up continental style in the hope that the pain in my hands would subside. It did not. Exploring the Internet, specifically KZbin, for different knitting styles, I came upon two gentlemen from Norway who DID knit a little differently. The purl stitch requires a little getting used to but nothing insurmountable. The knit stitch, however, is almost EXACTLY the way these Shetland ladies knit. I have found this style, so far, much easier on my hands and although a little stiff at the end of a knitting session, I feel less and less pain. The gentlemen of whom I speak are Arne and Carlos who have their own website as well as their own KZbin channel. They knit in Norwegian fashion which, as I say, looks identical to the Shetland ladies style. I would invite you to check them out, if you haven't already, to see what you think. Thank you for allowing me this time to share with you. Bonnie

[@resourcedragon]

Given that Shetlanders' ancestors were Norwegian that makes excellent sense.

[@LeafyK]

Thank you for sharing. I am a new knitter and I’m excited to find role models to study!

[@aliciacb8284747274]

Do you normally knit with straight or circular needles? I used to use straight needles but they're clunky and heavy and would give me hand/arm/wrist pain within 5 minutes. On circulars I can go for hours

[@lindabeebe7065]

I discovered these gentlemen two years ago. I highly recommend checking them out! I used to throw my yarn also. But severe pain in the front of my shoulder stopped me from knitting. After taking the time to completely learn a total new way to Norwegian knit, I can pick it up again if I want to. Yes, that purl stitch threw me for quite a while, but I persisted watching and re watching Arne demonstrating it until I had it down. Now, even with the yarn at the top of my needles I no longer accidentally drop stitches! The first thing I made was a three inch wide headband to hold my hair back when washing my face. Knit a row, purl a row. That set it in my muscle memory. I love that headband as it always reminds me of when I re taught myself to knit, and gave me back the pleasure. ❣️

[@donnadehardt5728]

It sure seems to be the Eastern uncrossed method to me. And yes the purl stitches feel ver odd at first. On the first lady's 1/8 speed, I could see the yarn was being wrapped counter to English method which orients them differently on the needle. (Back leg forward instead of front leg forward for Eng or Cont.) I switched to this method long ago, having taught myself Eng. from books. I learned it from a Polish woman. I find it far more efficient than continental. And it does not make my hands ache when I try to produce something as fast as possible & knit for long periods, as they used to. I tried Continental but it might as well have been Eng as far as Im concerned. Im told that holding your needle like a pencil makes Eng both faster & more comfortable.

[@dawsie]

My Grandma would make 6 shawls a night to sell the next day to pay for food and supplies each day she lived in Lerwick and Grandpa spent years at sea so knitting was a way to supplement what Grandpa would bring home

[@feetsniffer893]

Aww your grandma is turely a inspiring woman

[@dawsie]

@@feetsniffer893 😊She was she believed we should all have a craft that we love to do . I still have the baby shawl she made for me when I was born out of what they call spider wool it’s like knitting with furry sewing thread it’s that thin 😹😹😹I miss her and Mom they were both a driving force for me😿

[@farmcat6844]

Interesting surname you have, it almost sounds as if it's derived from 'herring man', ie the fishing connection.

[@foreverlalala]

what did the shawls look like.. do you remember the shape, the colours? I'm really intrigued by the image of your grandmother putting the children to bed and staying up late and feeling sleepy yet knitting fast to complete the shawls for the following morning.. what a caring soul she must have been

[@dawsie]

@@foreverlalala they were made with the Shetland Spider lace wool it’s extra extra fine wall made with number 6 or 7 mm knitting needles and she made them in the natural wool colour which was a creamy off white you can still get the same wool from the Shetlands as the company that spins the wool is still there in the Shetlands me Mom use to make shawls out of it as well my baby shawl made by Grandma was her own design she only made 3 of them I don’t know what happened to the others but I still have mine which I can wear as a shawl during the cooler months. She was and I still miss her and Mom both lost Gran in the early 80’s and Mom 10 years ago they were both very fast knitters when it came to lace knitting Mom could make 3 in a night at the age of 12 between Mom and Gran they could make between 9-10 in week night but weekends they would make at least 20-25 it was just a shame they got paid so little but the shawls sold for a big markup in price. They were about 150cm long and around 30-35 cm wide going by the one Mom still has of Grandmas which I now have along with all of the ones Mom made for the Sydney Easter Show back in the late 80’s early 90’s she won some many times over a 8 year period they ended up asking Mom to be one of their Judges 😊(I think it was so she could not enter the show😹😹) because of it, I was her driver to all her workshops she ran in the 90’s on Shetland Lace knitting. All the shawls were plain off white creamy colour they kept colours for the jumpers, cardigans, mittens, hats and scarves only I was never able to knit as fast as Mom or Gran due to braking both writs as a child so did not have the mobility like them 😹😹 but I am more in to Afghan kitting with a long hooked needle as well as crotchet. 😊

[@sarahcampbell2285]

The first woman appears to be showing the other a fair isle sweater. How could she possibly speed knit with different yarns? Really amazing.

[@jessicathespy]

My grandmother in Eastern Canada could knit fast a d had this style of knitting, it was no problem for her to knit a 3 piece baby outfit in an afternoon, she was of Irish, Welsh heritage.

[@donnadehardt5728]

I am totally in awe. On my knitting machine I make 180 stitches in a swipe, but by the time you factor in setup time & repairing mistakes, plus all shaping has to be hand manipulated. I bet those women could give it a serious challenge. Amazing

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Professional Hand knitting of stockings came to an abrupt end when the stocking knitting machine was introduced, probably because there is no end-of-row to slow it down. You are right in that the heel and toe still had to be manipulated by hand. I understand that even today, the toe is hand finished.

[@erikaama7373]

I absolutely love this, very interesting. My grandmother showed me how to do similar speed knitting when I was a girl and I still knit like her but not that fast maybe. She was knitting as fast as one of the ladies in your old film. My grandmother was born 1910 in southern Sweden she died 2004. Unfortunately we don't have any movies showing how she knitted but I can remember it as if it was yesterday. She also easily knitted a jumper in a day. I am so fascinated by knitted handicrafts, I remember I loved to watch my grandmother when she was knitting. I am an creative artist myself and I knit every day. I do it for my art and to make scarves, clothes etc for friends and family but also because I love the relaxing feeling I get from it. I absolutely loved your video. Thanks a million for sharing. Bless you. Best regards / Erika. ❤️🙏

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Thank you so much for this first comment. I would love to see how you knit. How fast can you knit? I cannot imagine how your grandmother could maintain that speed all day to complete a jumper - how fortunate you are to know how to do it. Are you able to put a KZbin video up?

[@erikaama7373]

@@WoollyWoodlanders hello thanks for your nice answer. I will surely try to put a KZbin up soon when my daughter can film me, in a couple of weeks or so. I will let you know. Bless you 🌟🙏🌷

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Thank yo so much for sharing this

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Were you able to get your daughter to film you?

[@greeneyedcatwink]

yes, please do post! Would love to learn, as many of us would.

[@shelleymac]

About 8 years ago I used to go to a knitting-B, this was in Scotland. A friend of a friend of one of the girls had said her grandmother from Shetland was visiting, and there was a bit of back and forth. It turns out her grandmother had been knitting on Shetland since she was 5 years old, she was in her 80's now and has agreed to visit the knitting-B, bringing some jumpers/sweaters with her and whatever project she had on her needles. The garments could have been worn on either side, they were so beautifully done, the 3 coloured ribbbed cuffs were amazing! She knitted with an old leather Shetland belt with her needle stuck in and the other needle in her hand, I was mesmerized, I could have watched her all night. It was a thing of beauty and the speed was great, as you could not actually see her working a stitch, it was just a constant motion.

[@ddsewsagain]

Wow that must have been wonderful. Did she use her right hand to make the stitch? I am trying to learn the continental style but I think my English knitting will always be faster as I have been doing that for over 40 years.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Did anyone video it?

[@elenap9069]

I"m happy if I can knit without error just sitting and focusing on the knitting! THese women are phenomenal.

[@archenoah1710]

This is a Diamond in the You Tube World. Thank you very much for sharing!!!

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Thank you so much.

[@katywuste9054]

The speeds attained by these humble women were absolutely incredible but seen as the norm for them. This was a lovely snapshot of their achievements

[@beingnormal1899]

There is a knitter who can knit like this. I have stumbled across him a few times on tiktok. He can knit super fast. Even with colourwork. Thank you for this video! It’s incredible

[@russellhoag4548]

I'm so in love with the old ways. I searched a long time for 100 percent wool yarn that they would have used 100 years ago or longer. I found an old village in Russia that shears the wool takes it to the river to wash it then put it on big rocks to dry. They take it back to the village to be spun into yarn. I have about 100 pounds of the yarn various thickness. I have only a few colors because they don't us dye, if they do it's all-natural. I love the yarn so strong so awesome to work with. It still has a lot of lanolin in it I love it. They only allow me to buy 20 to 30 pounds at a time, it's a small village not a wholesaler. I am allowed to buy any extra they do not need twice a year. I was told they don't usually allow people to buy the yarn but the old matriarch said I was allowed.

[@jiggyfun807]

Hi -- im a weaver any 3/2 strong enough to use as a warp? Love to purchase some off you. Great job on finding it in Russia!

[@russellhoag4548]

@@jiggyfun807 it was tough to get. If it wasn't for the elder woman I wouldn't have been able to buy. I'm not sure how thin of yarn you need, I dont weave

[@caroleshaw9822]

What a huge honour it has been for you to be able to buy this wool from the folk in Russia. It must be rare as hens teeth, other than where they live. I think it wonderful, that even today, they are doing things in the old traditional ways. I would love to see photos of the yarn you buy and maybe the area in which they come from. I am so curious, I love to learn or hear of things such as in your post.

[@funkym0nks519]

That's amazing. Where does one find a Russian matriarch from a small village with a knitting tradition?

[@sleepydrJ]

This is a fascinating analysis!! Also note the ergonomics- there is a lot of motion happening with their hands, but they are so relaxed and fluid- I guess this is how they avoided repetitive stress injuries.

[@tracypaxton1054]

They're not moving their hands very far to throw the yarn. At first I thought they were picking rather than throwing. When she slowed the film down I could see that the one lady was throwing but she had her hand close so it didn't have to go very far so the movement was so quick it was easy to miss.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

There are always ways to save on movements. My 'English knitting' video explores how to reduce movement to speed up knitting.33

[@standupandbecounted972]

Fascinating. My German mother and grandmother were wonderful knitters. We had a drapery shop in a small town in Australia and the local ladies knitted all winter with beautiful Australian 4, 8 and 12 ply wool. It was incredibly cheap in those days (1950s and 60s). The poorer people wore the home made knits including school jumpers. Wealthier ones bought our ready made ones. We sold the most wool per shop, in the state of Victoria.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Isn't it sad that nowadays artificial plstic-based wools are the cheapest yarns, and shop bought knitteds are cheaper than hand-knitted.

[@susantoney2816]

What a wonderful video! I'm blown away by the speed these lovely ladies knit. I've always heard the phrase "flying off the needles" Now I know where it comes from. What a joy it is to see them in action. Thank You for bring this video to life once more.

[@Melia-77]

This is a gem! Talk about "practice makes perfect." The warp speed knitting of these Shetlanders is astounding. I am wondering if the garments they were knitting were for both family use and as cottage industry garments for sale. At one time they were famous for producing knits for sale. The fact of their learning as young children evidently provided them with the practice time to make their movements in knitting similar to star athletes or professional dancers who perfect muscle memory so that movements are second nature; this would result in the phenomenal speed of their knitting. My mother taught me "lever" knitting (aka pit knitting or Irish production knitting) when I was 11. I have encountered so many people who try to persuade me to switch to Continental style knitting as they claim it is faster but I have tried it and my good old English style lever knitting is faster. Never will I approach the speed of the Shetlander knitters - truly remarkable. Thank you for all the research that went into producing this bit of history. Fascinating and much appreciated. Great that old footage was available - that is also remarkable.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

I think you have hit the point. It is muscle memory, so that we can knit and talk at the same time. Learning a whole rearrangement of the movements would never allow me to work up to the same speed, or re-work the ability to knit in the dark! I first thought about working up to a speed when my small daughter learned to tap dance. 20 taps per second I think it was. She showed me and you can work up to an auto-process

[@Melia-77]

@@WoollyWoodlanders Oh my! Knitting in the dark - I won't dare attempt this on anything other than a test swatch that I don't intend to use for gauge. You have to have a very fine tuned sense of touch in order to realize that you may have split or dropped a stitch! Knitting to the beat of your small daughters tapping was a clever learning technique. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise. Best knitting guidance ever!

[@annahackman2539]

The second lady knits similar to how I knit. I don't knit like the books as I taught myself and what they show in the books didn't make enough sense to my hands. It's kind of a Russian speed knitting as my loops don't sit on the needles the same direction as everyone else's, however the outcome looks the same and no twisted loops either. I'm impressed.

[@purplerabbit7190]

This was wonderful. I have just finished knitting 3 jumpers for my granddaughter. The hours it took me and concentration was a challenge. How I admire gifted hard working people. I love the fact that these women had company while knitting. My concentration doesn’t allow for interruptions. I knitted for pleasure and thinking of my mum who taught me to knit. My mum knitted my granddaughter a jumper at 89. Flawless. Zoe has out grown it hence why I took up the challenge to knit the next size up. Sewing up the jumper is my least favourite task. I cannot comprehend cutting the wool, and working a large garment in the round. This is a wonderful skill that should be really admired by those of us who have an easy life in comparison to these women. Walking and knitting now that is multi tasking.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

No-one really likes the sewing up - and I think that is why using 4 needles was always a most popular way of knitting

[@nancycampbell7959]

Extraordinary. Thank you for opening a window for us to look into this wonderful community of creators. I found it incredibly moving. As a knitter, I feel like I've discovered a whole new dignity, grace, and solidarity with other women who create beautiful and practical things for those they love. A benediction :)

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Well said!

[@farmcat6844]

Felt the same. Amazing skills borne from the need to be warm.

[@ArtimusThePoet]

Thank you for helping bring this wonderful archival footage forward so that its not lost and analyzing it in a meaningful way that gives a lot of incite into what we are seeing. My grandmother was a crochet person and could crochet entire lace table clothes with doilies and runner for side tables in a week. She did this once while on vacation at our house in the 1970s. She was in her 70s at the time. I wish I had learned more from her.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Life is full of if-onlys. I knew my husband's aunt very well but never saw her knit. After she died several people said to me 'You should have seen her knit - she was the fastest knitter in the village'.

[@teresagillson892]

Thankyou For Sharing It was so Very Interesting!

[@insolentnik495]

I moved to sheltand 4 months ago to work. We all got jumpers knitted for Xmas or the granny made the baby booties etc. this is a different type of knitting. It’s beautiful and elegant and sophisticated. I’ve also never seen knitting so fast. Aran wool looks very different if you know what you are doing with it. Xx

[@paulacarli1181]

Thank you for sharing, fasinating!!! I am a life long knitter that around my 30s, learned continental style and think I was a pretty fast knitter, until I saw your film. It did occur to me, that these ladies not only knit for their family, but it was a way for the family to earn extra money by making and selling their sweaters and lace items. So the faster they could knit, the sooner a sweater or "jumper" as they call them is finished. I love anything about knitting so was very happy to have found your youtube.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Thank you. I have just watched two old films that I cannot use publicly because of copyright, and they both say that 'every woman could knit and it was one of the few ways they could make money for their families.'

[@IDontSuckAtLifeakaJanis3975]

Phenomenal to say the very least! Thank you for sharing. I'm just over 2 years away from 60 and learning to knit.... That one lady did 4 stitches per second...I'm lucky if I can do 1 stitch in 4 seconds 😂

[@kirstenerikapaulson2574]

And here I was, thinking I was hot stuff for turning out a cropped jumper in three weeks and a lacy cardigan in four (being a larger size, 3-4 weeks is my average and it feels fast.) I can only dream of knitting 200-300 stitches a minute!

[@lailaelkhatb]

Same here! My mother, who was in her thirties in the sixties used to knit me a cardigan in two days.... I was in high-school... It takes me a couple of weeks to do the same work, although I learned when I was only about 10...I'm 73 now...

[@loritrentham6998]

When it is that cold you have to knit those sweaters as fast as you can 😀. But seriously, thank you for this video it is truly amazing to see the skill of those ladies.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

So true!

[@suburbohemian]

Lol, my Dutch grandma and her sister used to knit that fast too. I remember being in my teens in the 1970's and my great uncle running from the room crying. "The clacking, the clacking!" as a joke cus they used to knit so fast and furious it was like large insects communicating or something! It boggles the mind now at 62, and I am yet again relearning how to knit and crochet at all, that they were around my age back then! They seemed old to me at the time (16ish) and now I know just how young being in your 60's is! LOL!

[@astridfortin433]

Mother and I are Dutch too. It's how I knit(one needle under the arm)

[@julia4jewels477]

Thank you for the time you put into producing this video! Very interesting, and well done! My grandmother taught me to knit this way when I was little, and though I am not as fast as these ladies, people do marvel at how quickly and effortlessly I knit. The saving in hand motion means I can knit comfortably for a long while, as well.

[@techlari5618]

Would you mind uploading a video of you knitting? I'd very much would like to learn to knit faster.

[@marvellousmrsmoller]

I would love to learn the different technique...I guess that it uses far more economical movements? Could you make a video slowed right down to show the movements and link it here?

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

@Julia4jewels4 I know from experience that creating a video is not easy but if you can show your skill even a bad video would help us all. Can you get someone to use their phone and take pictures or a video? It is the method of knitting that has been lost by most of us.

[@brookemcdonald1151]

It would be amazing if you could put up a tutorial! I'd love to learn this style!

[@DaniCal1forn1a]

I also got taught to knit a similar way when I was little, and still do now (though I've done it with circulars/interchangeables rather than long straight needles for a long time) - I honed my techniques and reduced my movements more and more over the years, especially since getting super into knitting in my 20s and I've had similar reactions from people 😅. Chronic pain & ADHD were definitely motivating factors too, since the pain forced me to find ways of moving my hands to put as little strain on them as possible, and the ADHD made me impatient to get things done faster so I naturally tended towards making more efficient movements. I know people want videos so they can see how people knit faster and that maybe could help - but honestly seeing videos of other people knitting isn't actually what helped me speed up my knitting by copying their movements... They may have given me ideas of things to try, but if you have a general idea of how people hold the needles and move their hands to knit efficiently, the best way to speed up yourself is trial and error and figuring out what feels right/easier for _you_ personally. With how small the movements can get, individual anatomy & how each person's body & brain work in general makes a huge impact on what exactly will work for you. You've just gotta keep trying different things in different combinations: ways to wrap the yarn for tension, ways to hold & orient the needles, styles & materials of needles... I believe it's truly something you have to experiment with and feel in real time as you make slight changes, especially when I consider how much difference even a tiny adjustment can make - not to mention the fact that it's a very dynamic thing where I'm doing things that may be imperceptible to other people but are cumulative in their effect on my knitting - heck, there are some micro adjustments I make that even I'm not sure exactly what's changing, I just know that it _feels_ right or better as I'm doing it. Even earlier today I picked up the starting garter stitch section of a lace shawl I'm making - and was flying through the other day - I'd been working on something different, and I was struggling SO hard and something just felt off, even though it seemed like I was holding everything the same and doing the same movements 🤷🏼‍♀️. I had to put down the knitting, stretch my hands and get them moving, wrap and rewrap my working yarn to get the tension feeling right, move my hands slightly up and down the needles & keep slightly adjusting the positions of my fingers/thumbs & the rotation/angle of my wrists, shift my body and arm positioning etc. until everything came together and clicked and I was suddenly knitting away getting up to my usual pace again. I'm also making constant tiny adjustments as I'm knitting - which I think is a key part of it all - since I'm *always* feeling the feedback from the work and responding to it (which isn't usually a conscious thing for me, it's more about really allowing my body to tune in to what's happening with the knitting so it can take in all the tactile & proprioceptive information and respond accordingly - if something seems particularly off I take notice and stop briefly, feeling and moving the stitches I just knit to know if my tension is off, I then re-tension them if needed, put the knitting down, and move & stretch my hands to "reset" them and rewrap my yarn). I also don't knit exactly the same for each project/type of knitting, yarn weight, fibre type, gauge etc. I feel things out and make adjustments for each thing - even adjusting my wrapping and positioning while I'm in the middle of working on a project if I start to get more fatigue in certain areas, or if my chronic pain & old injuries are acting up (nerve pain & nerve injuries - so not the same as RSI, I can tell specifically when I've been doing too much of the same motion vs when it's my brain/body being grumpy because my pain processing is completely borked 🤣) or if I newly injure my upper body... Often I need to strike the balance of moving the affected part and resting it/keeping it still, and knitting is fantastic for being able to do this since I can adjust myself so the right things are moving and still. I've seen other people's speedy knitting techniques, and tried to emulate them out of curiosity & in case I stumble upon an element that helps me... If I try to copy their movements exactly it just ends up being frustrating and feeling awkward and slow - almost like learning from scratch again 😂. The best way to improve knitting speed and - more importantly - enjoyment & proficiency is to keep practising and focusing on bodily awareness. It's kinda like driving in that way... It feels awkward, clunky, slow, difficult sometimes when you're learning or haven't been driving long. But gradually things become easier and more fluid until one day it dawns on you that _you're not even thinking about the body mechanics of it anymore_ because it's become embedded in your procedural memory. You can still improve, becoming more fluid, relaxed, and feeling able to control higher speeds better. It just takes time, and practise, with awareness of what you're not doing in the best way and when something feels more awkward or unnatural. It can just take a long time sometimes to build on things 🤷🏼‍♀️. And even when you feel like you're not making progress in improving, practising the techniques that feel good for you is still super important, and is part of your brain absorbing the movements and committing it to procedural memory where it can become automatic, _then_ you may be able to increase your speed. Also taking breaks and not trying to knit all day every day can help too - you need downtime for your brain to actually process what you've been doing, going too long and becoming fatigued and struggling a lot or your work getting sloppy isn't going to help since you don't want to commit those motions to memory, because they're unhelpful to actually making improvements (think like how people get get into bad driving habits e.g.). Noticing when things just aren't working well or feeling right and stopping rather than plowing through prevents bad habits from setting in that can be difficult to undo. Anyway, that was a much longer spiel about my experiences learning how to knit and getting better & faster than I intended 😅. Just know that I didn't get fast overnight - I learnt to knit originally aged ~5, and started taking it seriously aged 19, did it consistently for several years where I got faster, and I'm now getting back into it after stopping for a few years (undiagnosed adhd when the pandemic hit said NOPE to it completely) at age 29. I'm still quite fast but I need to build up to my previous pace, so rest assured that once it gets locked in your brain it doesn't really go away - but it can just take time, and sometimes taking breaks from it completely to build up your skills and muscle memory, I just have the advantage of learning it originally a _long_ time ago and going back to it multiple times as a kid and getting better each time before committing myself to it properly - I'd been building the neural pathways for most of my life before being able to sit down and actually get through anything decently big, and even then it took time, effort, and consistency until I got to the point of being what I consider a good and fast knitter. Keep going at it as long as you're enjoying it 😊

[@Finhaelle]

Thank you too for this video!!! I watched it several times since I decided to use the continental method. I read a lot of things about the name used for the different method. I learned the names are used according the times. I think the good name should be SHETLAND METHOD IN HONNOUR OF THIS WOMEN!!!

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

The knitters look as if they are kitting continental method but if you look carefully, they are knitting with their left hand which is doing the lever work. The needle tip does not need to pick the stitch.

[@swedishjazz9546]

What a fantastic piece of knitting history! Thank you for preserving it. I can't believe that they do this while chatting or walking, incredible skill.

[@lisarametta9977]

Thank you for sharing this history. It’s amazing what humans are capable of with patience and practice . A great deal of effort on your part . Much appreciated!

[@karinberryman7970]

Love that you have such admiration and appreciation for these 'speed freaks'. Phenomenal is the very word! My Norwegian father wore a cardigan his mother knitted for him but I think it wore out before I was 10. How many 'If only' wishes we could list by the time we're retired! If only I had met Far's Mor! She was born probably around 1885, those women rarely dreamt of complaining. I'm betting the Shetland women are a pretty hardy breed too. Thousand thanks WoollyWoodlanders! Gorgeous view out your windows!

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

My window looks over my garden and in the far distance if you stand on tiptoe I can just see the sea.!

[@JustFluffyQuiltingYarnCrafts]

Amazing footage. Thanks for slowing it down at parts so we could get a better look.

[@mareathabaker2607]

Amazing. Even when my fingers were young I would not have been able to match or even come close to this speed. Thank you for sharing this wonderful history.

[@helenmudge3223]

Thank you so much Lorna, for putting this lovely video together for so many of us to enjoy and ponder over. To think that those hard-working women were doing colour work like that with two strands of wool wound carefully round their fingers is both mind-boggling and breathtaking to me! I'm knitting myself as I watch your video, and enjoying feeling the company of them as they charge along full-pelt and manage to chat together at the same time. I always seem to be saying to my husband, "I can't talk, I'm counting stitches. You'll have to wait til I get to the end of the row".... ;-) They seem to know the patterns in their heads as well. Wow. Just wow!

[@Tranquility32]

Love this! I’m a slooowwwwww knitter. I can’t imagine knitting so fast. I also love watching knitters around the world and hearing their stories and advice. One of my favorites is Norway, as my great grandmother is from there. Wishing everyone all the best! ✨

[@dianapulido1807]

This is amazing! The lady indoor scene knits so fast that even slowed down it's fast.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

While exploring this film I slowed it down to a single frame at a time, and even then each frame showed a blur!

[@bartsexton1652]

I’m a KZbin self taught knitter and that blew my mine . I thought Arne was fast with Carlos and Arne but that was just amazing. Thanks for sharing this . My grandmother and one of my Aunts both Crocheted, and I learned from my Aunt and she was fast at crocheting. But I have grown to love knitting better, easier on my hands .

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Keep going - one day you will receive respect for your fast knitting too!

[@marybarratt1473]

Fascinating and it wpuld be lovely to learn their technique, even though that sort of speed would never be attained. Fancy being able to knit a sweater in a day. Phenomenal. Tku for an interesting video as I missed this on tv.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

@MaryBarratt I have watched nd re-watched this video and watched her eyes and her needle ends and think I have worked out her technique. I am preparing a new video on this.

[@scotthix2297]

My Scots Grandmother, who taught me all the fiber arts, knitted sweaters to order for Harods as a girl while carrying hay bales to pasture. She used to ask me to time her and cried when she couldn’t get 200 spm anymore. Someone once asked why she clicked her thumb and second finger nails all the time ( they were annoyed but I didn’t notice ). I told them that even though she was too shaky to knit at 102, she was counting stitches.

[@IDontSuckAtLifeakaJanis3975]

❤

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Thank you for this information. What a lovely memory

[@wkdwtchnw]

These women look like machines! I am so fascinated! Thank you for this video.

[@rachelgarrick8455]

I think this is the most fascinating video I have seen on You Tube to date. Thank you for doing this!

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Wow, thank you! Once I found the original film on TV I was transfixed and wrote to the TV company and asked their permission to use it. They kindly said I could as long as I mentioned their channel.

[@mabelgoddard5813]

Thank you so much for this historical part of knitting 🧶 Amazing ! These women were incredible and worked very hard to make a living. Their creation were stunning!

[@annroberts5965]

Incredible. I have been knitting since 1961. I am a very slow knitter. I can’t imagine knitting as fast as the ladies in the film. Thank you for sharing. Ann from Va.

[@Holly-days]

Absolutely fascinating! Watching and contemplating what life was like for these women who also did everything else to raise their families and keep a household! Just amazing. Thank you for this history lesson in real life.

[@judyreynolds305]

Thank you for saving knitting history and allowing all of us a chance to admire the old ways!! I have severe arthritis in my hands and maybe an flick a stitch in 5 to 10 seconds! Lol! I’m still knitting, it helps keep the swollen joints moving along with hands in ice soaks, I love knitting so Far able to tolerate the pain! Thank you again for bringing us a glimpse of the past!!

[@maried3717]

Have you tried compression gloves for crafters? They do help!

[@emmadroste8493]

I am AMAZED at this!!!! This is the coolest thing I have seen ever.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Thank you.

[@jenarutberg9323]

Wow, just wow. I've been told I was a fast knitter, but dang I'm a tortoise to their hare! Beautiful work AND fast, very talented ladies. Thank you for sharing this amazing footage!

[@genukamidnight4112]

I'm not quite that fast. I can still see what they are doing. It's very educational. Thank you for providing it for our education. It's always interesting to see the older styles.

[@frontierfrenchie2615]

Absolutely fabulous skill they possess. I've been knitting and crocheting for nearly 30 years now and can do about 3-4 stitches a second if I don't have distractions. Not many speed workers are around unfortunately but it's still a great way to pass the time.

[@fleur_jaune]

Thank you so much for sharing your research and putting in so much effort for this video. It’s absolutely phenomenal seeing these ladies knit so fast. I’m overawed!

[@COVID--kf3tx]

Overawed is probably not the right word lol. But yeah dang they're fast

[@fleur_jaune]

Azura Forestglen, I was indeed stunned into silence... overawed!

[@wandahellman8955]

I am truly impressed! WOW, thanks for putting this on KZbin.

[@Cellottia]

Thank you for this analysis! Very very interesting, and I'd love to know more about their technique. They reach astounding speeds, sometimes without looking at their work, and carrying on not only conversation but other work as well! Extremely impressive; thank you for sharing this discovery.

[@jeant763]

Thank you for sharing. Incredible speeds achieved in the old days.

[@lisamaranto353]

I’m a super slow thrower! Been working on the same bulky yarn scarf for days. I aspire to this level of craft!

[@anitaarmbrister6601]

As I knit and learn new styles I often wonder about the history of the craft. Very informative and eye-opening to this amazing world of hand textiles. Thank you. First viewing and I subscribed!

[@Beardychiel]

What a super vlog. Fascinating, particularly the tensioning of the working yarn in the left hand. Use of what we now call the continental style of knitting was a surprise. Thank you so much for your love of our craft.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

The knitting not quite continental! Watch the first finger left hand. and there is nowhere the twist movement that continental knitting works with.

[@olive5890]

Thank you for taking the time to present this footage to us, extremely interesting!!

[@oakstrong1]

I remember in the early 70s, there being women at my grandmother's age that were so fast their needles were just a blur and the clicking sound made me think of my father's electrical sewing machine (on low speed). Many had been housewives most of their lives and learnt to knit at a very young age, before they had even started school. In those days, it was normal for girls to learn to knit at primary school age. Indeed, knitting and sewing was a compulsory subject. By the time the girls started secondary school they could make intricate patterns and colour work while chatting with friends. I was an exception: I was so clumsy that my teacher gave up on me and I never completed the sampler of basic stitches. She only gave me D so she wouldn't have to teach me again!

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

That's so sad. I loved knitting at school, and I remember when I was 8 helping the teacher by picking up the other girls' dropped stitched and mending muddles. I never did finish my own doll's dress!

[@peaches5712]

This was so interesting and crazy to imagine knitting that fast! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@Jacelyn5440]

This is truly amazing. Almost unbelievable if we did not have the videos to prove it. Thank you so much for sharing this video.

[@nanastevens4094]

This is an astonishing bit of film. The ladies are just chatting away and still maintaining those speeds. At 72, I don't think I will ever master that. 🧶

[@mumbling4668]

At 25 I dont think I will either, but after this video I feel inspired at least to try!!!

[@michellebruton6287]

Absolutely phenomenal ! Their speed is mind boggling, but more than that, is that even at those speeds they are doing patterns special stitches, shaping, changing colours, chatting, cooking, walking, all at the same time. Absolutely incredible !! My precious Aunty Joan who taught me how to knit (which I do very badly and very slowly) could knit at super speed, make a lace pattern jumper and read a book at the same time. As a little girl 6 or 7 yrs old, and not very dexterous, the knitting needles were too big for me to handle, so Aunty Joan taught me to hold the one needle under my left arm and the right hand does all the movement. But unfortunately even at the age of 59, I am unable to knit or crochet without watching every stitch I make. Thank you so much for this wonderful video. Much love from South Africa

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

There is a gentleman commented on here that it is all nonsense that people can knit so fast. Maybe he does not have a knitting relative that he has watched.

[@michellebruton6287]

@@WoollyWoodlanders that poor man. He is missing out on a wonderful life experience 😁 mine eyes have seen this incredible feat up close and personal 😍

[@maryhansen1112]

Thank you for this great history. I wish they could teach us their way of knitting.

[@marylamm4254]

All I can say is Wow! It's hard to believe anyone can knit that fast. And so beautifully. Amazing. Thank you for sharing.

[@dorothygarriott9721]

Thank you for this fabulous knitting video. Very interested in learning this style of knitting. Wow! I admire these women so much. I myself walk and knit (on a sidewalk), but not fancy patterns and definitely not at a fast speed.

[@caroleshaw9822]

Hello, I really enjoyed watching your video of the Ladies doing the speed knitting, sharing their history. Amazing. I think it was great too, that you were able to do the editing for us, to get an idea of the extreme speed of knitting. I watched your first video ages and ages ago, and you really fascinated me with your speed! I am grateful to those who share the history of our crafts, for it is my hope that these crafts won't die away... I have been around Knitting and Sewing all my life. My Grandmother (she started me off when I was around 6 or so) and my Mother were always knitting or sewing. Naturally, I have taken it all up, and have passed on these skills to my daughter. Even my two sons can knit and sew. It is so important that we keep these skills alive! xx

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

This last year, with Covid lockdowns, I told myself I would do some more research on this topic, but I have been so busy making knitting belts and still haven't done that video. You're right about passing on your skills. My student grand-daughter is now adding a bit to her grant by knitting little vegetable toys; and I taught her years ago.

[@cyndylee544]

Thank you for sharing this. It was fascinating to watch. I consider myself a fast knitter, but clearly not even close to the level these ladies demonstrated. It was amazing to see the speed of the one lady in particular. Unbelievable! I only I could knit that fast!

[@elizabethpirie5050]

Loved watching this and found it fascinating just amazing to see such knitting, I knit but nowhere near the speed of those ladies very much enjoyed the video

[@khaley37781]

I love this film! These ladies exhibited Astonishing speed and talent. Thank you for sharing with us!

[@Zylophila]

Yes, I too am impressed and amazed at the speed these ladies are knitting! I knit as fast as the first lady at a quarter speed! I doubt I'll go any faster. Thanks for sharing this video, I'm fascinated at the old ways of how people lived their lives.

[@Cookies-i2f]

Thankyou for this lively video.

[@Occulomotoria]

Wow! Thanks for these wonderful historical (😄herstorical) pictures!

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Glad you like them! These women were so skilled. The two ladies knitting were well known on Shetland in their day.

[@deb1120]

This is a wonderful video! (and the comment section is lovely too!...full of memories of loved ones who knit for those they loved❤❤❤)

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

The comments are my favourite bits really - I just love to see what everyone else is doing.

[@lorrainelawrence7035]

This was amazing and truly wonderful to see!

[@carletaschwontkowski7350]

What a wonderful pod cast. Thank you so much for sharing this film. It is truly amazing to say the least..

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@carletaschwontkowski7350]

@@WoollyWoodlanders Just totally incredible.

[@michelledixon1940]

Thank you very much for showing that film to us, it is very interesting . I couldn't see their actions even when you slowed the film down. I probably wouldn't have see that anywhere if you hadn't of shown it. Thanks 👍

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

I tried to slow it down even more but each frame then was just a blur.

[@rachelmccrory6232]

What a fascinating video! Thank you so much for sharing. I'm an avid knitter and feel like there is such a rich history of knitting that is mostly lost or untold. Thank you for finding and sharing at least a piece!

[@aussiechickonaboat4187]

Thank you so much for putting together this video, a really interesting breakdown of the speed and styles.

[@lucijabrezovar4339]

Thank you for posting so precious lost knowledge about knitting. I have always thought that I'm a slow knitter well now I'm convinced. I wish you happy knitting. There is no better way surviving cold winter than wearing hand knitted wool sweater.

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

But at least you do finish your knitting!

[@diyangeluk]

You are a wise lady. I very much enjoyed watching and learning information from you. Thankyou mighty much indeed 🥰

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

Thank you kindly

[@cheryls.YTHandle]

Thank you for sharing this invaluable piece of history. We're so advanced today.

[@DisneyIsHardcore]

This was a great video! Thanks!

[@kgallchobhair]

As a chef, with some of the things I've seen people do, I can absolutely believe it. Never makes it any less impressive to see professionals at work!

[@cmitchell7347]

Fascinating. In the early 70s, I took the bus with a woman from France who would knit as we rode and spoke of making a sweater a day during the war. Didn't think it was feasible but now see that it is. Think the best I've done is a cardi over a few days and nothing as intricate as their work. Thanks for sharing.

[@shieh.4743]

Meanwhile. I think I knit 200 stitches an hour. That's good, right? 😆😆

[@abcnu9711]

Shie H. 3 stitches a minute? 😅 um, maybe not but everyone honestly starts somewhere! Nobody really remembers when they started increasing knitting speed

[@BimmerBabe]

lol same

[@theanimefan00]

At my fastest I knit 1 stitch any 3-4 seconds... after 3 years of knitting almost every day. That would mean 20 sts per minute? I'm 1/10 slow....

[@iChillypepper]

It’s quality not quantity lol

[@abcnu9711]

very true, knitting faster doesnt always mean better. Don’t completely compare yourself to them, knit at your pace as its meant to be fun!

[@ceciliah.7179]

Amazing! Thanks for this fascinating video!!!

[@cm975]

This style is incredible!

[@startagain126]

this is fantastic and so valuable to. I noticed that those ladies had the yarn comming from their left hand, interesting. tnk u for this x

[@rubygray7749]

What a wonderful historical record! Thank You Thank You for all the trouble you took to bring this to us. I cannot imagine how a jumper could be knitted in one day. They used such fine wool too. My mother and grandmother taught me to knit when I was 3. We were all prolific knitters, and quite fast, but could never achieve that kind of production. I think their "day" for knitting a jumper must have been extremely long! And perhaps the jumper was not for a large person. Say the front of a jumper had 100 stitches, which would not be very big in fine yarn. 2 rows per minute. 120 rows per hour. It would have been wonderful to see!

[@WoollyWoodlanders]

I believe you are right. I have a knitting pattern for a jersey for a serviceman in WW2 - chest size 32 - 38 inches. An average chest size now would be rather bigger than that. My husband, the son of a gansey knitter of Newlyn UK, reckons that they would count 24 hours as a day and not the daylight hours.

[@lauralongland6176]

How wonderful! Thank you for sharing your finds

[@JessieAtHome]

Thank you so much for this interesting and educational film!

[@totoro9590]

This is simply fascinating! Absolutely fascinating, thankyou so much for sharing this I love it 👍👍👍♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@kimbubble2727]

Absolutely fascinating, what a brilliant compilation or scenes! Thank you so much for doing all the work and showing us everything.

[@skaf3774]

This was a fabulous piece of information. I totally enjoyed it. Thank you for explaining everything.