A crochet expert has hooked a record title that knot everyone can.
Alessandra Hayden of Gig Harbor, Washington, USA, has achieved the longest marathon crocheting after an astounding 34 hours and 7 minutes.
Alessandra says crocheting is a big part of her life.
“I wanted to become a record holder, but I wanted to do something that was meaningful to me, so this was the perfect combination,” she said.
I looked at other crochet record possibilities, but this one seemed to be the perfect fit, so I just decided to go for it.
She learned to crochet when she was just eight years old.
After her mother passed away, she spent a lot of time at her grandma’s house.
“My grandma was really crafty, but she was not very mobile,” said Alessandra.
“So, she taught me to crochet so she could keep me busy not running around the whole time and doing something she enjoyed as well.”
At one point, Alessandra became so good at crocheting that she used to sell her items and always had plenty of orders.
Because she had to crochet for hours upon hours to fulfill the orders, she was confident that she could crochet for a long stretch of time when she decided to attempt the record.
On the day of her record attempt, Alessandra began crocheting soon after waking up.
“Throughout the day my daughter would feed me snacks and water or coffee and energy drinks with a straw as needed,” she said.
I was allowed to eat and drink as long as I didn't stop crocheting.
Although she said it was difficult not being able to get up and greet the witnesses arriving at her house, the experience went very well.
Alessandra says she felt butterflies in her stomach and her hands were shaking from all of the excitement during the marathon.
Despite her nervousness, she was able to crochet an entire blanket and what she considers to be a shawl since it was the beginning of a second blanket.
After the marathon, Alessandra donated the blanket to her daughter’s school auction and her good friend bought it for over $2,000 (£1,647.34) and gave it back to her to keep as an heirloom.
The blanket is now stored away and will be given to Alessandra’s kids someday.
Alessandra says her family was very encouraging and supportive of her record attempt.
“My husband was the captain on the day of the attempt, he was in charge of helping the witnesses with the paperwork and calling backups if needed,” she said.
My kids were super proud and helpful too and I also felt really loved by all my friends who came to take a four-hour shift as witnesses even in the middle of the night.
Alessandra is also ecstatic over her record-breaking feat.
“It was so cool to see the certificate with my name on it and to know that you can make your weird adolescent dreams come true,” she said.
“The certificate is on display in my house, and it always sparks conversations when people notice it.”
Alessandra does not know whether she will attempt any other Guinness World Records titles but says if she did, it would be another crochet-related record.
“I have to go with what is near and dear to me,” she said.
“As I mentioned before, I wanted my record to have a special meaning to me.”
Alessandra says if you have the desire to break a record, her advice would be to download the guidelines and make a plan.
She says it’s important to be diligent and think creatively to make it happen.
“If you have the desire to become a Guinness World Records title holder, go for it,” said Alessandra.
If I could make it happen, you can make it happen too!
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