California crochet fan breaks record with scarf as long as a cruise ship
When she took on crocheting, 39-year-old Daisy Ptak didn’t imagine she would end up crocheting a scarf as long as a cruise ship.
A mother-of-two from California, USA, the record holder had the idea for what would become the longest crocheted scarf by an individual in February 2023, a year after picking up a hook for the very first time in 2022.
Daisy finished her record-breaking scarf in April 2024.
Her work, alongside many other awe-inspiring creations, is featured in Guinness World Records 2026.
I learned how to crochet in February 2022, as a way to spend less time on my phone.
Completing the record-breaking project took one year and 10 days, and over 250 skeins of yarn.
Once finished, the scarf measured a remarkable 299.3 metres (981 ft 11 in): just a few feet shorter than the main structure of the Eiffel Tower, the most visited paid-for monument in the world, which reaches a majestic 300 m (984 feet) without the antenna.
For comparison, the crocheted colossus is two-and-a-half times as long as a Football field, and two-and-a-half times the Great Pyramid of Giza.
It also comes just a little shy of reaching the length of a cruise ship, which on average measures about 304 metres.
It all began with a digital detox.
Daisy decided to take some time off from her phone, and soon she discovered crocheting. Right from the get-go, the Richmond resident enthusiastically committed to her new hobby.
She had been happily crocheting away, working on her WIP project for about a year, when she decided to take a peek at the record for the longest crochet scarf.
At the time, the longest scarf in the world measured 197.10 m (646 ft 7 in), a record set by the British crochet aficionado Margo Evans in Haverfordwest, Dyfed, on 15 October 2021.
"I thought I could beat that," Daisy admits now.
However, something unexpected happened just after she decided to give it a go and applied for the record.
In March 2023, another UK crochet enthusiast snatched the title with an even longer scarf. "The week after Guinness World Records approved my application, the record was beaten by somebody else by quite a bit," Daisy recalls.
After Essex-born Corinna Richards claimed the title and surpassed the previous record-breaking creation by roughly 57 meters (187 ft), achieving a Guinness World Records title seemed harder than ever.
The measurement Daisy now had to beat was 254.43 m (834 ft 8 in).
With this new challenge ahead of her, the crochet fan had a choice to make: did she still want to attempt the record?
"I decided to give it a try, but didn't tell anybody until I had gotten a good start," Daisy says.
For the following months, she took skeins of yarn and hooks everywhere she went.
From aeroplanes to pool parties, watching a movie or enjoying her kids' sports practices, Daisy always kept her hands busy working on sections of the ever-growing scarf.
Crocheting turned out to be the perfect hobby when commuting, as she could spend time working on her work in progress on buses and trains, or while waiting for doctor appointments.
Daisy worked a little bit of her scarf every day, everywhere — "Even at the movies, and my kids' sports practices and games!" — and the ambitious project continued to extend: today, she estimates an average daily progress of about two feet (60 cm).
But the oddest place was probably at midnight on a frozen lake in Alaska while looking for the Northern Lights with two dear friends.
Unsurprisingly, such a behemoth creation requires an equal amount of yarn.
Looking back, Daisy estimates that the record-breaking scarf required over $1,000 worth of yarn. Thankfully, throughout her record-breaking adventure, she could count on the unwavering help and affection of her supporters: although most of the materials were purchased during sales, plenty of people volunteered to chip in and show their support.
"I was blessed to receive gifts and donations of yarn from friends and family," Daisy says, deeply grateful to those who believed in her ambitious endeavour and reached out to help.
"From friends teaching me new stitches, to yarn donations, to people reading my evidence blog, showing up for measuring day and helping lay it out, and cheering me on," she adds, "I could not have done this without them."
The crochet enthusiast planned her masterpiece in a way that could be divided into “sections” to be gifted to her friends and family after the record, threading Daisy's supporters together.
“I used the rule that the scarf could be made in sections as long as it was continuous on the measuring day,” she explains.
“Several friends and family members who had seen me working on the project during that year had already claimed sections, and I also let people sign up for sections if they helped on measuring day.”
The official measurement day took place at Richmond's Craneway Pavilion, in California, with the help of many volunteers and attracting many curious onlookers asking what was happening.
The bubbly event brought the community together, and it was described as a success with a "fun and festive atmosphere, with many volunteers, including kids, helping lay out the scarf."
Then, once the creation was measured and the record was made official, it was time for the scarf to begin a new journey: one that brought warmth and happiness to the people around Daisy.
Although she kept some sections of the scarf (one mounted on the wall as a token of her record-breaking achievement, and another section made from Alaskan yarn that she wears occasionally), the other parts have been distributed.
Some were gifted, while others were donated or auctioned off to raise money for good causes.
Daisy recalls that a section was donated to "a charitable group to raise funds for adults with developmental disabilities who cannot live at home".
Another fundraiser helped raise money for a rescue mission.
Several friends and family members who had seen me working on the project during that year had already claimed sections, and I also let people sign up for sections if they helped on measuring day.
Although she did not start her creative journey to break a record, Daisy is now extremely proud and is elated to have reached her goal.
The record holder remembers vividly the feeling of breaking the record, as she felt "both giggly and numb at first."
"I laughed and giggled so much that day, absolutely delighted to tell friends, coworkers, family, pretty much anybody I could."
However, another surprise was waiting for Daisy.
Out of many, many records broken every day, only a small percentage is selected to appear inside the annual edition of Guinness World Records, and Daisy didn't dream that her record-breaking scarf would be included.
She discovered her record was part of Guinness World Records 2026 almost by chance, while she was in a bookstore with her family: “I didn't realize my record was going to be published,” she confesses.
“We saw the 2026 edition of Guinness World Records, so I flipped to the back and looked up crochet.”
I flipped to page 206 and saw my photo.
My eyes got big, and I told my son that we needed to find my husband. Then, clutching the book, I held it out to him and said: 'They put me in!'
I don't think I let go of the book for at least 30 minutes. I took photos with the book and sent it to my biggest supporters.
Discover more stories dedicated to incredible hobbies and superlative skills HERE. With their wide array of talents, these record holders like to keep themselves busy!
To those who dream of achieving a world record, Daisy says: go for it, and give it your all.
"I really do feel like anybody can take the time and energy to find a record that they can try to beat," she encourages.
"It takes time, perseverance, and a supportive community, but it is doable."