The Toronto Spiders knitting group sheared, spun and knitted their way to a new Canadian record and first place at the International Back to Back Wool Challenge at Black Creek Pioneer Village Sunday, June 13.
The group of seven, which includes North America's fastest knitter Wannietta Prescod, made an adult-sized sweater in five hours, 52 minutes and 48 seconds, beating the second-place Czech Republic team, which finished in six hours, 52 minutes and 10 seconds.
The Toronto Spiders' previous time in the challenge two years ago was five hours, 55 minutes and 50 seconds.
Thirteen teams of blade shearers, handspinners and knitters entered at 12 different venues around the world in the wool challenge, completed on Sunday, June 20.
Each team was made up of a blade shearer, a country of origin sheep and seven handspinners (with spinning wheels) and knitters who follow identical competition rules and a pattern to knit the sweater.
Countries competing this year included Australia, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, South Africa and the Czech Republic.
The Guinness world record belongs to Australia's Pembroke Merriwa Jumbucks with a 2004 time of four hours, 51 minutes and 14 seconds.
The International Back to Back Wool Challenge is run on an honour system, meaning each team records its own time and submits it.
The competition is based on an 1811 British bet between two gentlemen when one declared he could make a coat from sheep wool starting at sunrise in time for the other man to wear to dinner that same night. The boaster won.
"The Toronto Spiders joined the challenge about seven years ago and the first year it took us 10 hours," said member Julia Lee.
The Toronto Spiders take a five-minute penalty every time they enter the wool challenge because they shear their sheep the day before the competition, while rules call for shearing the day of in a public place in front of people, Lee said.
"We can't bring the sheep into Black Creek Pioneer Village in case it's sick and could infect other animals, and the farmer who owns the sheep wouldn't take it back because other animals could have infected it, so we shear it the day before," Lee said.
A strategy session is typically held by the knitting group a month before the competition, Lee said, adding the pattern is the same year after year.
"Technically we have to finish in eight hours but most teams don't," Lee said. "We wanted to be under six hours. We've never seen another team compete."