Guinness World Records officially issued "The Fastest Crocheter Title" to Lisa Gentry on June 25, 2005 at 5.06 p.m. This accomplishment began her ascent in the world of knitting and crocheting as a successful businesswoman and designer.
Childhood
Gentry was born in Germany, and was raised at a Catholic church school where she was raised with other children. It was here that the church’s nuns taught Gentry to knit. As a child, Gentry loved to knit, and she did so quickly, well, and often. She was so fast that the nuns thought she was disobeying the rules by staying up at night to knit. Even as a child, she loved to design her own creations.
Journey to America
As a young woman, Gentry owned a yarn shop which she ran from her home. Her customers loved her designs and her fair prices. Gentry came to the United States as a nanny. She and her husband, Jerry, met in Maryland and have been married for ten years. They now live in Louisiana. Jerry Gentry is very supportive of his wife’s endeavors.
Guinness Fame
Gentry received her Guinness recognition by crocheting 5,113 stitches in 30 minutes during a sanctioned showcase at the Michaels Arts and Crafts Store in Monroe, LA. That averages out to almost 3 stitches per second! The previous record had stood since 1981. The item she crocheted was a lovely pink flower (pictured below) made of chains and treble crochet stitches.
Gentry even faced a one-on-one challenge from Lily Chin, a fast and famous crocheter in her own right. The result was a televised match in front of numerous California television stations that recorded Gentry crocheting 107 stitches to Chin's 82 stitches.
Designing
Gentry’s first real breakthrough into the fiber arts world was being discovered by Kathleen Sams of Coats and Clark. Sams saw beyond just the speed and recognized Gentry’s gift of designing.
Since her successful record setting, Lisa Gentry has been very busy, and she shows no signs of slowing down. She is traveling to promote television spots, and is busily creating new designs. Gentry is also working on new crochet and knit techniques, writing a series of books, writing assignment for magazines, teaching convention courses, and of course knitting away hours a day. She is a member of both the Crochet Guild of America and the Knitting Guild of America.
Lisa developed a new technique in knitting called “chain knitting,” and her book, “I Can’t Believe I’m Chain Knitting” is due out soon. She has invented and is currently selling both “Crochet in a Cup” and “Knit in a Cup.” Both are cute ways to display fiber art.
Finally, one other goal Gentry has for herself is to set the new Guinness World’s Record for knitting.
More information, including free patterns, is available at her personal website.
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