Sometimes knitting can feel like a chore, especially if you’re no longer enthused about a project, it’s not turning out the way you’d like, or it’s simply boring to knit. So imagine being forced to knit sweaters for strangers.
Criminal gran gets knitting punishment
An 89-year-old grandmother who went on a tyre-wrecking spree in her street has been ordered to knit jumpers for her victims.
Heidi Kohl, from western Germany, was arrested after one neighbour spotted her slashing the tyres on a car. She later confessed that she had resorted to drastic measures after becoming “fed up” with so many drivers parking in her neighbourhood.
Kohl was initially told that she would be fined for her behaviour, but authorities came up with the more unusual punishment after the woman claimed she would be unable to pay.
A spokeswoman confirmed: “When she’s knitted the sweaters, then the matter will be over for us.”
Kohl is believed to have wrecked 50 tyres in total. Prosecutors have said that she will not offend again as she has since been moved to a retirement home.
At her age, that could be a life sentence!
My own knitting isn’t going along quite that poorly. I’m almost finished with the first sleeve of Butterfly. No photos because it just wasn’t photographing well today for whatever reason. I must confess, though, that I’m a little bit bored with it. (Warden! Let me outta here!) So, I’m also working on some small projects — the fall just seems like a good time to knit socks and gloves.
My hand model husband is out of town on business, so my sleeve board is filling in. (I have a secret passion. I love to iron. I love all of the accoutrements of ironing.)
But I digress.
Here is the first of a pair of fingerless gloves for men I’m working on. I’ve knit it out of Jaeger’s Extra Fine Merino in charcoal grey. That yarn usually knits to 5.5 stitches to the inch on a 3.75 or 4.0 millimeter (U.S. 5 or 6). I knit it down to 7 stitches to the inch on a 2.5 millimeter. That’s one of my favorite yarns; I have lots of it in my stash. Sadly, Jaeger decided to get out of the hand knitting yarn business, so I won’t be able to continue to buy it.
Just a simple little project so I have something portable to work on.
Cool story!! I love that (what a rowdy Granny!) and I love her sentence. Hope she’s a fast knitter 🙂
Comment by Aim — October 29, 2008 @ 6:59 pm
As long as the 50 tyres were not on 50 cars, I could live with that sentence.
Comment by Marina — October 29, 2008 @ 7:25 pm
Very sweet, I mean handsome, fingerless gloves. How did you find out about Jaeger?
Comment by twinsetellen — October 29, 2008 @ 9:21 pm
From Susan — Love the gloves!
I would have to hang myself in my cell if I received her sentence! 🙁 What a travesty of justice! I guess I would get the bulkiest, cheapest, crappiest yarn I could find, the largest needles and the most basic, tacky pattern and then they might commute my sentence for being cruel and unusual to the victims!
Comment by lv2knit — October 29, 2008 @ 9:47 pm
Yeah, what Susan said. But she forgot to add that the yarn must be dayglo orange and slime green.
Comment by Pam/2muchfun — October 29, 2008 @ 10:47 pm
Those are really drastic measures, but I wouldn’t mind the punishment. Who’s paying for 50 sweaters worth of yarn though? Let’s hope her fingers are ok.
Comment by Angelika — October 30, 2008 @ 7:10 am
Sally- Yup, that’s some punishment alright.
I collect antique irons, and I’m glad we live in an age of electricity and steam.
Comment by Lorraine — October 30, 2008 @ 9:12 am
Hello,
I just thought that I’d let you know that although the Jaeger Extra Fine Merino has been discontinued, Rowan is now producing an extra fine merino from the same mill that is essentially exactly the same yarn (just to increase the stashing possibilities!).
Comment by Mary — October 30, 2008 @ 11:17 am
Nice gloves! I have recently unearthed a rather large quantity of EFM in my attic. I think it is time to begin knitting with it again. Thanks for the inspiration.
Comment by marsha — October 30, 2008 @ 11:54 am
Hi Susan,
The fingerless gloves are beautiful! Thanks for sharing the story about about knitting as puinishment. I am sures thst there are times that we all feel as if we are living out a sentence of our own.
Comment by Eryka Jackson — October 31, 2008 @ 8:16 pm