WORLD records come in all shapes and sizes.

In Sue Macniven's case it is 943.49 metres long and very, very thin.

But it is enough to have secured her a place in the record books.

And it is with pride that she is set to return home to Cleveland to share with others the skills which have brought her such success.

A former Guisborough schoolgirl, Mrs Macniven is a top hand-spinner.

The world record she holds is for the Longest Thread, a title she captured last year.

But when Sue Macniven left Cleveland for Scotland at the age of 16, she had no inkling of what she would be doing nearly 30 years later.

She spent the next 15 years doing what she loved - working with show jumpers, even though a car accident had left her with a weak back.

In 1985, with a warning from an osteopath to give up the hard physical life of horses or face the rest of her life in pain and possibly a wheelchair, she started a new phase in Berkshire.

Having been influenced from an early age by the textiles made by her mum, aunt and grandmother, Mrs Macniven had always had an affinity with handcrafts.

"When I saw hand-spinning classes advertised in the local area, I just knew it was something I would be able to do and enjoy," she said.

The lessons were just the start. Soon she was the owner of a spinning wheel and, armed with various fleeces, she set to work honing the skills she had learned.

In 1989, she completed an Open College of Art textiles course and then started teaching hand-spinning at the Berkshire College of Agriculture.

As a member of the Berkshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers, she attended workshops with top tutors from around the world and exhibited her work locally and nationally.

Mrs Macniven started entering yarn contests and had successes in both the UK and America. It was at one of these events that she heard about the challenge to produce the Longest Thread.

The idea is to spin the thinnest and therefore longest two-ply thread from 10 grams of wool.

The thread is sent to Tasmania where it is measured and weighed by two witnesses and the results announced at a 'Highland gathering' in Tasmania where fibre artists from around the world gather to exchange ideas.

In 1997, she broke the world record along with three other people - the first time the record had been smashed in 10 years.

She came fourth overall and decided to have another crack at the title.

The contest is biannual and so in 1999, after 10 months of hard work, her second attempt was sent in.

This time she won outright with a length of 943.49 metres - the first time the record had been won by someone from the UK.

"At the 'gathering' which followed, the media attention was overwhelming," she said.

Mrs Macniven has now been teaching for more than 10 years and runs her own company. She is in demand at guilds around the country teaching her own methods of spinning fine and exotic yarns such as cashmere, silk and fine wool.

She writes for specialist magazines and has her own website.

This year she was invited to teach at the prestigious Knitting and Stitching shows in Harrogate from November 23 to 26.

And after the show, she will be offering the chance to attend a special four-day workshop in Danby.

From November 29 to December 2, the first two days are for outright beginners and the second two for improvers and more advanced students.

Mrs Macniven says she is thrilled to be returning to her home area.

Born in Middlesbrough, she attended Acklam Hall school until her family moved to Guisborough, where she went to Laurence Jackson School.

Her parents, Norman and Maureen Hewitt, still live in the Guisborough area. They were both teachers until retirement - her father actually working at LJS and her mum in Redcar.

"Spinning is an excellent form of relaxation and gives a great sense of achievement to be able to make a finished garment from the raw material," said Mrs Macniven.

"The friendships gained worldwide are great and the internet has many chat groups dedicated to textiles and spinning."

Anyone interested in joining the Danby class can contact Sue Macniven on 07808655831