How knitting and crochet kept Tom Daley sane on his gold medal journey

The British public held its breath, along with thousands of knitters, stitchers and crocheters, as Tom Daley and Matty Lee leapt to victory at the Tokyo Olympics in the Men's Synchronised Diving competition! How did Tom keep his cool? He knitted, of course!

The one thing that kept me sane... is my love for knitting and crochet” Tom Daley, Diving Champion

We know all too well how craft has the power to keep life on track when stress levels run high, but can it help you win an Olympic GOLD medal? Yes it can! We misted over with pride when our hero Tom Daley won gold with diving partner Matty Lee at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, and our hearts burst with happiness to see his wonderful Instagram post this morning showing off a signature Tom quick knit - an intarsia medal cosy with the Union Jack flag on one side, and the Japanese flag on the other! Even more special for us here at LoveCrafts because it was made in Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky yarn!

We love how much knitting, crochet and stitching mean to Tom because we understand it - knowing that no matter what is going on in our lives, our crafting is only a thought away! We identify completely with the speed of the idea to knit something for that medal, and the fact that it was knitted overnight!

that just shows how much of a true maker he is, he won an Olympic Gold Medal and he’s knitting a little cosy for it the next day!”, Merion, Editor & Co-host of The LoveCrafts Show

Let’s look back to the start of Tom’s crafting journey!

Tom learned to knit way back in 2020, and his first instagram post shows him knitting a hat! Fast forward to the summer of 2021 and we find him with his own @madewithlovebytomdaley instagram account with a whopping 107k followers!

March 2020: "A few weeks ago I learned to knit 🧶 I thought it would be a great way to be present, mindful and also a form of meditation. 🧘‍♂️ This originally was to escape from the stresses of sport, but it has helped me escape some of the every day stresses that we face currently. 🦠 "

July 2021: "THANK YOU TO ALL MY FELLOW STITCHERS! 🧶 Learning to knit and crochet has helped me so much through these Olympics and we won GOLD yesterday 🥇 I made a little medal case too! 🇬🇧🇯🇵 YAY!"

Knit your own Tom Daley & Gold Medal!

Tom Daley Knitting Champion - Downloadable PDF By LoveCrafts

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Is there anything he can't do?!

Along with being a super fast crafter, and even faster learner of new techniques, Tom is no stranger to design either! Last year he designed and wrote this fabulous pattern for a granny square based sweater for kids - with all proceeds of the pattern sales going to the Brain Tumour Charity.

Granny Belt Pullover by Tom Daley

Granny Belt Pullover - TOM DALEY - UK TERMS By Tom Daley

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Listen to Tom on The LoveCrafts Show!

We were ecstatic to have Tom join us on The LoveCrafts Show right at the beginning of his knitting and crochet journey - and we’re delighted to have Tom back to chat to us again for Season 2! You can listen to the show here on Spotify or your usual podcast platform!