Olympic medalist Tom Daley unveils his latest achievement: A sweater, knitted poolside
By Leah Dolan, CNN
(CNN) — While most Olympic divers sitting poolside at Paris’ Aquatic Center are anxiously twiddling their thumbs, one athlete has been twiddling a pair of knitting needles.
Tom Daley, the 30-year-old Team GB diver who won his fifth Olympic medal earlier this week, has unveiled his latest achievement: a handknitted Paris Games themed sweater. Red, white and blue all over, the design features a flag trim alternating between France’s tricolor ensign and Britain’s Union Jack. The chest is emblazoned with “Paris 24” — the “A” elongated to represent the Eiffel Tower — while a “5” appears on the sleeve, a nod to the diver’s fifth Olympic appearance. On the back, “Daley” is spelled out in wide white letters.
The gold-medalist has been keeping fans updated on the progress of his pullover via his dedicated craft Instagram @madewithlovebytomdaley, which boasts over a million followers. Daley has been photographed knitting during every stolen moment while in Paris for the Olympic Games — whether he is watching his teammates compete or resting between his own events.
“I don’t know how to just do nothing,” Daley said during an interview with CNN in Paris on Thursday. “It was my husband (Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black) who said that lots of people knit squares while they are waiting on film sets so I thought I’d give that a go. I went on to the ‘university of YouTube’ and taught myself how to knit and never looked back!”
This is Daley’s second Olympic-themed sweater, and the endeavor is fast becoming something of a tradition. Daley began knitting during lockdown in 2020, as many young people did to cope with social starvation, and began making knitwear to commemorate his time at the Games back in that same year with a cream colored cardigan embroidered with “Tokyo” in Japanese. “I wanted to make something that would remind me of the Olympics to look back on in the future,” he wrote on Instagram Today, those who feel truly inspired even can buy a Tom Daley branded knitting kit which includes a pattern, two sets of knitting needles and 14 balls of wool.
The diver, who added that for him “diving and knitting go hand–in-hand,” went on to say he finds inspiration in lots of different places. “I saw a bee land on my arm and I thought ‘that could make an interesting jumper’ so I made a bee inspired design,” he said, but added that with the 2024 Games, there were certain elements he wanted to feature. “I wanted to incorporate Paris, the flags, the colors and (create) something as a real momento,” he explained. “So I sketched it out, made tension gauges and did the measurements and the maths to be able to figure out how to make it… You know (knitting) can be quite technical at times.
And while the world is impressed with Daley’s multi-tasking ability, the knitting community still has some pointers. “Tom, try holding the yarn you’re forming the stitch with over your index finger,” one commenter suggested on social media. “It will help your tension and wrist.”
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