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Images of Daley knitting poolside during the Tokyo games went viral around the world, along with sweater he worked on — a “Team G.B.” Olympic cardigan. To this day, he says it remains his favorite project. In an exclusive interview with BBC Breakfast's Sally Nugent, Daley talks about getting that gold medal, his late father, how his son has changed his perspective, and his favourite hobby - knitting. DALEY: ...And disco ball kind of vibe, which is quite - it's a lot. And then I also made, like, a balaclava which was, like, hot pink with sleeves... From winning his first diving gold at 13-years-old and going on to represent Team GB at the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games, Tom has gone on to inspire the nation.
DALEY: For me, there's lots of different things in there. There's lots of sustainability things, too - being able to reuse your old T-shirts, cutting it up and making yarn out of that and then creating something new out of it, being able to upcycle your old clothes - basically with techniques about embroidery and duplicate stitching. But some of my favorite ones in there are just some of the very basic scarves that are, you know, using mohair so that they look really - like, they feel and look, like, quite, like, expensive, but you've made it yourself, and you've done it. And then there's also the - some of the tank tops in there and the jumpers. It’s fair to say that Daley has lived a pretty full life for someone who is still under the age of 30. His energetic-yet- chilled demeanour is infectious in person and during this pivotal year, he effuses the wisdom and clarity of someone who has really been able to take time for themselves and learn what they want. Despite the highs and lows he’s been through from childhood to adulthood – all while in the public eye – Daley is remarkably grounded and measured. He takes a while to think about why this might be.After watching tutorials on YouTube, Daley says he fell in love with the craft. “I became obsessed, essentially,” he said. “The first thing I made was a scarf for my mum when I went for Mother’s Day.”
Tom Daley’s poolside knitting at the Olympics captured our hearts last year and we’ll soon be able to join him in his wonderland of wool with the help of his new guidebook. I think that’s what the last Olympics are so special for," he says. "Even people like Simone Biles, speaking out about her mental health and how people struggled, and didn’t necessarily have the coping mechanisms to be able to deal with it. Knitting brought Daley so much joy that during a meeting with his team in 2021 to make post-Olympic plans, Daley spelled out his hopes. ‘I was like, “Honestly, I just want to sit on the beach with a margarita and be a knitwear designer.” They said, “Ha ha, okay,” and I was like, “No, really.”’I felt strangely at peace with it, because I knew what I had to do to be at my best at those Olympic Games, doing whatever visualisation, rehab and supplements to be able to get on the diving board and be there and ready. I was prepared to do it. Included in his new book “Made with Love" are knitting and crocheting patterns for pillow covers, blankets and sweaters. Daley says that putting the patterns together was a fun process, and might encourage people to "upcycle, reuse and repurpose" some of their existing items. There were more [out] LGBT athletes in this past Olympics than in all of the Olympics combined previously. So even just knowing that, people will feel less alone." Daley on... his dad I haven’t really made any final decisions yet and I am enjoying a little bit of time away from the pool,” Daley tells TODAY.com in a sit-down interview. Not content with winning four Olympic medals for Team GB for diving, Tom Daley has now released his own line of knitting kits.
DALEY: Initially, it was because my coach said that I'm terrible at sitting still and resting and recovering, and I need to find something where I can just sit still. So then it was my husband that suggested that I try knitting because he's a filmmaker. And people on set, while they're waiting, they sometimes do some knitting. So I was like, you know what? I'll give it a go. And it just turned into my mindfulness, my meditation, my calm and my way to escape the stresses of everyday life and, in particular, going into an Olympics.DALEY: Yes. So there's a couple of the jumpers I designed for kids and adults, and there's also even a dog hat in there. And there's also, like, homewares. So there's blankets and cushions - plant pots, even. DALEY: Yeah. It gets to a point where, like, once you learn the basics and know what you're doing, you can either follow patterns or you can make squares, or you can make blankets or take it to the next level and start designing your own things. But honestly, once you learn the basics of knitting, it's basically pulling loops through other loops with one piece of string. So once you know the basics of it, it just becomes very mindful, and you get this kind of, like, pitter-patter of the knitting needles. And you just get the flow, and you can pass hours. Honestly, I now look forward to traveling, or I look forward to moments where I can - like, I'm never bored.
With this free knitting pattern, you can knit Tom Daley as you’re cheering him on in the 10m diving semi-finals (and hopefully finals) tomorrow. NADWORNY: Yeah. OK, so I'm not a knitter, but what is the first thing that I should make? Like, what - and what gear should I get? It’s extremely difficult," he says. "It took me 20 years to win an Olympic Gold medal because it’s really hard to be at the top of your game on that day and (have) everything fall in the right place." Tom Daley knitting before the Men's 10m Platform Final of the 2020 Olympic Games in August 2021 in Tokyo. Clive Rose / Getty Images While the other boys in our apartment were playing video games, I would just sit and knit. I'd wake up and if I had time to sit and knit, I would just continually knit.And Tokyo? “Tokyo was, for me, the pinnacle of all the Olympics, all the experiences that led up to that moment and being able to do that,” he says. “For me, that was still the most special one.” His dream craft project Years earlier, a seven-year-old Daley was just starting out. And how, exactly, does a child that age psych themselves up to launch off a board several times their size? ‘You start on smaller boards and work your way up. But yeah, I spent a lot of my time crying at the end of the board because I was so terrified of it. And I hit my head twice when I was a kid.’ Daley says the Tokyo Olympics were significant in that they became a platform for athletes to open up about their mental health struggles. Gymnast Simone Biles opened up a conversation after withdrawing from the team final competition.
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