British diver Tom Daley has become famous for more than his five Olympic medals. His hobby of knitting to calm himself from the rigors of the sport has also gone viral.
And now Daley is teaming with Woolmark to become merino wool’s newest ambassador.
Daley started knitting in 2020 during the Tokyo Games where he was spied on the pool deck with his needles and yarn. That led to him founding Made With Love, a knitting and crocheting brand with a mission to inspire the next generation of craftspeople.
Now as an ambassador for Merino, Daley will launch a collection of Woolmark-certified knit kits, complete with merino yarns and knitting patterns on the Made With Love platform starting next year.
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“Knitting has formed such a huge part of my everyday life, it is what grounds me, keeps me mindful and slows me down,” Daley said. “Knitting with wool is the epitome of that; the soft texture and amazing natural properties allow it to temperature regulate, making it the perfect fiber for quality garments and homewares designed to last generations.”
A 2007 study by Harvard Medical School’s Mind and Body Institute found that knitting lowers the heart rate by and average of 11 beats a minute and induces an “enhanced state of calm,” Woolmark said. The group also cited another study from Cardiff University in the U.K. that found knitting has significant psychological and social benefits and can contribute to well-being and a better quality of life.
Daley became the European diving champion at the age of 13 when he won his first gold medal, the youngest person to do so. Since then, he has won five Olympic medals in five Games: 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024.
