Just in case you hadn’t seen yet, men’s Olympic diving has a knitter on their hands. Tom Daley won the gold medal in 10-meter synchronized diving with his dive partner Matty Lee on July 26—and then spent the August 1 women’s three-meter springboard final in the stands working some yarn into a sweet little knitted creation. The commentators took notice pretty quickly, speculating about what he was making.
“What do you reckon he’s crafting there?” they asked during the broadcast. “I wonder who he’s making that purple concoction for?”
One of the photographers snapped a shot of him and, of course, the picture of Daley knitting went viral. We’re so happy to say that the finished product is a cute-as-a-button dog sweater.
Daley, who’s 27 and competing for the UK, started knitting in March 2020. It was an artistic endeavor to help him get through the pandemic and lock-downs. And as it turns out, he’s really good at it. Daley started an Instagram account, called Made with Love by Tom Daley, to showcase all his creations. In addition to the charming dog sweaters, he’s got full human-sized sweaters, tiny couches for cats, cardigans, blankets, small, stuffed toys, known as amigurumi (including a pint-sized Bernie Sanders), and even a medal pouch for his recent Olympic bling. And—bonus—he’s also recently started to crochet.
The purple and pink dog sweater he was knitting at the Olympics has a specific purpose. He made it for an Instagram-famous French bulldog named Izzy—and Izzy has big plans. As a frequent guest to Fashion Week events, Izzy will be wearing the sweater at the next one she attends. Daley’s made several of the dog sweaters, using a pattern from knitting designer Alice Neal.
Knitting is something Daley considers to be part of a self-care routine.
“There are loads of things I’m doing to keep myself going, like yoga and visualisation, but I’ve also taken up knitting, which could be my secret weapon,” he told BBC Sport in July 2020. “It’s part of my mindfulness routine, a way of escaping from everything for a while, and I’ve made all kinds of things like scarves and little hats for my son [Robbie].”
Expect more dog knitwear to come—Daley noted on his most recent Instagram post that he’s already working on more.
