Dive in and knit
DIVER Tom Daley is used to making a splash in the pool.
But the Olympic gold medallist also made waves when he was seen knitting between dives next to the pool in Tokyo.
The 27-year-old has since inspired his fans to get crafty after knitting a special jumper as a tribute to the 2020 Games.
Unveiling the finished product on Instagram, Tom – who took up knitting during lockdown and has a whole account dedicated to his woollen creations – said the jumper would remind him of participating in the Games in the future.
Now, we are giving Sunday Mirror readers the chance to knit a special design by the woman who came up with one of Tom’s creations.
During the women’s 3m springboard final, the diver was spotted making a woolly jumper for a French bulldog named Izzy.
It was created by Alice Neal, who runs Alice in Knittingland, in Durham.
She has since been inundated with requests for the design.
Here, Alice shares an exclusive pattern so Sunday Mirror readers can pay homage to Team GB’s success at Tokyo 2020 with their very own Union Jack-inspired scarf.
YOU WILL NEED
■■2 x 100g Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran
in Pillar Red
■■1 x 100g Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran
in Champagne White
■■1 x 100g Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran
in Royal Blue
■■4.5mm long straight knitting needles, or you can use circulars of at least 80cm length
■■Tapestry needle for weaving in ends ■■Crochet hook for making tassels
(optional)
If you’d like an extra-long scarf, you may need a little more than 100g of the Champagne White and the Royal Blue.
DIRECTIONS
With the Pillar Red, cast on 52 stitches. Casting on is the method of creating loops on the needle which then become the first row of stitches.
Essentially, you start by creating a slip knot which you put on the lefthand needle.
You then insert the righthand needle through the back of the slip knot and behind the left-hand needle, loop the yarn around the right-hand needle and, holding it tight, bring the tip of the right-hand needle down through the slip knot (with the yarn wrapped around it) to create a loop.
You transfer the loop on to the left-hand needle – you now have two stitches on the left-hand needle.
Next, you repeat the process, only putting the right-hand needle through the back
of the new loop.
Carry on, until you have enough stitches. If you are completely new to knitting, you can view a tutorial on how to do this at lovecrafts.com.
Then knit two, purl two and repeat across to the end of the row.
Knit 2, purl 2 creates a ribbing effect rather than a flat fabric.
This is the kind of thing you will find at the bottom of sweaters and around cuffs on sleeves. It creates a lovely thick, spongy scarf.
Knit and purl are the two basic stitches and, when used creatively, make beautiful textures and patterns.
The knit stitch is created with the working yarn at the back of the work
(as when you cast on) and the purl with the yarn in front, putting the point of the needle down through the front of the working stitch instead.
Again, LoveCrafts have a couple of tutorials online if you need a bit of extra guidance along the way.
Turn your work. Every row will now be knitted using the following method.
PATTERN
Slip the first stitch from the left-hand needle to the right-hand needle and knit one then purl two and repeat across the row.
When you have six rows of Pillar Red, switch to Champagne White and follow the pattern for four rows.
When you have four rows of Champagne White, switch to Royal Blue and follow the pattern for four rows.
When you have four rows of Royal Blue, switch back to Pillar Red and follow the pattern for six rows.
Repeat stages one to three until you have your desired length of scarf, or around 200cm in length, ending on a Pillar Red six-row stripe.
Bind off using a stretchy bind-off, making sure to bind off with the yarn at the back for the knit stitches and in front for the purl stitches.
If you would like to make tassels with any leftover yarn, take 3 x 25cm lengths of one colour per tassel, fold the bunch of three in half and, using your knitting needle or crochet hook to wiggle a hole through the end of the scarf, push the folded-over loop through the hole (you could use the crochet hook to pull it through for ease).
Pull the loop through enough to be able to pull the cut ends through the loop, and pull it tight.
I suggest one tassel per four stitches (one tassel per knit two, purl two grouping) but if you would like to create a really luscious fringe, you can add one tassel per two stitches.