Made with Love: Get hooked with 30 knitting and crochet patterns

by Tom Daley

Olympic gold medal–winning diver and beloved LGBTQ icon Tom Daley offers thirty exclusive knitting and crocheting patterns to enjoy and share.

During the Tokyo Olympics, British diver Tom Daley was often spotted calming his nerves with knitting needles in hand. His new favorite hobby, which he picked up during the Covid lockdown, combined with his gold medal performance, won him a new legion of fans. In fact, his Olympic inspired cardigan, made just before he left for Japan, grabbed nearly as many headlines as his win. In his native England, Daley is beloved as a four-time Olympic medalist, well-known television personality, and activist in the LGBTQ space. In addition, Daley and his husband, the Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, are the parents of a toddler son, and many of Tom’s projects are adorable toys or clothes for Robbie. Now Tom has created thirty original projects for this book, sharing his joy of knitting and crocheting as a calming and creative outlet alongside his charming, witty personality. Full color and totally bespoke for this book, these projects run the gamut from toys to clothing for adults and kids to home décor. Full of color, full of joy, and Made with Love™ (the name of Tom’s online store, selling projects, patterns and branded merchandise) this is yarn crafts made very cool.

Genres: Knitting, Crafts, Nonfiction, Crochet, Art, LGBT

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 27, 2022

About the author

Thomas Robert Daley is a British diver and television personality. Specialising in multiple events, he is an Olympic gold medallist in the men's synchronized 10-metre platform event and the first British diver to win four Olympic medals. He is a triple world champion, a 5-time European champion and 4-time Commonwealth champion.
He is married to screenwriter and activist Dustin Lance Black.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knitting is ideal for those moments when you may otherwise mindlessly reach for your phone to scroll through your social media feed or head to the cupboard for a snack because you are bored.

Nice intro on the stress relieving and meditative aspect of this craft.

His husband Lance suggested using this during training and competitions. In 2020 Tom watched a YouTube video and practiced on a long airplane flight, knitting a simple square - it was a disaster! Other divers at the competition he was flying to, helped him with basics. He knitted a scarf by the end of that trip.

Kinda technical book so I can't claim that I 'read' it - more that I skimmed through it.
But I'm inspired to maybe try something!

Chapter/sections:
- Yarn Essentials
- Knit Essentials
- 15 Knit projects
- Crochet Essentials
- 15 Crochet Projects
- Caring for Your Makes

Well laid-out & colorful. Of course the few dozen pix of Tom modeling in here are sweet ;)

My Fav Knit: Top Down Fairisle Sweater.
My Fav Crochet: Motif Vest.

Degree of difficulty: 4.8
Judges awards: 9.5 9.0 10 9.5 9.5
And the gold medal goes to... Tom Daley

[Hannah]

i saw this at the library and i was like “wow, olympic diver tom daley has a knitting book?” yes he does. i would consider myself to already have a pretty solid knitting and crochet skill set but i picked it up to see what it was about. it was so cute! definitely a good introduction to the crafts with lots of helpful pictures, details and tutorials of skills and truly everything you need to know to get started. the patterns are cool too - a lot of them are not so much my personal style but i did photograph the crochet plant pots and alphabet instructions as well as the scarf pattern to reference later before bringing it back to the library. i hope other people find it there and use it to learn more crafts!

[Adrienne Blaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Tom Daley can’t make you fall in love with knitting/crocheting, I’m not sure who can. A high diver who knits a cozy for his Olympic gold medal is the at the height of his sport and craft. Love to see it!

[Mariko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the sections that discussed project management and mindfulness, it was a refreshing and inspiring info that most pattern books don't have. I didn't like any of the patterns though.

[Jillian Ackroyd Conley · Rating 3 out of 5]

New genre of Goodreads unlocked ✅

Big Tom Daley fan here! Very cute and sentimental comments about knitting and crochet! The patterns are simple and nice! I think they would be good for a beginner! I might make the letter bunting for my new nephew or the granny stitch polo for chase! Maybe this will inspire me to learn to knit? Because I found the knitting patterns so much cuter than the crochet ones!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very basic book which encompasses both knitting and crochet. The best thing about it is Tom Daley’s fun and enthusiastic attitude toward his craft. Much of the description is very easy to understand and progresses through intermediate and even a few advanced techniques.

[AnnMarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some cool patterns but the terminology gets confusing and is not consistent. Do a few practice runs on a pattern you like before settling.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved watching Tom Daley knitting during the Olympics and his créations were so full of color and joy. His book really shares his passion well. I would make all of these! Keep creating, Tom!!!

[Jeanene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it almost felt like a memoir as Tom explains how the craft influenced him. Enjoyable read and patterns.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice pictures and a few patterns that I liked. Good information in the beginning about types of yarn, etc. The second part about crocheting would be helpful for someone interested in crochet.

[Rinku · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love looking at knitting books. I love seeing the end product, colors, different types of yarn etc. My most favorite aspect of knitting books are the tips they offer to all levels of knitters. This book was filled with tips like how to hold your needles to maximize tension and speed. There were recommendations on where to knit and transport yarn as people move to various locations. There were patterns for various skill levels. The author Tom Daley is an Olympian swimmer, who brings his competitive spirit to knitting he talks about challenging yourself to do more complicated patterns for example. I wasn't so inclined; I like my knitting time to be relaxing so sticking with square patterns for scarves and blankets with fringe will continue. I did like the tips and have increased by knitting speed to my great delight.

[Barbara McEwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was stunning. I love the design and all the pictures. Tom's story and attitude are great. The patterns are very modern and I personally like them but they won't be to everyone's tastes, think chunky yarn, t-shirt of raffia yarns, and bold colors. It does cover a large range of skill levels so if you are new enough to need the detailed pictures for basic stitches some of the patterns would be quite advanced but they are beautiful to look at none the less.

[Ligaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was attracted by the colorful garments I saw while flipping through the book at the library. Sorry, but I skipped all the materials and techniques in the front of the book and went straight for the patterns. I've been knitting and crocheting for longer than Daley is old, so I think I'm okay... Most all of the pieces are young and modern, the shaping is easy, and the pieces are generally boxy with generous ease. So, nothing was really for me but this would be great for a beginner.

[Sarah S. Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Tom Daley and his enthusiasm for crafting! He had great things to say about the positive role fiber crafts has played in his career and mental health. The patterns included were bold, but didn’t seem particularly practical or accessible for most crafters. I appreciate him being true to his style, but this is not going to become a go-to source of inspiration for me.

[Holli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Total: 3.5 stars

3 stars for designs (not many for crochet)
4 stars for ease of learning
I bought it for the crochet patterns. However, the teachings seem so simple that I decided to try knitting. I can honestly say I am a beginner knitter now and it is so fun.
It's really for beginners with easy patterns.

[Mairi]

Delightful! I’ve bookmarked a few patterns to try in future. I think I’ve found my first knitting pattern in here (the scarf). I already crochet and this books made knitting feel approachable. The photography is beautiful and everything seems to be explained in detail. I won’t rate this or any other hobby/craft book until I’ve done at least one pattern.

[Cheryl]

I actually read "Get Hooked: Learn to crochet with Tom Dayley. 1994.

It has 15 projects for adults. I have copied the polo shirt which is made in a linen yarn . His one has black and white vertical stripes.
This is a colourful, practical enjoyable easy-read. It would make learning to crochet fun even if you are not a granny

[Lifely Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super easy to follow crochet patterns (at least the ones I've tried so far) and such extensive explanations and background info.
Might even manage to teach me how to knit, I've already started trying.

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom baby, this was a stale one

[Heidi Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bold colorful designs, great mix of quick and longer projects. Love that he includes both crochet + knitting, along with an in-depth stitch guide.

[Lauredhel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better for knitting than for crochet, but a solid book. I liked reading about his crafting journey - could have read a lot more about that.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, colourful book design! Definitely easier to learn the basics from a video than photos though. The Fringe Sweater and Balloon Sleeve Cardigan patterns look fun yet simple.

[wickedwitchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I ever decide to give knitting (or crocheting) a try, I'd definitely reread this book. It's so much more than just a handy manual.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good guide to both arts but some of his designs are a bit out there and not really wearable. Great information though and well laid out

[Curlysue · Rating 3 out of 5]

.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy instructions, also has tips for left-handed people.
But recommends using expensive wool.
Would be good for both beginners and experienced.

[LibrErin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute projects. Not sure if I'm way out of the loop but I couldn't get some of the patterns to work out if I followed them exactly (the crochet letters). Could be me!

[Lindsey Norberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a crocheter, I was greatly disappointed to discover that the best patterns in this book were mostly knitted, and the few crochet patterns it did have were lackluster.