Move over Brexit — the next great cultural rift isn’t political. It’s purl vs plain. Yes, Olympic diver turned knitting influencer Tom Daley has managed to ignite a full-scale Shetland showdown — not with politics, not with scandal — but with a Channel 4 knitting documentary. And apparently, it’s the most offensive thing to hit the islands since polyester.
🧵 Stitch, Please! The Scandal in a Skein
Daley’s show, Made With Love, was supposed to be a cozy celebration of wool, weaving, and the meditative joy of the stitch. Instead, it’s been accused of “cultural appropriation” by Shetland Islanders who’ve been knitting before Daley’s ancestors were even buttoning their tunics.
According to Shetland Wool Week organisers and local knitwear historians, Daley’s programme:
- Misrepresented Shetland’s centuries-old Fair Isle technique
- Glossed over the deeply regional significance of patterns passed through generations
- Treated cultural legacy like a new TikTok trend
Which, let’s be fair, is what telly does best.
🌈 Representation or Replication?
The show was hailed for inclusivity — Tom Daley: gay, Olympic, proudly domestic, breaking the macho mould. Great stuff. But representation isn’t a get-out-of-jail-free card for cultural tourism dressed as documentary. You can’t just swan in, call it “heritage,” knit a colourful hat, and then misspell the whole island’s history.
Because in Shetland, knitting isn’t just crafting — it’s currency, identity, rebellion, survival. It’s what grandmothers passed down between storms. It’s what fed families and clothed sailors. It’s not something to be flattened into a heartwarming narrative between product placements.
🐑 The Sheep Have Had Enough
And if you think the locals are mad, imagine the sheep. These wool-producing icons of the Highlands have spent centuries being sheared for authentic Shetland wool — not to be name-dropped in a TV voiceover while some London stylist slaps together a cardigan called “Nordic Chic.”
Daley’s programme may have had all the right threads — but it sewed them together with the wrong pattern.
🤦♂️ When Influencers Meet Island Traditions
This is what happens when glossy lifestyle branding meets unglossy rural history. It’s the same story every time: a celebrity discovers a craft, a network builds a show around it, and the actual community that lives the thing every day gets reduced to background props for a heartstring-pulling finale.
It’s not that Tom Daley shouldn’t knit. By all means — cast on, Tom. Knit your heart out. But maybe next time, let the actual Shetlanders tell their own story, instead of knitting it for them.
🔥 Challenges 🔥
Has the wool finally unravelled on celebrity storytelling? Are we witnessing peak cultural cosplay — or just harmless knitting telly gone rogue? Drop your stitches and your takes in the comments. 🧣🧨
👇 Like, comment, and share if you’re tired of every tradition being rebranded for prime time.
Top replies will be featured in our next issue — no wool pulled over your eyes. 🐏🧠
Chameleon Magazine 
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