Tom Daley Knitting Champion - Downloadable PDF

Tom Daley Knitting Champion – Free Downloadable PDF Pattern by Amanda Berry

This charming intermediate-level knitting pattern by designer Amanda Berry, published by LoveCrafts, invites knitters to create a detailed Tom Daley doll complete with a Gold Medal — a heartfelt tribute to the celebrated diver and knitting enthusiast. The finished toy stands 21.5cm tall and is knitted flat on a pair of single-pointed needles, making it an accessible yet rewarding project for knitters who are comfortable working with multiple colours and simple shaping techniques. A portion of the inspiration behind this design is charitable: Tom Daley raises funds for The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of his father, and the pattern encourages makers to consider donating to this cause.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a soft toy doll representing Tom Daley in his sporting persona, accompanied by a Gold Medal. The doll is a fully three-dimensional stuffed figure, seamed and filled with toy stuffing to give it a rounded, huggable form. The medal ribbon is worked separately as a small crochet accent, adding a lovely mixed-craft detail to the finished piece. Two 5mm black beads are used for the eyes, giving the doll a characterful, lifelike expression.

Techniques Used

• Knitting flat (back and forth) on a pair of single-pointed needles — the entire doll body and components are worked in rows rather than in the round, making it suitable for knitters who prefer flat construction
• Intarsia or stranded colourwork implied by the use of five distinct yarn colours to render the doll's costume, skin tones, and details
• Wrap and turn (w&t) — a short-row shaping technique used to create smooth curves and three-dimensional form in the doll's body parts without leaving visible holes
• SSK decrease (slip one knitwise, slip one purlwise, then knit into the front of both slipped stitches together on the left needle) — a left-leaning decrease used for neat, directional shaping
• Knitting two stitches together (tog) — a standard right-leaning decrease for shaping
• Seaming with a tapestry needle — the flat-knitted pieces are joined and stuffed to form the finished three-dimensional doll
• Crochet with a 3mm hook — used specifically to work the medal ribbon, adding a complementary craft element to the predominantly knitted design
• Bead attachment — two 5mm black beads are sewn on as eyes to finish the face

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch (st st) — the primary fabric stitch, worked by knitting right-side rows and purling wrong-side rows, creating a smooth, flat surface ideal for colourwork and toy construction
• SSK (slip, slip, knit) — a left-leaning paired decrease for shaping
• K2tog / P2tog (knit or purl two together) — standard decrease stitches used throughout the shaping of the doll's body, limbs, and head
• Wrap and turn short rows — used to add sculptural shaping to the figure
• Crochet stitches (worked with the 3mm hook) for the medal ribbon detail

Materials

Yarn

The pattern calls for Paintbox Yarns Simply DK in five colours:

• Light Caramel (A) — used for skin tones
• Sailor Blue (B) — likely used for costume or swimwear details
• Coffee Bean (C) — used for hair or darker accent areas
• Buttercup Yellow (D) — likely used for the gold medal or bright costume accents
• Rose Red (E) — used for costume or decorative details

Paintbox Yarns Simply DK is a smooth, tightly spun D