You've likely heard that knitting and crochet have exploded in popularity over the last couple of years. A number of famous people have long been knitters, while some celebs have just recently taken it up.

The great news about the newbies is that they seem to be sticking with it, in part because of its calming nature (for more on knitting and wellness see our Fiber Therapy blog post).

Here are five famous fiber lovers, and some of their thoughts on the hobby. I'll be sharing more famous knitters and crocheters in future posts. Because it's fun to think you have something in common with celebrities. 

Michelle Obama, Lawyer, former First Lady, Knitter

Mrs. Obama started knitting during the pandemic and found that it took her mind off her worries. At an Obama Foundation Girls Opportunity Alliance event in Hawaii, she shared that knitting helps her to do something physically, and then get out of that mental space that may be a negative at that moment, People Magazine reported.

Obama graced the cover of Vogue Knitting for the Winter 2021/22 edition, and had a conversation (watch it on YouTube) with a 14-year-old Vogue Knitting Magazine journalist about the hobby, which the former first lady then shared on her instagram account (see that post here). 

It doesn't seem that her new hobby will be relegated to the pandemic lock-down, either. "Knitting is a forever proposition," she told ABC News. “You don’t master knitting, because once you make a scarf, there’s the blanket. And once you do the blanket, you’ve got to do the hat, the socks.”

Yep, I think she's hooked. 

Tom Daley, Olympic Diver, Gold Medalist, Knitter 

According to Daley on CBS Mornings, knitting was "mainly my way of being able to find something to rest and recover...It was my super power to allow me to stop overthinking.” He took up the hobby just before the covid lock-down and has since started his own knitting website, Made with Love, and has also written a book titled Coming Up for Air about his Olympic journey (affiliate link).

Daley's take-up of knitting is in good company in the UK, as a million new knitters took up the pastime during covid, according to the UK Hand Knitting Association. It also seems his involvement has encouraged other men to join the movement, too. Follow his Instagram account dedicated to knitting at @madewithlovebytomdaley. 

Jeanne Tripplehorn, Actress and Knitter

  

Actress Jeanne Tripplehorn, perhaps best known for her break-out role in Basic Instinct, is a knitter. In fact, she is going to be teaching a KnitStars Masterclass in their Fall Season 7. She talks about it in an Instagram post, saying: "for quite awhile I have been obsessed with Knit Stars’ gorgeously produced online classes with teachers and knit designers from around the globe. Even though some of the classes were way above my level - I could still dream.⁣ So I am beyond excited to announce that I will be TEACHING in Knit Stars Master Class Season 7 this fall." In the Instagram post photo, she's wearing a scarf she knit herself. 

(BTW, Mr. Global Backyard and I have just started watching her in the new Amazon Prime original series called The Terminal List, where she plays the role of the Secretary of Defense. Warning: it's addictive!) 

Katherine Heigl, Actress and Knitter 

Gray's Anatomy star Heigl is an avid knitter, and even blogs about it (yep, she has her own crafty blog called Heavenly Days, which hasn't been updated in awhile but it's still pretty cool). 

She tells fellow blogger Mama in a Stitch that her "favorite knitting projects are usually the ones that call for chunky yarn, big needles and knit up in an afternoon of marathon knitting and TV binge watching." I think we could be friends.

I've been enjoying her acting in the recent Netflix series Firefly Lane, which, like Gray's -- is also filmed in the Seattle area (where I live, too).

Krysten Ritter, Actress and Knitter 

Ritter stars in the Marvel superhero series Jessica Jones, and also had a significant role in Breaking Bad, as Jesse's addict girlfriend. She is also a huge knitter, having learned from her grandmother as a child. Her favorite thing to knit these days is sweaters. Like Michelle Obama, she was featured on the cover of Vogue Knitting (but in late Winter 2018) 

When asked why she knits by Interweave magazine, she said: "Because I love it. I love the sense of accomplishment when I finish a project. I also feel like it’s a great reset for my brain and my mood. It relaxes and energizes me at the same time. Knitting kind of gives me superpowers!"

Superpowers, indeed. 

Source articles: 

Tom Daley to publish book about knitting, NBC Sports, May 25, 2022

Michelle Obama Tells Girls in Hawaii to Call Her 'Auntie' and Says She Likes Knitting to Manage Stress, People, February 17, 2022.

‘Tom Daley effect’ spurs men to take up knitting amid home crafting boom, The  Guardian, January 9, 2022.

Tom Daley Is Knitting His Way Through The Tokyo Olympics, NPR, August 2, 2021. 

Michelle Obama hooked on knitting, thinking about retirement, ABC News, March 10, 2021.

Katherine Heigl Talks Knitting! Mama in a Stitch, October 16, 2017

Knitting With a Superhero: Krysten Ritter Talks Yarn, Interweave, October 17, 2017.