Tattooed Knitter: Derbyshire TikTok star smashes Guinness World record for knitting
Dan is a self-taught creative who has been arm knitting for just a few months, amassing over half a million social media followers along the way
A Derbyshire TikTok star has broken a Guinness World record for knitting the most amount of blankets in a 24-hour period.
Dan Soar from Derbyshire took on the mammoth challenge in tribute to his late grandmother, Margaret Soar who was also knitting fan.
Although the ‘knit-a-thon’ took place on Saturday April 6, 2024, the confirmation from Guinness World Record came today (Wednesday, April 17).
Until Dan’s arm knitting challenge, no record of the most blankets knitted in 24 hours had been set.
Dan is now officially the record holder of arm knitting the most blankets in 24 hours.
Speaking exclusively to Derby World after finding out the good news, Dan said: “ It feels pretty crazy to be honest.
“It’s not something I ever expected to be doing, ever.
“But it’s crazy that I’ve actually done it and I just can’t quite believe it.
“It’s really overwhelming. But onwards and upwards from here, let’s see where this actually takes me and see what happens really!”
He made 19 blankets in 23 hours and 10 minutes, raising over £2,300 for Derbyshire charity Ashgate Hospice and mental health charity MenWalkTalk.
Dan is a social media superstar - on TikTok alone, he has 1.6million likes.
He has amassed over 500,000 followers across social media platforms Instagram and TikTok under the profile of Tattooed Knitter.
His posts often go viral, with his world record video attempt garnering over 140k TikTok views.
As he is a keen advocate for men’s mental health, he uses his platform to raise awareness of this topic whilst inspiring others to learn a new hobby of knitting.
To smash the world record, Dan had to knit 15 blankets measuring a minimum of 160 centimetre by 160 centimetre.
Dan said: “After knitting the blankets I had measure them all out.
“Some were double the size measuring 210 centimetres, I just got carried away.”
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The idea of the knit-a-thon challenge came from one of his TikTok followers who asked him if had thought about ‘making something and filming it for a 24-hour live-stream.’
Dan said: “I didn’t know if a record for arm knitting blankets had been set, so we looked into it and got in touch with Guinness World Records.”
A spokesperson from Guinness World Records said: "As well as taking on an impressive challenge himself, Dan’s story could inspire others to try their hand at something new, and that's always worth celebrating.
"Congratulations Dan, what a brilliant achievement!"
Dan is a recent fan of knitting. He started in December 2023 but has only arm knitted for around 1.5 months.
The self-taught creative initially watched a video on TikTok of a man knitting with large needles.
Using the regular hand-knitting method with needles, Dan started his knitting journey.
He said: “I first learnt how to hand knit with needles first.
“First I made a small blanket, then a large blanket, then I progressed onto a hat.
“A month later I was using large needles, 40cm long and 35mm thick, and then things just really started to take off.
“A lot has happened in a short space of time.
“I visited TikTok HQ and Guinness World Records yesterday, it’s pretty crazy at the minute.”
It can take hours to complete items, so what’s on Dan’s mind when he’s knitting his next masterpiece?
Dan said: “I don’t think of anything really. I'm just really chilled, in the zone and enjoying it.”
The talented TikTok star is currently brainstorming ideas for his next project.