Simon Fannon is a veteran, builder, purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, contestant on The Game of Wool, and creator behind @veteranknitter.

Inspired by his mum, a professional tailoress, he discovered a passion for knitting later in life and has since built a fast-growing social media presence by challenging perceptions of craft and masculinity, including completing a marathon while knitting to achieve a world record.

unravel ... autumn 2026 talk: Fri 11 Sept at 11am

From Veteran to Knitter, explores my journey from military service and construction work to competing on The Game of Wool and completing a marathon while knitting to achieve a world record.

It’s a story about discipline, resilience, and how the same principles that shape military life, building, and training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu also shape craft: patience, repetition, and trust in the process.

The talk also reflects on the influence of my mum, a professional tailoress and lifelong maker, whose creativity planted the seeds for an appreciation of craft that I only fully understood later in life.

I also share how documenting this journey online has grown into a rapidly expanding social media presence, connecting with audiences through my knitting content and showing how craft can inspire and challenge expectations far beyond traditional spaces.

At its heart, this is a talk about identity, challenging assumptions, and how the most meaningful things in life are built piece by piece, followed by an audience Q&A.

@veteranknitter