A social media influencer who livestreams himself knitting to hundreds of thousands of people has set a unique world record in memory of his grandmother. 

TikTok star Dan Soar set himself the challenge of breaking the Guinness World Record for knitting the most blankets in a day during a 24-hour livestream. 

The 31-year-old, from Shirland, near Alfreton, started the challenge at 12noon on Friday 5th  April before completing the challenge at the same time on Saturday 6th. 

Dan, known online as The Tattooed Knitter, only started knitting in recent months and organised the fundraiser in memory of his late nan Margaret Emily Soar, who enjoyed knitting herself.  

The locksmith wanted to support North Derbyshire’s Ashgate Hospice after the charity cared for Margaret at the end of her life.  

Dan said Guinness World Records told him he needed to reach 15 blankets in order to set a record, but he surpassed the target and reached 19. 

He said: “I already wanted to do a 24-hour knitathon as a personal challenge to myself, then my friend suggested that arm knitting so many blankets in 24 hours may be a world record, and it spiralled from there.  

“We contacted Guinness World Records directly as the timeframe was very short, and they were super enthusiastic and supportive of the idea.  

“I was able to achieve the world record as I had to make at least 15, and I made 19! My arms and wrists were very sore the next day and by the 20th hour I was a little delirious, but I just kept on knitting! 

“Knitting helps me so much with my mental well-being and I wanted to share that with others.

“I have had so many people reach out to me with their own personal stories and struggles and share how knitting and our community has helped them.”

Dan has more than 300,000 followers after starting to knit on his TikTok channel in December, and his videos have been viewed more than six million times.  

In the livestream, which he said reached five million likes, Dan used the arm knitting technique – with extra thick yarn and no needles – to create chunky blankets. 

The fundraiser helped raise £1,195 for Ashgate Hospice, as well as £1,156 for mental health charity MenWalkTalk. 

He also uses large knitting needles to make hats, scarves and other items, while filming tutorials for his viewers in an effort to get them to try knitting themselves. 

He also uses his platform to encourage people to have open conversations about their struggles with their mental health  

Dan said Margaret was “treated like a queen” during her time at the hospice after being diagnosed with lung cancer before her death in January 2014, aged 81. 

He added: “My nan was a strong independent caring woman; she loved to go on holidays, knitting, bingo and just loved family.  

“The care from Ashgate was second-to-none and they treated her like a queen. She would visit the hospice on a Wednesday and they used to give her massages, paint her nails, give her lunch, make tie-die scarfs – they did all sorts.  

“The doctors made sure she was comfortable and that she wasn’t in any pain and if she was they’d change her medication.

“The aftercare our family received was especially good as my little sister was only five and they were extremely good at explaining the grief.”

Dan will send footage of himself completing the challenge to Guinness, which will review it before confirming whether he has officially set the world record.

No record for the most amount of blankets knitted in 24 hours has previously been set. 

You can watch The Tattooed Knitter’s videos on his TikTok channel. Find out more about how you can fundraise for Ashgate Hospice.