Hank Green’s latest SciShow video, “Physicists Don’t Understand Why Knitting Works,” sparked frustration among knitters online. The episode explored how physicists study knit fabrics, but many viewers felt it minimized the technical depth and history of the craft.
Featured VideoIn the video, Green framed knitting as simple loops and patterns. However, longtime knitters argued that the approach ignored centuries of innovation and mathematical problem-solving.
As many noted, the episode oversimplified the complicated nature of knitting and how much math it involves.
What the video covered and how SciShow works
SciShow, launched in 2012, is a YouTube network devoted to science communication. The main channel, hosted by Green and special guests, has spawned niche spin-offs, including one for kids. New videos drop several times a week, usually breaking down complex science topics for a wide audience.
AdvertisementIn this case, the video tried to explain why knit fabrics behave the way they do under tension. In the video, Green described stitches as “knots” that relax into low-energy states. He then compared fabric stretch to a ball rolling down a driveway. He also suggested knitting evolved largely “through intuition and trial and error,” a line that knitters strongly disputed.
To complicate things, knitters quickly pointed out factual mistakes. The episode referenced a sock that some viewers mistakenly thought was a sock sample from early CE Egypt. The ancient maker crafted this older sock via nålebinding, a much older technique that uses actual knots.
The video also mislabeled a “stockinette stitch” while showing a reverse stockinette pattern. Even small details, like calling yarn “string,” bothered knitters who saw those errors as signs of carelessness.
AdvertisementHow knitters reacted across social media
On X, knitters expressed disappointment in blunt terms. One wrote, “The knitting community is upset with Hank Green’s recent video, and I have no one to talk to about it.” Another admitted they were “usually a Hank Green defender, but I’m joining the war on the side of knitting.”
Some emphasized how technical the craft is, with @romanticaIlyurs tweeting that “textile crafts are undervalued because of misogyny! They’re seen as frivolous and idle hobbies when actually they’re incredibly difficult TECHNOLOGIES to master.”
AdvertisementOthers simply found humor in the situation. “Seeing Hank Green get absolutely dragged by the humorless lib knitting community over his latest SciShow episode is the funniest thing I’ve seen in weeks,” wrote @grac3nTruth.
YouTuber Deborah Knits went into detail, breaking down all the details that the SciShow video missed or got wrong, ending with an offer to Green to teach him how to knit.
On TikTok, reactions went deeper. One creator highlighted how Green’s framing reflected “a lack of consideration and care for the subject he’s talking about.” She also added that someone who isn’t knowledgeable in a field should let the experts speak.
AdvertisementAnother TikToker, Angela Baker (@parkrosepermaculture), posted a detailed ten-minute critique. She explained that the video “did a tremendous disservice to the science, the art, and the craft of knitting.”
@parkrosepermaculture #greenscreenvideo @Hank Green #knitters #knitting #knittersoftiktok #fiberart #knit #engineering #scilab ♬ original sound – Parkrose Permaculture
She argued that knitting has long been tied to resistance movements, industry, and coded communication, not just physics experiments.
@mandilovesteeth Hank Green/SciShow please go ask the experts next time …. #knitting #knittersoftiktok #fiberarts ♬ original sound – 🦷🧚Advertisement
SciShow’s response to the backlash
In the YouTube comments, producer Jess acknowledged the backlash. They clarified several mistakes that were missed by the knitters on the production team. They admitted that some terminology and visuals were incorrect.
Jess noted “a mislabelled visual of reverse stockinette doesn’t invalidate the trustworthiness and value of the science lessons in this video.” They also emphasized that SciShow often simplifies material for accessibility. In this case, however, the simplifying language may have alienated knitters, which was not their intention.
AdvertisementAs Jess concluded, “The goal of this video was to demonstrate that though knitting and knit fabric might seem simple and ubiquitous, their versatility, complexity, and beauty have far-reaching applications.”
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