For knitters, there’s always been more to the craft than meets the eye. So when SciShow posted a video titled “Physicists Don’t Understand Why Knitting Works,” it didn’t sit well with many viewers, especially those who understand the depth, technicality, and history behind the fiber arts.
Featured VideoThe episode aimed to break down the physics of knit fabric. But for a lot of knitters, it felt like the show reduced their craft to a scientific curiosity—without giving the community the respect it deserved. After several days of growing criticism, both on YouTube and TikTok, executive producer Nicole Sweeney stepped in.
First, host Hank Green responded briefly on TikTok, admitting the episode didn’t frame knitting the way it deserved.
Now, SciShow has announced that it took down the original video altogether and shared a formal apology.
AdvertisementSciShow addresses the criticism
In a community post on YouTube, SciShow confirmed they pulled the video.
“Earlier this month, we published a video about knitting and physics that missed the mark,” they wrote. “If you read nothing else, just know that while we were certainly not trying to be dismissive of knitting and knitters, we understand how it came across, and we should have done better.”
They went on to say that the video failed in its intended goal of showing how complex and versatile knitting really is, and acknowledged that their tone contributed to a long history of undervaluing textile work, especially work traditionally done by women.
Advertisement“Our biggest miss was how some of the language we used in the video fit into a very long history of diminishing the work and innovation of people who have made, and continue to make, textiles,” the statement read. “We are really sorry for that.”
They also noted that the video lacked important historical context, which could have helped frame the scientific discussion more respectfully.
“There are no immediate plans to rework this specific video,” Sweeney added, “but we have learned a lot from this experience.”
AdvertisementFiber artists weigh in
In the comments, knitters seemed to appreciate the honesty.
“This is how an apology and retraction should read,” one commenter wrote. “It takes true humility, an open mind, and a scholar’s drive for learning to be this sincere.”
Another person added, “We’ve all dropped a stitch or two. Not all of us recover with such humility and grace.”
AdvertisementOne viewer, who works for a research group whose paper SciShow cited, shared more context: While hand knitting may seem simple, the science behind it still lags far behind other materials in terms of modeling and predictability.
“You can model plumbing and simulate water flow,” they explained. “But you can’t (yet) model a simple stockinette fabric and get an accurate depiction of how much it will curl based on the yarn used.”
They also mentioned the challenges of scientific communication—especially when experts in hand knitting, industrial textiles, and physics don’t always speak the same language.
“I’ve been a hand knitter for over 20 years and an industrial knitting machine programmer for 6,” they wrote. “Some terms are identical, but many are not—and can even vary by country or sector.”
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