“I hope this makes sense”: Hank Green apologizes to knitters after controversy
Knitting usually isn’t the sort of subject you’d expect to spark drama on YouTube. But recently, that’s exactly what happened when science communicator Hank Green stepped into the world of yarn and purl.
His SciShow video, “Physicists Don’t Understand Why Knitting Works,” ended up frustrating knitters who felt the episode dismissed the history, skill, and complexity behind the craft.
The video was meant to discuss how researchers study knitted structures, but many viewers heard something else, an undercurrent that physics was somehow giving knitting “real” credibility.
For a craft that has long been trivialized as women’s work, that framing didn’t sit right with many viewers.
Hank Green responds on TikTok
After days of watching the conversation spiral, Green finally addressed it in a TikTok video. He admitted he had been reading through a flood of comments and watching response videos before deciding how to reply.
“Hello, it’s Hank,” he began. “I’ve read a lot of comments about knitting in the last week. I’ve also watched some videos about knitting, and I’ve learned a lot.”
He admitted that part of the reason he didn’t respond sooner was that he no longer runs SciShow’s day-to-day operations. Jumping back in to take over from the team, he said, wouldn’t feel right.
Still, he acknowledged that the episode hadn’t framed knitting in the way it deserved. “I think that this was infecting the way that I was talking about it,” he said, before describing knitting as “the tremendous, bonkers technology that it is.”
At one point, he even joked about viewers demanding that he knit socks to make amends. “Even one person suggesting I knit a pair of socks without a pattern—which, please don’t make me do that.”
@hankgreen1 I’m sorry to the knitting folks! I felt confused on how to respond because I don’t want to bulldoze a team of good people dealing with complex stuff that I am not in charge of. I hope this makes sense. I try to tread lightly and that can be tricky when there are multiple groups I’m trying to care for at once.
♬ original sound - Hank Green
In the caption, he tried to clarify his stance: “I’m sorry to the knitting folks! I felt confused on how to respond because I don’t want to bulldoze a team of good people dealing with complex stuff that I am not in charge of. I hope this makes sense.”
Many commenters aren’t convinced
Not everyone was satisfied with the video. Some questioned whether it even qualified as an apology at all.
“Did I miss the apology because I can’t seem to find it in this video,” one user wrote. "Is the apology in the room with us??" wrote another.
Others pushed him to follow through on the sock challenge, with repeated calls to “knit the sock, knit the sock.”
Several commenters took the issue further, pointing out the underlying gender dynamics that the original SciShow video failed to address.
“Can we address the misogyny tho,” one asked, while another said, “This feels extremely performative. The best way to make amends is to address the internalized misogyny directly.”
Yet another pushed further: "Would you talk about woodworking the way you talked about knitting? Both have math at their core, both are artistic and both are approachable as a novice and refined with practice. Only difference is the gender."
One fan shared empathy in a comment which Green liked, which said, "Fiber artists have been driven to insanity by the incredibly complicated hobbies that have been labeled 'lame', 'boring', and 'for old ladies to pass time,' and I'm kind of sorry you had to find out this way."
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