Cornish Grandad Gary Ray Smith Builds Online Following Through Knitting and Art

A 61 year old Cornish grandad has found an unexpected audience by sharing a lifelong hobby online, with knitting and art bringing quiet fame later in life.

From family tradition to online following

Gary Ray Smith, also known as “The Knitting Man”, learned to knit from his mother and kept it up for decades while raising four daughters and working as a sign writer and on the railway.

During lockdown, inspired by his grandchildren, Gary began sharing videos of his knitting online. The response was immediate, with thousands of people drawn to the calm, rhythmic process and the Cornish backdrops, including locations around St Ives.

His videos are shared through his YouTube channel and on Instagram, where the simple act of knitting has built a sizeable and growing audience.

A painter as well as a knitter

Alongside knitting, Gary is also a painter. He has created a distinctive world centred on a character called Claude Denis, inspired by his grandfather.

In June 2025, Gary held his first solo exhibition, Oy Sailor. Since then, his work has been collected internationally and exhibited at the Cornwall Museum.

New exhibition announced

From 20th February, Gary will be showing a new exhibition titled Beyond St Ives at Indelible Fine Art, bringing his work to a new audience in Brighton.

Gary’s journey combines creativity, consistency and a strong Cornish connection, with knitting, painting and place coming together in a way that continues to resonate with people far beyond Cornwall.