When Knitting was a Manly Art

February 4, 2005 7:17 AM

Men & Boys Knitting Up A Storm Although knitting has become popular in recent years, it has primarily been seen as a "woman's" hobby. Now it seems that it is a manly man's hobby as well, in spite of the fact that men may have been the original knitters.
posted by cass (17 comments total)

There are a few very-large-I-wouldn't-fuck-with-them-in-a-million-years bouncers at clubs in Portland that knit while waiting to bounce people. I've haven't yet seen any of them try knitting this yet, but I imagine it's only a matter of time.
posted by togdon at 8:00 AM on February 4, 2005

heh. :)
posted by cass at 8:15 AM on February 4, 2005

That post reminded me of something...waaaay back in my brain.

Then it hit me! My grandma used to have this book: Rosy Grier's Needlepoint for Men.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 9:05 AM on February 4, 2005

Thanks for the link - I've added it to a post I made on the subject at my knitblog after the article "Never mind the needling: Knitting clicks with boys" in the (Mpls) Star Tribune was published last week. We regularly get a handful of men at our local stitch n bitch, actually.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 9:42 AM on February 4, 2005

This is what happens when you show boys knitting on PBS cartoons! Oh the humanity!
posted by santiagogo at 10:24 AM on February 4, 2005

My wife knits and I've ask her to teach me how when we both have the time
posted by Mick at 10:53 AM on February 4, 2005

I wish I'd learned to knit or crochet. I've seen many folks while away waiting time (whether on a flight or jury duty or whatever) by creating a beautiful afghan. My late aunt (my dad's eldest sister) was a whiz when it came to this craft, but whenever she attempted to teach me, her hands became a blur and I couldn't follow her. My dad doesn't knit, but he can work a sewing machine with some efficiency. He's designed and sewn such things as an air conditioner cover and a set of winter coveralls over the years. Quite an accomplishment for a man who has difficulty heating up a can of soup on his own.
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:15 AM on February 4, 2005

I tried to learn. I didn't care for it. Now jewelery (necklace, earring, and bracelet) making? I'm all over that. It's nearly taken over video games as my primary hobby.
posted by shawnj at 11:42 AM on February 4, 2005

If more boys would knit, maybe they wouldn't wrap their cars around telephone polls quite so often. When my son was young they taught him how to "finger knit" at school and he used to make these things that were miles long. They are still, twelve years later, coiled by bushel up in his loft.
posted by Melinama at 11:42 AM on February 4, 2005

I love to knit and have been trying to get my boyfriend interested...

I saw a fabulous photo of a guy's stomach tattoo: a huge skull and crossbones garlanded by roses, with knitting needles sticking out of the skull's eyesockets and the scripty text "Born To Knit"... But I couldn't find it online.
posted by Specklet at 12:02 PM on February 4, 2005

In one of my knitting books about Fairisle, there an interesting photograph taken in the 1920s inside a fishing households. Everyone was knitting. Seems to be a pattern going back to our ice-age ancestors. If you couldn't hunt that day, you sat around the fire making trade goods.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 12:05 PM on February 4, 2005

As a man who's knit (knitted?) for almost three years now, I appreciate the post. Seems like there are more and more of us out there, or at least knitting at home. Now if someone would just start designing more sweater patterns for us...
posted by CMichaelCook at 1:50 PM on February 4, 2005

I'm a knittin' kinda guy. Though I haven't yet quite got the hang of cabling ... Cabling rocks. Hardcore. And I'm too timid to have at anything beyond a scarf or shawl. I fear I'd lose track of things, being not so good in the ogranisational department. But, man, it's nice to know I'm not the only one. Thanks for the links, your cassliness!
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 3:29 PM on February 4, 2005

er ... organisational. not "ogran-" so much.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 3:30 PM on February 4, 2005

I knit too. In fact I own and operate a knit shop with my wife. Yea knitting! Our shop has seen lots of male knitters come into the fold over the last 6 months.
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 3:53 PM on February 4, 2005

I learned to knit a few months ago (always crocheted before), and so I started watching Knitty Gritty and other knitting shows on TV. At first, my husband grumbled about watching a knitting show during prime time hours. Then he noticed that some of the girls were cute, and started watching them with me. Now he wants to learn to knit, which I think is totally cool.

The Great Big Mulp: It was show on cabling and Aran style knitting that really got my husband interested in learning. Cabling does rock!
posted by Orb at 4:16 PM on February 4, 2005

I love HEARING that there's plenty o' male knitters out there... however, the only one's that I've met (and I know a lot of knitters) are men who are gay... not that there's anything wrong with it.

I suspect gay men have already crossed and overcome the whole "emasculated" thing so they don't mind being involved in an activity that has been relegated to "women's work", for the most part.

I say get them when they're young. Teach the boys to knit before they learn that it's "only for girls". Yeahhh...
posted by Ms Snit at 8:49 PM on February 9, 2005