08 January, 2008

Why Would a Man Want to Knit?

I am a man and I knit. I knit because I find it fascinating to create things, to be able to express myself in an artistic way, to be able to say "I made that". Certainly there are other ways to achieve those sentiments but I'm terrible with paint, clay, pencils etc., I'm not a dancer, I'm terrible with wood or metal so I've deduced that fibers are kind of my thing.
Frankly I don't see how knitting, (or needlework in general), can be ascribed to any particular gender. I see knitting as completely neutral, it involves large needles and yarn; nothing emasculating there. How could one not be fascinated about the entire process of knitting? From sheep to yarn, from yarn to a series of twists, knots and loops that can create anything from delicate lace to the most utilitarian of items; knitting's reach and appeal is endless yet for some reason it is looked upon culturally as "no man's land". Google even seals the notion when "man knitting" is typed into the search window, before the displayed results is the possible correction suggested by Google "Did You Mean: Man Sitting", as if to say "how preposterous, this must have been a typo". But I digress, this is merely an observation. I am not terribly concerned how my fellow man (or woman), perceives me. I seldom deny myself anything and I'm certainly not going to trade my knitting needles for the semi-professional arm wrestling circuit anytime soon.

2 comments:

Barbara Bell said...

My dad (now going on 85) has been knitting since early childhood, and taught me when I was an early child as well, though I didn't really catch on to how interesting it was till I was in my late teens. He grew up in the far East, and his mother taught the boys to knit along with the girls because...well, she didn't need a reason; she just did.

From what I am told, knitting started out as an occupation for men only--sailors, fishermen and so on, not to mention monks (there was at least one in early church history who always knitted while praying so as not to waste valuable time.) It was only later on that women picked it up.

Too bad it's gotten to be so strange to see men knitting, at least in public. I always see men fidgeting and looking uncomfortable, or perhaps falling asleep, at family reunions and other events where the ladies are doing handwork and chatting away, and I feel so sorry for them and wish more of them thought it was socially acceptable so they'd have something fun to do.

Terry said...

Thanks for sharing your story, it's great that you dad taught you to knit. I didn't have any knitters in my family nor have I ever really known anyone who could knit. I wish I would have learned earlier.

When I started this blog, I suppose I once saw men who knit as an oddity, or maybe I should say rarity. I don't mind being an oddity or a rarity, I usually do what interests me despite popular opinion. The internet has made me realize that there are lots of men all over the world who knit.

The stigma of knitting being "girly" puzzles me a bit. It seems to me that it is completely neutral. Sticks, strings and some ingenuity... what is not to like?

I also agree with you about guys at family functions as well as other functions. Snoozing after Thanksgiving dinner, sitting there half watching a football game etc. they would be perfect times to knit.

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