Why Men Should Learn How To Knit!

[Frigga]

I think that more men should learn how to knit and crochet. Most of the males here on the forum will probably groan at this, but I think that you may change your minds after I make my case!

Knitting and crocheting for most of the general population evokes little old grannies churning out little crocheted doilies to grace tabletops, and arm chairs, or knitting intarsia sweaters with retro snowflakes with itchy yarn. But, not all little grannies started out as grannies. They used to be young women!

But, did you know that you are able to make anything with the techniques of knitting or crocheting? Not just doilies, and such, but lace shawls? Cute little hats, flirty scarves, gloves, mitts, leg warmers, sweaters, (or jumpers for those across the pond! ) vests, anything?

What does the above list invoke? It makes you think of womens clothing right? Then why for pete's sake, are you men not making womens clothing if you would like to get more female attention?!

My boyfriend and I were talking about this, and he himself stated that if more men that were "Joe Schmoe" and did not have any female attention at all, like his one friend who didn't get a girlfriend until he was 24, and my little brother in law who is 25 and still unlucky with females started knitting, or crocheting, then they would get a lot more attention. They would also be able to have a conversation starter if they got tongue-tied around women, because women would be genuinely interested in what they are doing. They would also be impressed with a man who knits in public, as they would admire his ability to be in touch with his sensitive side, and wouldn't need to prove all the time that he was Mr. Macho.

Also, if you were lucky enough to secure the interest of a woman, you would know precisely what to get her for her birthday! You could knit her a lacy shawl, or scarf. These are not size specific, and you wouldn't have to embarrass her for her measurements if you're still in a new relationship.

If you're still squeamish about taking on a new hobby that just screams Estrogen to you, let me relieve your fears. Knitting, was invented by men. Yep! By sailors to be exact. We all know that sailors are all supposed to be good with knots. My brother is a dredging barge captian, and he's been good with knots his whole life. What is knitting but a way of making knots with string? The sailors would make scrimshaw while they were out at sea, and they would sell them back at port. Knitting was also employed. Rest assured, you are carrying on male tradition with knitting.

Knitting did not used to be gender specific. It can be gender neutral again. All that has to be done, is men getting over their fears, and picking up those needles and hooks! Incidently, crochet means hook in French. So, for a laugh, you can tell people that you are "hooking"!

Even if you're already "taken" I'm certain that your wife or girlfriend would love to be surprised by a nice warm scarf for that next special occassion. So go on, be a stitching dissident. I promise that you will have fun with it!

[The Lawspeaker]

It's not a bad idea at all. Unfortunately my fine motor skills are awful.

[Tabiti]

Good idea! Someone needs to know how these things are done

I cannot knit, weave, sew and do anything connected with thread and needle

[Skandi]

hmm count me old fashioned on this front, while a man should be able to do these things for himself, I don't particularly want him to do it alot, and certainly not present me with the offering afterwords.

[Bloodeagle]

I would only consider Knitting and Crocheting if I was out to sea without the company of some good books.
Otherwise, it has always looked like a very boring activity, like watching golf on T.V..

[Tabiti]

hmm count me old fashioned on this front, while a man should be able to do these things for himself, I don't particularly want him to do it alot, and certainly not present me with the offering afterwords.

Everyone should know how to do it for him/herself because your mum won't be around forever and sewing services usually cost much and can't be found anywhere.

[Frigga]

*Knitting and crocheting develops your fine motor skills, so even if you have trouble at first, you will improve. Practise makes perfect!

*Knitting and crocheting aren't boring! You're making something tangible right in front of your eyes, and "bring order out of chaos" so to speak. You make somthing that is useful, and you challenge yourself when you do stitch. You also need mathmatical skills to be able to read a pattern, and stitch it up, and patience and diligence to finish a project, even if it does aggravate you. All very useful life skills!

*Now Thrym, I see your point. After just meeting a man who knits, and being presented with a knitted garment after a first date, or first meeting even would seem a little desparate. I was thinking more along the lines of it being able to break the ice. And, as a birthday present, I would like a nice warm scarf if my new man had made it for me. It shows that he had put more thought into it, and that he wouldn't think that he could bedazzle me with baubles that are useless, but something functional.

*Artisch, yes, these are life skills that everyone should learn, including men! I think that you should try to learn if you feel like it could be fun. I'm certain that it could be useful practise for you since you're studying to be an engineer. Having something tangible and creating it at the same time, well, it can only be of help!

[Osweo]

Hilarious idea, Frigga!

Everyone should know how to do it for him/herself because your mum won't be around forever and sewing services usually cost much and can't be found anywhere.

Sewing is fine - I often (perhaps too often!) repair holes in my clothes, but knitting?!? Hehe, no way! I was taught the basics when I was very small, but I'm not in that desperate a need of new scarves and socks.

Men can usually find other things to play with without resorting to knitting needles and yarn anyway...

[Tabiti]

*Artisch, yes, these are life skills that everyone should learn, including men! I think that you should try to learn if you feel like it could be fun. I'm certain that it could be useful practise for you since you're studying to be an engineer. Having something tangible and creating it at the same time, well, it can only be of help!

I've tried in school. It was a disaster
I'm going to ask my man or my mother to learn me the basics...But seems both think I'm lost case
I can be very clumsy sometimes, especially if it is about things anyone can do. Like riding a bicycle - I couldn't learn

[Solwyn]

Men brought knitting to women. The knitting guilds in the middle ages were 100% male. And like Frigga's Spindle says, fishermen used to do knitting all the time. It's how they passed time and repaired things. I know most men think it's feminine, but knitting did not fall into the domain of women until cottage industries sprung up around Europe to supply the demands of the nobility for knitted laces, stockings, and gloves. Because a woman's life of domestic work was better suited to knitting (feed the baby, knit a row, churn some butter, knit a row, make some bread, knit while it rises, sew some things, knit a row.....) as opposed to toiling in the fields (come home exhausted, cranky, and dirty.....to knit? Not likely) knitting found a place among women.

It was then that knitting really took off, because while the noblemen and artistes were busy making lacy foo-foo things, the women were busy figuring out how to cover their families with this amazing stuff, too. Because of illiteracy, women in one area would memorize a certain amount of techniques, exploit them to death, and produce a knitted product that was distinctly different than what the women of another community would produce because they may not have had access to the same learning, and thus we have the different styles of ethnic knitting emerging amongst our folk, starting at about the late 1600s. By the late 1700s, many places in Europe had either a knitted item or a knitting style that they were known for.