The other male knitter was my grade 9 gym teacher. He and his daughter (who was my mother's student) would share the knitting of handmade sweaters - she would knit the smaller sections, like the sleeves - and, to help her, he would knit the back. He also knit stuffed animals. My mother treasures this bear he made, pictured above. Wondering if I could find photos of his knitting online, I did a google search. But, sadly, it only produced his obituary notice. An active family man, he had many interests, But his knitting is not mentioned...
For some reason, knitting is often viewed as a pastime for women. (Even I taught my daughter to knit, but I didn't teach my sons!)
But some male knitters would like that image to change. Fabric designer Kaffe Fassett, who quilts, knits, and creates other fabric and yarn art, has created a documentary entitled Real Men Knit.
This trailer can be found on his website. (You may have to scroll down slightly to see it. It's under the ad for the DVD.)
I'm all for it! In this age of equality of the sexes, why shouldn't knitting be a hobby for all?! (Maybe I finally need to teach my sons how to knit as well!)
Marlene - this hasn't always been the case historically. In fact, knitting was a man's occupation, and tended to be a closely guarded secret from the 'distaff side'. One of our ancestors at least was a knitter by trade. (Interesting that his daughter married the son of a weaver). When the Industrial Revolution happened, and men began working 'outside the home', knitting was taught to women. fwiw - my observation has been that when women begin an activity that was previously only or predominantly male, the male component goes down drastically. i.e. how many male 'secretaries' do you see nowadays? which sex predominates in highland dance? Who knits more?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment - in the trailer for Real Men Knit, he does mention men returning to the skill they invented.
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