Not that I've ever claimed to be representative of my sex, or that my new crop of facial hair has resolved all of my gender stuff, but...
Ariadne found a somewhat spooky youtube featuring knitting fellas. Hey dude, what're you making? A hammock. With sharpened pool cues. Yipes.
Not to diss the pool-cue guy (I mean c'mon, it's kind of awesome), but it brings to mind the Dave Cole stuff from the Radical Lace show - hey! look at me! I'm a man! and I'm knitting! with back-hoes! (or whatever you call those things). So that makes it art!
I mostly knit on the subway, and I don't have a knitting circle. I've met plenty of knitters on public transit, but only a couple of knitting men. Knitting breaks the NYC subway rule - strangers talk to you. Here are a couple of random boy-boy knitting encounters I have to share...
(one) More than a couple times, I've had people ask me if I went to Waldorf school. Subway conversations always start in the middle of things - "Waldorf school, huh?" "Um... no? Why do you say that?" "Oh, all the Waldorf school kids learn to knit, even the boys..."
(two) Last year I met a teacher on the subway. I was knitting penelope, and she was wearing a sweater she'd made herself. She told me her dad started knitting during world war II - he was on a submarine. There's lots and lots of down-time on a submarine, and in between it's pretty hectic, so knitting sounds like a perfect stress-relief and time killer. Her dad got everybody knitting by the end of their tour. Better than scrimshaw, that's for sure.
(three) The last time I went to a punk show, (Mastodon & Against Me! this spring) the bouncer checked my bag. I was carrying the cotton and sticks that became the anemone blanket. He said, oh, man, I'm learning how to do that! Who knew?
I know the knitting fellas out there in the ether have more to add... to be continued...
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Representing for the fellas...
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4 comments:
Geez, here in Montreal I just mostly get stared at when I knit in public. You New Yorkers are friendly!
Although, last time I was knitting something intarsia, some guy came over to me said (in french) "I've never seen anyone knitting with that many pieces of yarn before" . . . and then he turned around and walked away.
Go figure.
Hi Daniel, Just talked on the phone to my mom who visited me here last week when amongst other things I introduced her to my world of blogging. Took her to your blog too to show her your sun-gorgeous baby-blanket and I translated for her what you'd written about your grandfather. And just now, when we talked about my dad whose birthday it would have been today she remembered your heirloom-pincushion! This strange object and the story that went with it really touched her.
I enjoyed reading tthis
Nice sharre
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