Sunday, October 15, 2006

 

Post Sixty-Eight: The KC

So I have this really, really exciting bit of news to share.

My school now has a knitting club, titled The KC (so as to be less "feminine"), thanks to the support of my two favorite Jessicas and Mrs. Pawloski and my own love for planning things that are feasible. ^_^ It's going to meet Mondays after school, I believe; possibly Wednesdays, heck, maybe both, and is open to everyone between 7th and 12th grade and faculty. I'm just so...excited about it.

I'm gonna be the experienced-knitter-on-hand, too. So I get to play Mommy, yet again, and help everyone out with their knitting Oppsies and "wtf?"s. Woo!

I even went out and made us a Google Group. The KC. Woo! And posted a thing about it in my school's myspace forum-thing.

And guess what else? I wrote a speech on guys knitting for my latest speech class assignment. Read it, I command you!

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I’m sure you’ve all seen me knitting at some point or another. It’s not as if it’s something unusual. But how many of you have seen, say…Charlie knit? I’m guessing none of you. OK, so maybe my example is a little off, but still. Charlie doesn’t knit. Yet. But why shouldn’t he? After all, as knitting has been growing in popularity, so has its male population, and articles such as Men Like it Too, from the Vancouver daily are heralding this fact left and right. That’s right: guys are knitting. Guys are knitting, for lots of reasons…heck, guys are joining groups for knitting…and not just the gay ones, either.
I know, I know…it seems like such a feminine hobby, craft…art, whatever you want to call it. Lots of your grandmothers probably knit. And this is the stereotype which pervades the knitting scene. And what do we know about stereotypes? That’s right; they’re inaccurate. Many people knitting today are between the ages of 15 and 35. And an ever-growing number of those are male. I personally know four guys who knit. Well, four that know how, two that actually do it regularly enough to be called “knitters.” The number of guys knitting is still relatively small, sure, but it’s getting there. Heck, once upon a time, it was the other way around. Back in the days of the 16h century, the fishermen knit their own nets and heavy-duty sweaters to use in their trade. It was guys who knit, not the women. It only became a woman’s hobby when the knitting machine, responsible for mass-produced Wal-Mart sweaters, arrived and took away the need for the men to knit.
Nowadays, there’s no true need for anyone to knit. But we still do it. Guys still do it. Why? Well, many guys start knitting because their girlfriend taught them. But other than that, it’s a cheap, easy way to make gifts. Scarves, beanies, wristies…things that are fast and always useable. And a bonus? A great way to impress chicks. No, seriously; think about it. You need to give her a present for something. Let’s see…soft is good, warm is good…and sweet is always good. So, knit her a scarf out of some nice, soft yarn. Or if she’s a hat girl, a hat. In her favorite color, of course, or something to match her coat. What could be sweeter than making her something? Something she’ll actually use? Don’t laugh, guys; it works.
Plus, knitting is great for social things. It starts conversations. It provides reasons to hang out with people. With guys AND girls. Along with guys knitting must of course come male knitting groups. As a minority, knitting guys find it helpful to have the support and understanding of other male knitters. There’s all-male knitting groups cropping up everywhere. Plus, well, a lot of guys who knit are “closet knitters.” They don’t want people to know they knit. Not people who don’t knit, anyway. They think people will think they’re gay or something. Make fun of them for it. And the fear of being mocked is one many people share. So they gather in flocks of clacking needles and conversation. Or watching the game, whatever. Every knitting group is different. It is a step along the way to knitting in public for many men. And boys. As knitting grows as a pastime, after school knitting clubs are showing up as well. And many of them have male members. Some schools, it’s even cool to knit. Kids line up in front of their lockers before school much like we did in the other building, but to knit and chat. Knitting really is a great social activity; it is something which keeps your hands busy, but your ears and mouth free for discussion. Perfect for groups to actually have reasons to get together. Enjoying time with fellow knitters is an important thing. It gives everyone an opportunity to show off their projects, pick up new skills, and find help if it’s needed.
So yeah. Guys knit. Straight ones, gay ones, bored ones…kids whose moms need them to DO something after school…all kinds for all sorts of reasons. Who knows? Maybe one of these days, you will spot Charlie knitting.

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So there. Love me; I'll be back more often now, promise. I've begun my first sock. It's coming along quite nicely; I like the figure-8 cast on thing for the false graft at the toe. I used it on a little bag I made :p. It's cheating, but I love it. Seamless is good.
However, it's not to the heel yet. I'm scared of the heel. But I'm sure I'll get through it; looks easy enough.

Comments:
I love knitting socks, and the figure-eight cast-on became my favorite sometime last year. Turning the heel is kind of scary the first couple times, but it's really quite fun. Once you turn it, just stare at it for a while, marvelling at your amazing knitter leet-ness. ^_^
 
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