What do you think about men who knit?

I just took a survey (for Rav users only) regarding Knitting as a Gendered Activity and one of the questions (listed in the title above) got my brain working a little more than the others, perhaps because it was asking me to talk about myself. Here's how I answered:

I think it's great. I think it's no different than other socially accepted men's hobbies, for example woodworking. If a guy decides he wants a bookshelf (and has the ability) he makes himself a bookshelf and no one sees anything wrong with that. If I need a pair of gloves or a scarf or hat or sweater, I knit it. Basically, if you have the skills and materials to make something, why should your gender matter?

What do you think?

This Is Cool

I don't often do this with my blog - show off stuff I've seen on the internet - but this was just too cool not to.

Sad but necessary

Sad thing the first: No pictures for two blog posts in a row Fixed!

Sad thing the second: Sad for me at least... I'm going to drastically cut back my knitting time for the next month or so. I've been feeling some pain in my left elbow lately and up until now have just tried to help it out with stretching. To start, I'm cutting out all lunchtime knitting - I've been wanting to read some books anyway - and limiting myself to an hour of knitting at night, and stopping immediately if I feel any pain. I'm also going to be more diligent about stretching, warming up and icing my elbow. I dealt with some Achilles pain over the summer and don't want a repeat performance in my arms.

Sad thing the third: I started the raglan sweater I mentioned in my previous post. With my anticipated knitting-down-time, not only is it going to take longer to finish, but I suspect it's what pushed my pain over the edge. I'm using Bartlettyarns Fisherman 2-ply which is a very 'woolly' yarn. What I mean to say is that it's sticky and doesn't slide through the stitches or on the needle all too well. I made some adjustments - smaller tips on the left needle and two circulars to avoid bunching of stitches - but it's not enough to alleviate the stress on my elbow and forearms.

Sad thing the fourth: Again with the diminished knitting time, I'm likely not going to get to knit the warm stuff for the outdoor hockey game I wanted to. At least I have a bunch of fingering weight wool socks and hats and mittens I can wear. I don't need new stuff. I also probably won't get to knit the Christmas item I wanted to, but that was to be a surprise gift anyway. Maybe next year.

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ETA: I fixed the no photo problem. Yay, only 3 sad things!


Baby's First Halloween