Comments on: Men and Crochet

By: Veronica Smith

Veronica Smith — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 03:39:46 +0000

Kay,
Thanks for the feedback on my blurb – you are Soooo right. We have 2 daughters now 15 and 22 and they have never been really frilly and girly. They do a myriad of handcrafts however they both took what we call ‘woodwork and metalwork’ (Shop?) in the early stages of highschool and both were the only girls in the class – sad state of affairs. There were however a few boys in home economics (cooking, sewing) The girls loved them there!
We are semi rural here and both my kids know how to weld, basic carpentry and cut rust out of an old vehicle – and they love it.
You are spot on when you say there should be no hang up on ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ activities!

By: Kay

Kay — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 00:24:23 +0000

Unfortunately, the likely reason there are so few good men’s patterns available is because there are too few men who crochet to give their feedback. I’m sure many a guy has received a nicely crocheted gift but didn’t have the heart to say they didn’t like it. I think the general look of crochet (lots of holes and large knots) isn’t what guys are looking for, unless it’s for slippers or beanies. But there are stitches that are more neat/close together (like Tunisian stitching) and could be implemented more often – with the help of male feedback of course.
Something I find terribly irritating is that the most of the patterns that actually are available for men are either unflattering or outright stupid. I see a lot of beer cozies and other useless junk like that, and with titles like “the man hat” you really have to wonder what these people think of men. They aren’t ogres that like looking like slobs. Most guys I know like to wear nice clothes and find it offensive when males in general are just seen as beer-drinking pigs.
Honestly though, I find knitting more versatile in general and there are tons of great patterns for both men and women. Just a preference. I enjoy both crafts but knitting is tops

By: Kay

Kay — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 00:03:34 +0000

I think men should be encouraged to knit/crochet, and women should be encouraged to do jobs that were once considered man’s jobs (carpentry, etc). If you’re good at it and enjoy it, why not? The only men who scoff knitting/crocheting are insecure, backwoods homophobes who wouldn’t dare try it for fear of others thinking they’re gay – how ridiculous is that? And women who scoff men who enjoy crafting are just idiots, plain and simple.

By: Kay

Kay — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 23:57:28 +0000

To Sarah Dee: what planet are you from? Do you also find it “weird” when a woman can fix cars?I can only assume you’re a backwoods homophobe, since any real man would not have an issue with it. Women who can weld are usually proud of it. Men who can knit/crochet should be proud too.
As for some of the original points, I agree that there aren’t many good patterns available for crochet. Men generally don’t like to wear the typical openwork/knotty crochet look, unless it’s slippers or something like that. Tunisian stitch seems to be a good option because it looks clean and streamlined. Honestly, I think knitting is much better for men’s clothing, but that’s just me.
And NO – I don’t think men will be isolated if they crochet. Only insecure or very closed-minded men (or boys I should say) have issues with this sort of thing because they aren’t comfortable with their sexuality and worry that people might think they’re gay or something. I think it’s attractive to see guys craft because it shows that they’re comfortable with themselves.

By: Edwin

Edwin — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:24:24 +0000

Suzanna,
Good for your husband!! I hope he continue to crochet in public. I have done it at work and in public. I just let the people laught and said to myself “They’re jealous”.

By: suzanna

suzanna — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 01:26:16 +0000

my husband just learned to crochet about 3 months ago and he is getting pretty good at it. he even takes it out in public. some people laugh when they see him crocheting but most people just think it is awesome that he knows how

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 02:30:10 +0000

I’m a man and I crochet. In fact, I am crocheting and playing on the internet at the same time and just had to rip out an entire round because I wasn’t paying attention and counted wrong.

I was taught several years ago by a coworker. I wanted a gift for a relative that wouldn’t get thrown or given away (not uncommon for this relative), and I realized if I made something, the relative would appreciate the time and effort and hang onto it. So for my first crochet project, I made a really ambitious blanket. Since then, most of my projects have had a somewhat better effort-to-satisfaction ratio, but I’m just about done doing a baby blanket that looks very un-baby-blanket-like. (Black and bright colors – no pastels for me!)

I think if a guy doesn’t want to learn how to crochet because it doesn’t appeal, that’s one thing. But I bet there are plenty who wouldn’t mind learning and are afraid of the impression it would give people…and that’s a little ridiculous.

By: Janie

Janie — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:52:02 +0000

Also, I forgot to add- I actually learned many crochet techniques from Mikey Sellick. He has online videos that are among the MOST helpful I have ever seen! I wouldn’t be at the skill level I am today were it not for him.

By: Janie

Janie — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:50:00 +0000

I absolutely agree with Bethintx! I also think it is sexy when men crochet, or do any sort of crafting, really.

I think part of the problem of the scarcity in male-oriented patterns may lie in the fact that a large portion of the male population doesn’t crochet, and some men like to criticize men that do crochet because it isn’t “tough” or what have you. I have seen more and more men become comfortable with crocheting, so I think the more men publicly embrace it, the greater the resources will be for them. Keep on hookin’, guys! : )

By: Bethintx1

Bethintx1 — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:03:45 +0000

I think Men who crochet are sexy!