Knitting has always been regarded as something of a feminine practice, with men keeping their distance simply because of dated stereotypes. Here, we aim to dispel these stereotypes and prove that knitting is for everyone.
A brief history of male knitting
Nalbinding, a method of knitting that uses just one needle, predates our version of knitting by around 1,000 years, and crocheting by 1,500. Used in Scandinavia during the Viking Age of 793-1066 AD, this method protected the Vikings against the blistering northern elements.
Vikings are still regarded as pinnacles of masculinity well into the modern age, so you can forget any qualms about knitting – or long hair – being feminine. Those seeking to match the warmth of the old Scandinavian knitwear can buy super chunky yarn online from stockists such as https://www.woolcouturecompany.com/collections/super-chunky-yarn.
Those who are convinced men of the past wouldn’t go near a practice as feminine as knitting will be surprised to learn that soldiers in WWII were taught to knit. This was not only for practicality but also to occupy the soldiers, keeping them and their brains busy during downtime and allowing for peaceful reflection and interaction with others.
Knitting machines
William Lee, an English minister fed up with the incessant clacking of his wife’s knitting needles, set out to secure a patent for his knitting machine, which used modified looms to form entire rows. Denied by Queen Elizabeth I and abandoned in Paris thanks to the sudden assassination of Henry IV of France, Lee didn’t get his invention off the ground in his lifetime; however, his brother, James, brought it back to England and helped create the first knitting factory.
Charles Dickens even managed to make knitting into a sinister practice, using it in A Tale of Two Cities to portend the deaths of the upper classes. Knitting has no singular demographic and we can all help to make this more apparent by picking up our needles – whoever we may be.
