Why more men should learn to knit

I am an anomaly.

When you think of a professional knitting instructor the last thing that comes to mind is a 40 year old, 6 foot tall, 250lb, straight, bald half-Mexican man with a beard.

Yarn store owners try to hide their surprise when I come in asking if they have any locally dyed worsted weight superwash merino wool.

An older woman came up to me the other day asking how I learned to knit, since it isn’t common to see people *like me* knitting in public.

I get it.

Knitting has a stigma that it’s for old ladies and mom’s knitting for their newborns.

While I’m not on a mission to encourage men to knit, here are 3 reasons I think more men should take it up:

It satisfies the male need to build and create

Yes, plenty of women like to make things, but the world we live in (buildings, roads, vehicles, bridges, etc) is predominately designed and built by men. And there’s a reason for that. Us guys like to use our hands to do everything from digging ditches to laying bricks to welding metal. We like to put in a hard days work and say “I built that”.

For those of us less inclined to get our hands *literally* dirty, knitting a scarf or sweater allows us to point to the finish object and take pride.

It’s a great way to manage stress

Everyone has stress, and women report stress levels almost twice that of men. However, men are 4 times more likely to take their own life, accounting for HALF of all male violent deaths around the WORLD. Guys often deal with the *pressure* of being a man by self medicating with alcohol or other substance abuse. For whatever reason we’re not great at expressing our feelings, leading some to believe that depression in men is HIGHLY underreported.

I’m not suggesting that knitting is a cure for mental health issues, but it was used as a way to help soldiers deal with “shell-shock” during World War 1 & 2. What we now would call PTSD was helped through the simple, repetitive movements of knitting needles and yarn. And multiple studies have shown that knitting can reduce stress, improve a feeling of wellbeing, increase memory and cognitive function, help with chronic pain.

It makes you more attractive to women

I ran across an article which stated that a recent survey showed women find the ability to knit (or sew) an attractive quality in a man. Sadly I couldn’t find the original survey, but I can say from anecdotal evidence it may have merit.

A man knitting in public is bound to draw attention. That’s definitely been my experience, and while I can’t say anyone has flirted with me, it would probably work as well for meeting ladies as walking a dog 😂.

Even if you’re happily partnered, having useful skills and making handmade items for them is attractive in and of itself. Knitting some socks for your wife’s cold feet will certainly make them feel special.

Now that last point was obviously a little silly, but I think knitting is as legitimate a hobby for men as building model trains, wood carving, or painting Warhammer miniatures.

While knitting has been viewed as a feminine activity being a proficient knitter is something to be admired no matter who you are.

Mrs6am

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