Brandie Weikle talks to a growing cohort of men — dads included — who are embracing handicrafts such as knitting, sewing and cross-stitch.
March 22nd, 2018
By: Brandie Weikle
Shawn Cantelon picked
up knitting about five years ago. His wife, a skilled, longtime knitter,
would always have a project on the go while the couple watched
television together.
“One day I just said, ‘Teach me to do this. I want to see if I can knit a row.’ By the end of the row I was addicted,” said the Toronto dad of two, including a 10-year-old son who has just begun to knit himself. Since then he’s completed about 15 projects including sweaters, stuffed animals, hats and a felted bag for his mother.
The meditative aspects of the craft — knitting’s much-loved way of bringing quiet to the mind — are what got him hooked, Cantelon said. “It’s this repetitive motion that’s almost like, if you’re religious, doing the rosary.”
Plus, it makes him feel productive during downtime. “Now if I just sit and watch television it’s a waste of time. Whereas if I’m making a sweater, it’s a great use of time.”
Cantelon is part of growing cohort of men — dads included — who are embracing handicrafts such as knitting, sewing and cross-stitch that, at least in recent times, our culture has considered the domain of women. Witness a men’s knitting magazine, men’s knitting groups, images of bearded dudes knitting on Instagram, all helping to counter limiting stereotypes about what is and isn’t a “typical” male pastime and to demonstrate broader definitions of masculinity for their sons.
“One day I just said, ‘Teach me to do this. I want to see if I can knit a row.’ By the end of the row I was addicted,” said the Toronto dad of two, including a 10-year-old son who has just begun to knit himself. Since then he’s completed about 15 projects including sweaters, stuffed animals, hats and a felted bag for his mother.
The meditative aspects of the craft — knitting’s much-loved way of bringing quiet to the mind — are what got him hooked, Cantelon said. “It’s this repetitive motion that’s almost like, if you’re religious, doing the rosary.”
Plus, it makes him feel productive during downtime. “Now if I just sit and watch television it’s a waste of time. Whereas if I’m making a sweater, it’s a great use of time.”
Cantelon is part of growing cohort of men — dads included — who are embracing handicrafts such as knitting, sewing and cross-stitch that, at least in recent times, our culture has considered the domain of women. Witness a men’s knitting magazine, men’s knitting groups, images of bearded dudes knitting on Instagram, all helping to counter limiting stereotypes about what is and isn’t a “typical” male pastime and to demonstrate broader definitions of masculinity for their sons.
Interestingly,
knitting has a storied history dominated by men. While accounts vary,
many believe it originated in Egypt in the 11th Century. Guilds of male
knitters found employment in Europe until the industrial era mechanized
production, and the handicrafts became a hobby mostly practised by
women.
The handicrafting industry folk I spoke to for this story say there are a few different factors influencing a recent increase in interest from men. In addition to the stress-relieving aspect, it’s connected to the broader “maker movement,” a trend that’s made all things do-it-yourself popular again. This is in part an antidote to our tech-connected lives where few of us produce anything more than a lot of email over the course of a day, but also out of increased interest in self-sufficiency.
Additionally, we’ve come to understand the impact of fast-fashion in recent years, which is helping us to place greater value on having fewer, well-made items that will last, rather than a lot of disposable stuff to wear. Finally, men are simply pushing back against traditional gender norms.
Cantelon, who has been knitting since his son was 5, says “it’s as commonplace that his dad knits as it is that he plays hockey.”
The handicrafting industry folk I spoke to for this story say there are a few different factors influencing a recent increase in interest from men. In addition to the stress-relieving aspect, it’s connected to the broader “maker movement,” a trend that’s made all things do-it-yourself popular again. This is in part an antidote to our tech-connected lives where few of us produce anything more than a lot of email over the course of a day, but also out of increased interest in self-sufficiency.
Additionally, we’ve come to understand the impact of fast-fashion in recent years, which is helping us to place greater value on having fewer, well-made items that will last, rather than a lot of disposable stuff to wear. Finally, men are simply pushing back against traditional gender norms.
Cantelon, who has been knitting since his son was 5, says “it’s as commonplace that his dad knits as it is that he plays hockey.”
Yet Cantelon says he’s
observed something interesting in his own approach to his knitting
pastime. “I’m still a closeted knitter. I wouldn’t go to a café and knit
and I wouldn’t do it on the subway. I find that strange because I
consider myself a feminist. I think it’s stupid that I feel this way,
but it’s there and I can’t deny it.” (Cantelon was OK with being “outed”
as a knitter in this column.)
But in Ottawa, therapist Matthew Rippeyoung — a single dad to two teen boys — is a proud public knitter. His experience knitting in shared spaces has been nothing but positive, he says.
“In public it’s a great filter. People who are going to be hateful are not going to come up to the guy who is knitting,” says Rippeyoung, who has a track-record of confronting social norms. Though now divorced, he and his former wife combined their last names when they got married.
Rippeyoung started knitting about a decade ago as a way to connect with his then mother-in-law, and later even joined one of those old-school knitting and sewing circles known as a “stitch and b----.”
“I was the only man and it was mostly my wife’s friends, but problems got solved, let me tell you.” Much in the same way kids will talk more freely in the car while they can avoid eye contact, he says, it’s a little safer to open up about some of the trickier stuff when everyone’s gaze is on a pair of knitting needles.
Mike Reynolds took up cross-stitch in January after making a New Year’s resolution to learn something new. Reynolds, an Ottawa dad who blogs about raising girls and attends a women’s and gender studies program in his spare time, had noticed that a lot of feminist art he admired was created in the cross-stitch community.
Armed with a feminist pattern book given to him by his wife, he got started stitching figures of iconic women and girls. “The first one I did was a Michelle Obama piece. It took me a long time but it only took 30 minutes for me to realize that I’d become obsessed with it.”
Today Reynolds is stitching one little pixilated person per day, ranging from Anne of Green Gables to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and from Marie Curie to Black Panther characters Shuri and Okoye. For him the practice of cross-stitching in restaurants or the curling rink is intentional.
“When I started to cross-stitch I didn’t want to hide away in my bedroom and not let anyone know that I was doing it,” he said. “I wanted to make sure to show that this is part of my masculinity and I don’t feel less like a man because I do it.”
Reynolds thinks the trend toward men embracing handicrafts is a sign of more liberal thinking.
“I’m hopeful that these kinds of things are happening more because people are realizing how ridiculous that notion is that only person X would do activity Y.
In the 10 years since she opened the Workroom, a studio space where people rent sewing machines, take classes and enjoy shared community around the handicrafts, Karyn Valino says she’s noticed an increased interest in learning to make things, and men are a part of that.
“We do definitely get a fairly good range of men who come to take the classes from various backgrounds,” Valino said. “Some really get into quilting, which is really interesting. One young man took a beginner clothing class because he’s very interested in making clothing for his daughters, which I thought was very sweet.”
Jonathon Leonard, manager of Romni Wools, a Toronto knitting institution that’s been around for four decades, says he’s seen a steady increase in men visiting his family’s two stores. It addition to more tolerant views of acceptable activities for guys, Leonard thinks it’s partly a sign of our connected times.
“The further we go with technology there’s more of an interest in getting back to basics and a distraction from all of that, when you can just focus on knitting for a period of time and not look at your phone or social media.”
He says he’s encouraged by the number of boys picking up knitting through school programs, adding that he thinks there’s “less of a stigma” than there once was.
However, in some environments Leonard does turn a few heads when he takes out his knitting.
“I still get a funny look if I pick up a pair of knitting needles to relieve stress while I’m watching the hockey playoffs at the pub. It’s funny but, especially in crunch time and being a Leafs fan, you need some kind of stress relief.”
Source: The Toronto Star
But in Ottawa, therapist Matthew Rippeyoung — a single dad to two teen boys — is a proud public knitter. His experience knitting in shared spaces has been nothing but positive, he says.
“In public it’s a great filter. People who are going to be hateful are not going to come up to the guy who is knitting,” says Rippeyoung, who has a track-record of confronting social norms. Though now divorced, he and his former wife combined their last names when they got married.
Rippeyoung started knitting about a decade ago as a way to connect with his then mother-in-law, and later even joined one of those old-school knitting and sewing circles known as a “stitch and b----.”
“I was the only man and it was mostly my wife’s friends, but problems got solved, let me tell you.” Much in the same way kids will talk more freely in the car while they can avoid eye contact, he says, it’s a little safer to open up about some of the trickier stuff when everyone’s gaze is on a pair of knitting needles.
Mike Reynolds took up cross-stitch in January after making a New Year’s resolution to learn something new. Reynolds, an Ottawa dad who blogs about raising girls and attends a women’s and gender studies program in his spare time, had noticed that a lot of feminist art he admired was created in the cross-stitch community.
Armed with a feminist pattern book given to him by his wife, he got started stitching figures of iconic women and girls. “The first one I did was a Michelle Obama piece. It took me a long time but it only took 30 minutes for me to realize that I’d become obsessed with it.”
Today Reynolds is stitching one little pixilated person per day, ranging from Anne of Green Gables to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and from Marie Curie to Black Panther characters Shuri and Okoye. For him the practice of cross-stitching in restaurants or the curling rink is intentional.
“When I started to cross-stitch I didn’t want to hide away in my bedroom and not let anyone know that I was doing it,” he said. “I wanted to make sure to show that this is part of my masculinity and I don’t feel less like a man because I do it.”
Reynolds thinks the trend toward men embracing handicrafts is a sign of more liberal thinking.
“I’m hopeful that these kinds of things are happening more because people are realizing how ridiculous that notion is that only person X would do activity Y.
In the 10 years since she opened the Workroom, a studio space where people rent sewing machines, take classes and enjoy shared community around the handicrafts, Karyn Valino says she’s noticed an increased interest in learning to make things, and men are a part of that.
“We do definitely get a fairly good range of men who come to take the classes from various backgrounds,” Valino said. “Some really get into quilting, which is really interesting. One young man took a beginner clothing class because he’s very interested in making clothing for his daughters, which I thought was very sweet.”
Jonathon Leonard, manager of Romni Wools, a Toronto knitting institution that’s been around for four decades, says he’s seen a steady increase in men visiting his family’s two stores. It addition to more tolerant views of acceptable activities for guys, Leonard thinks it’s partly a sign of our connected times.
“The further we go with technology there’s more of an interest in getting back to basics and a distraction from all of that, when you can just focus on knitting for a period of time and not look at your phone or social media.”
He says he’s encouraged by the number of boys picking up knitting through school programs, adding that he thinks there’s “less of a stigma” than there once was.
However, in some environments Leonard does turn a few heads when he takes out his knitting.
“I still get a funny look if I pick up a pair of knitting needles to relieve stress while I’m watching the hockey playoffs at the pub. It’s funny but, especially in crunch time and being a Leafs fan, you need some kind of stress relief.”
Source: The Toronto Star
