I recently read an article by Jean-Paul Flintoff entitled 'Could you live with a man who knits his own pants?' (The Times Weekend supplement 26/06/10). The title was enough to get me interested. Now here's a man who's leading by example: in a bid to tackle climate change, he's encouraging the British population to 'make do and mend'. In a similar style to the current trend of growing your own food, he believes we should be making our own clothes. And I can't agree more. Having taught himself to sew, and bought a 1920s Singer sewing machine from eBay, he now knits, mends and adjusts all his own clothes - including his nettle Y-fronts.
So this inspirational chap got me thinking. Why don't more men knit? Or sew for that matter. From knitting workshops I've held I've noted how women are often keen to learn to knit and yet men, even if they're interested, fear they may be mocked by their peers. So why the taboo? Men speak up! If you are male, and a keen knitter - don't be shy, let us know!
Maybe we should start a new movement - 'Teach a Man to Knit', and tackle the taboo one man at a time.
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