Masculine colours

[vaneramos]

In the 1970s my sister-in-law taught me to do macramé. About the same time Mom and I started making a hooked rug. It was supposed to be a wall-hanging for my bedroom, but she probably supposed I would take a proprietary interest in it. I didn't. After her participation tapered off, the rug was never finished. Those were my only experiences with fibre or textile of any kind. For the next couple of decades I abhorred them. It was one of many postures I took to persuade people (including myself) I wasn't gay.

One might say I plunged in head first when I started to sew a watercolour quilt by hand six years ago. It still hangs on the living room wall, in process. Recently I have attempted some less ambitious experiments with textiles and fibre, notably the paper quilts I made for Danny, Marian and Brenna for Christmas. These were experimental, containing photographs and other mementos of the previous year and of my affection.

I've been eyeing Danny's industrious knitting hands ever since we started dating. Several weeks ago I asked him to show me how, so he taught me casting on and garter stitch with some white yarn from his Stash.

I intended for my first real project to be a scarf. I couldn't imagine myself wearing anything bright or colourful, considering my entire wardrobe consists of jeans, t-shirts and dark-coloured sweaters. Okay, there are a few vests at the back of the closet, slightly colourful, which I occasionally excavate for a poetry reading, wedding or other special occasion. But on the subway a couple weeks ago I saw a young man wearing a scarf with all kinds of colours in it. I began to entertain the appalling notion that I might knit something like that for myself. The thought wouldn't go away. Still far from comfortable with knitting, I rested comfortably in the knowledge that I wouldn't even be ready to begin my scarf for a long, long time.

So Saturday afternoon at St. Jacob's Market Brenna and I went into the yarn booth. Just browsing, I told the woman. Then she started raving about my hat, knitted by Danny. Her friend came along and the two of them had to fondle it, speculate how he had done it.

"This isn't an easy pattern!" they said.

They also admired the red scarf my mom had knitted for Brenna for Christmas.

We had almost escaped when I saw a long scarf, so cozy and fluffy I couldn't resist caressing it. The colours weren't quite right, but the woman pointed out the baskets where that brand was stored. I was drawn to the brown and blue variety, good and safe. She gave me instructions for knitting a scarf like the one on display, and picked a pair of eight-millimetre needles for me.

Resistance is futile.

When Sylvie and Sarah were here for dinner that evening, they studied with interest the first few rows I had already knitted. Sylvie doesn't knit, but she sews period garments as a hobby. Sarah herself recently took up knitting, a nice contrast to her apprenticeship in carpentry.

Now Sarah is what I call sweet butch. Short hair, jeans and t-shirt, warm, soft voice. When I first met her I was intimidated by her generosity with affection, but have become very comfortable with her.

Anyway, she held this scarf and ball of wool and looked at me sidelong, prudishly.

"These are very masculine colours, Van," she said.

Comments

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

LOL Van, that's a great post.

resistance is futile. Sometimes it is futile and you must, I repeat, must give in and go with it - especially if you keep finding yourself drawn into it. :-)

On the other hand, perhaps I've been more gay than I keep thinking I am as I'm drawn to reds, yellows, and of course, blues. :-)

I have a rug hook kit I still need to finish and is sitting in a bag in a box in my storage closet in the laundry room. I've had it since Junior High and I may still have my knitting needles and some practice ball of yarn that my Mom gave me when I wanted to learn how to knit at around the same time frame, perhaps a tad later.

Keep at it Van, will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Perhaps I should get those out and a crackin' I suppose.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

"More gay"? Hooking rugs and liking hot colours will not change your sexual preference. Whether somebody likes knitting, singing, or driving fork lifts does not make them more gay or less lesbian.

My point here is: internalized homophobia caused me to withdraw from certain interests as a young man, but really those things have nothing to do with sexual orientation, they're all about gender stereotyping.

So you see, I'm drawn to cool, dark colours (at least in clothing) and sing bass in the choir. I could pass for straight-acting if I didn't object to the term so much. But what do I like in bed?

Penises. Beards and penises. ;-)

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Oh I realize all that, I was trying to be fascicious. Oh well.

Anyhow, you are quite right in that it's all about gender stereotyping and what is perceived to be gay/fem/masc/whatever when it really doesn't matter.

However, I'm with you in what I like in bed, beards, fur, and more beards and fur. ;-)

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Sorry I was a little quick on the draw.

You have joined the 'Light' side of the force!

[djjo.livejournal.com]

And you haven't even been intruduced to the majority of my stash yet.

Whooooohoooohahhhahhha!

They are great colours Van, and your knitting is really even considering you just started. Way to go!

Guess I know what I can get you as pressies now...[g]!

But hugs and remember. Just one more row, just one more row, just...

Re: You have joined the 'Light' side of the force!

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Just don't let the yarn distract me when you're trying to coyly enveigle me to bed. Tell me to put it down. ;-)

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

I took up knitting years ago because I wanted to knit myself a sweater in the pattern of the costumes on Star Trek: The Next Generation, the colored shoulders with the odd diagonal shifts to black below.

I didn't stick with it. Who knew it was such work?

My informal instructor was the wife of my boss at the time, a rather imposing Air Force captain who was also rather countercultural in a lot of ways. He knit a bit too, so the idea of knitting didn't trip my "must run from this activity lest people think I'm gay" thing.

But it was a deeply GEEKY motivation for trying a fiber art. :)

Whether those colors are masculine or otherwise, I can imagine them looking very nice on you.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Pete, that is such a wonderful reason to start knitting. If you had finished that sweater it would have been ubergeeky!

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

I was an impatient young man. I didn't stick with it. That would have been a GREAT sweater. :)

There, there,

[queenmomcat.livejournal.com]

...if hobbies and color choice determined sexual orientation, I'd be the [gender neutral term for hereditary ruler of a country] of the bisexuals.

Speaking as a knitter: [best Stepford Wives voice] "Come, join us. You'll enjoy.../this/." Knit what you want, in the colors you like and post lots more pictures.

Re: There, there,

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling knitting is going to be a Really Good thing for me. I just got off a 50-minute phone call with my daughter and I must have knitted another 15 rows while we were talking. I noticed on Sunday night at Danny and Bill's weekly dinner gathering it was a lot easier for me to sit still and pay attention to conversation with my eyes and hands occupied. I've never been the most patient listener, but maybe that's about to change.

Re: There, there,

[queenmomcat.livejournal.com]

It does sound slightly contradictory at first, but I know that others have also commented on their increased ability to pay attention to /other/ things while knitting. Certainly I do so, also.

[robearal.livejournal.com]

I could never get the hang of knitting. It just didn't flow for me. Crochet, on the other hand, I started at age 8 and did quite a bit for 10 years. I took up macrame when I was about 12, making several hanging plant holders, a couple owls, some door-handle bellpulls, and my masterpiece: a 3-foot diameter wheel of the zodiac with a 6-pointed mandala in the center. Last year for xmas I pulled out my books and made some macrame snowflake ornaments for my co-workers.

I'm pretty good at knots.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Oh you are, are you? I'm counting on a demonstration. I have some good macramé cord you might want to try.

[artricia.livejournal.com]

That scarf looks good.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It's gonna be snuggly. Hopefully I can finish it in time to use it this winter.

[detailbear.livejournal.com]

I took up knitting as physiotherapy after my bout of allergies in Grade 11. (Hands had swollen up to immobile proportions.) I did a nice blue and white scarf first, then I started a Dr. Who-length scarf in school colours of red and blue, doing patterns in knit-and-purl. It was just like computer art! I still have both scarves. I'll try to remember to bring them next time.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Did you ever knit again after that?

My school colours were green and gold. I think I'll not go there.

[detailbear.livejournal.com]

I have, a couple of times, but nothing really started or finished.