In one of the forms on Ravelry someone created a thread about feeling marginalized as a male knitter and wondered if people felt the same way. He also pondered ways to change through possibly creating a magazine or patterns for male knitters by male knitters. Now, I know that knitting is definitely a women dominated skill and in many cases when you look at knitting magazines, postings, patterns it is quite evident. I generally look past it and just deal but have noted in many magazines there have been a lack of men's patterns. Hello! it's holiday time, there should be a few options but whatever.
Anyway, the replies to this discussion thread have been very heated and some very good points have been made along the way. In reading the discussion thread it has gotten me thinking... bad thing! I looked at my pals on Ravelry - mostly men, I looked at the groups I am a member of, again mostly men's groups and a few GLBT groups. I choose when I can to be surrounded by men knitters to have a feeling of similar experience. Interestingly, one of the things I do get upset about in these discussion forums is when a woman knitter joins or starts posting in a men who knit group, while input and comments is good I get angry because there are so few men's spaces and so many women's... get out! Similarly, when I reflect on the discussion form, Queer Ravelry, I don't feel like I belong in there either... the topics don't usually relate to me, I find all of the "queer" talk annoying, a label and word usage I struggle with. Most of the people that post in this forum are lesbian or queer which is fine but it seems to dominate the discussion... again probably because knitting is mostly a female dominated skill.
So with that said... I identify as a Gay man, not queer who is a male knitter and proud of it.
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