Did you see that guy?

- “Can you show me the basic stitch?”, Jyri asked me on the train somewhere between London and Lancaster.
- “Sure”, I said, “it’s very easy”.

A couple of ladies next to us could hardly believe their eyes seeing my boyfriend swapping a powerbook for a crocheting hook. Also for me the sight was quite unusual.
- "Rather unconventional", the ladies whispered.

Providing interesting links to the history of knitting, menknit.net proves any prejudices about crocheting men parochial. For example, Wikipedia on knitting:

“Originally a male-only occupation, the first knitting trade guild was started in Paris in 1527. Knitting became a household occupation with the growing popularity of knitted stockings and by the end of the 1600s, one to two million pairs of stockings were exported from Britain to other parts of Europe.”

There is however a distinction to be made between knitting as a profession and knitting as a hobby. Stories about the various social contexts and situations where for example knitting is practiced by men opens up a facinating perspective to the popularity of crafting.

Jyri ventures crocheting but looses his patience

Three men from Columbia University knitting