How did you learn to knit?

In 2001, one of my best friends, Dan, had been telling me for months that he wanted to learn to knit.  In all, I was pretty unexcited about the whole affair – sure, it sounded fun, but it certainly wasn’t on my list of priorities! 

So, one February evening, Dan had a wee dinner party and invited his friend Dawn and I to his new house.  After dinner, Dawn showed us what she knew of knitting—a basic cast-on, how to knit, purl, and bind off—and then set us on our way.  The next morning, we headed over to a local yarn store, I picked up a few balls of yarn, and I been non-stop ever since.

What is your favorite kind of yarn?

It depends on the project—and a whole host of other factors, but what I buy most widely is sock yarn.  Beyond enjoying making socks; I love the different textures, the colors, and most of all that something new is always happening with the colors and the texture.  It keeps the mind interested and the fingers busy.

What is your favorite project from Knitting with Balls and why?

It’s got to be the Knee-Length Coat (pg. 112).

I have always been a huge fan of the yarns from Noro – and I’ve wanted to work with Iro since it was first produced; the silk and wool blend nicely, without the yarn being too frilly.  Moreso, I really like designs that push the boundaries of what’s currently in print for guys (in terms of knitting patterns), and I love the idea of being able to knit a coat for myself.  Wearing it, the coat falls just above the knee—which I especially like—and the lapel gives it a great masculine sensibility.

Why is it important for there to be a book for men about knitting?

As an early knitter, I, like most male knitters, was instantly discouraged by the lack of patterns and resources for guys. In most yarn shops, the section of male garments boils down to a few sweaters and some unisex hats and mittens.  While I think that’s slowly changing, it’s really a good thing for a yarn store owner who’s seeing more and more guys come into their shop, to have something to point them to: a book with instructions for beginner and intermediate techniques and a whole host of patterns that might interest them.

I think people learn more from “seeing” than from “doing”—meaning that if a guy who’s interested in knitting walks into a yarn shop looking for resources, sees a book that’s written from the male perspective for the male audience, he’s more likely to pick up the craft, then, otherwise.  In all new ventures, we need to see that there are other people out there like us—who have similar interests and are doing similar things.

From the female perspective, the list of items to knit for brothers, husbands, and fathers is pretty short.  Having a book that’s fully devoted to the modern man really helps fill in the gap as they plan gift-giving for their male friends.

What is the biggest challenge for male knitters?

The biggest challenge, I’d say, is working with small wooden needles!  Though I love working with smaller yarns to make socks, mittens, and so on, I easily break a needle or two every few months when I’m working with double pointed wooden needles.  The best advice I can offer here is invest in some metal!  They don’t break and any crooks can be rectified with a pair of pliers!

Do you knit in public?

Definitely!  Knitting in public is a great way to meet new knitters, learn new stories or folklore, or get to know the good places to buy yarn! 

While I’m partial to knitting on park benches and in coffee shops, knitting in public does me the most amount of good on planes (where I definitely need some extra help to relax!).  Last winter, as I was writing Knitting with Balls, a woman sitting next to me told me a story about how her father knitted most of his adult life—just to keep his fingers nimble for surgery!