Failure to Communicate

Both of my long time readers will know that I do not generally do grumpy here. There is a lot for a male to be grumpy about in the knitting world if one gives into that sort of thing. Still, if you have sense of humor about some foolishness then it is easy to ignore or even find the quirks of the world around you.

Starting last Friday there have been a couple grumpy things that have passed through my corner of the knitting world. The first was a rather curt manager at the Barnes and Nobles at South Hills Village. The group there has around a dozen or so members that are very friendly. In the last couple months they have been moved around the store and have had their furniture changed several times.

Last Friday we were informed that these were subtle ways to tell us that we were annoying the rest of the guests and we were not taking the hint. Firstly moving furniture in a sales space tells me that you are trying to maximize your floor space. In no way would I take as a personal message from the staff. Wouldn’t it be more effective to tell the offending party that they are in the way. Instead it has convinced several of the group members that they need to talk to Boarders about holding the group there.

Well many of the group members are now calling the head manager. Being that it is not my group I would usually not get involved. Still, this assistant manage was especially annoying. In addition my wife attends this group with me so I am sure we have spent hundreds of dollars in this store. At the very least I am going to save my purchases for when I am at another Barnes and Nobles. I suppose that sort of thing does not effect a corporation. Still, if you annoy enough people there are consequences.

I will get back this later this week after I have talked with the Head Manager.

My next disappointment is The Knit List. At one point they were an integral part of the knitting community on line. Then they became very petty and had multiple on line arguments. It would appear that they have most of this under control now. It had been years since I gave them another chance last month. They did look as if they had improved a great deal. I am sure that had a lot to do with The List Moms laying down the law.

Yesterday I tried to place a post about our charity knitting even at The Army this Friday. It is as follows:

Ø This Friday we are having a Charity Knitting Event for The Salvation> Army's Family Shelter in Pittsburgh. Doors open at 6:00PM and there> will be a Pot Luck Diner. So please bring something. We will make> blankets and other items.> We will be meeting at The Salvation Army 104 e. Ninth Ave. in> Homestead PA, just off the High Level Bridge. For more information> call 412 431-0579.>> My Blog www.zeeppoville.blogspot.com>> Zeeppo

I was informed by a Mom that this could not be posted because they were burned in the past. This is another situation were communicating in an adult manner could save hurt feelings. This is not posted in the rules. Actually the rules are fairly vague about many things on The Knit List. Many people post about KALs on The Knit List. So it would appear that it is up to what ever Mom is on duty.

As for being burned. I understand that there are dozens of no name charities out there and some take advantage of people. Most of these little charities that you have never heard of are great. Still, in this situation that does not apply. If one wanted to check if we were really doing something they have all the information they need to confirm it. With a little effort you could call The Salvation Army in Homestead and speak to the person in charge. Or if you did not trust them you could call our local headquarters in Pittsburgh.

What is at the root of this on The Knit List? I don’t know. I do know that there are no List Dads. Most of the snarkiest situations I have noticed in knitting have been around women who feel threatened by a male knitting. This is often just someone that has not seen a male knit and they do not know how to take it. This usually disappears when I have been around an area for a while. At least it goes away where I am concerned. It may still happen to other men. My LYS , Knit 1, had this to a very small degree when I first went thee a couple years ago. No one threw me out or told me that I should not be there. There was simply one or two comments from staff that is no longer there. I have noted that there are now a handful of men shopping there. For the most part I and my clowns are the only ones that knit there. I am sure that this has something to do with the stigma that men fell around knitting in public.

No one wants to have someone tell them they are a weirdo. Clowns take this as a mark of Honor. So I can see why we are not phased by this. Still, at most the groups that I go to I and the males in my Brigade are usually the only men there. Oh I am sure this will loosen up over time. I do find it interesting that only group I go to that has men who have attended from outside my Brigade is my knitting group on the South Side. Perhaps men need ownership of knitting. At this point we are at best an oddity. In no way do we have control of our knitting destiny. This is especially true on The Knit List and the average LYS.

I have noted something very interesting. Men will buy yarn at Walmart. As they pick up the jumbo packet of tubes sock and 50 pack of batteries they will cruise through the yarn isle and throw a few skeins in the cart. This could be them being good husbands and boyfriends. Still, on more than one occasion I have watched them compare colors. This is the action of a person creating something not someone that has an item to check off a list.

Men are still left out in the cold in the knitting world. And anyone that wants to attract male customers has to listen to men. Anyone that wants to be relevant in the Knitting World in the future is going to have to include men. Sorry to say that is not The Knit List. Oh it has lots of interesting posts and neat stuff is going on there. I just wonder how relevant they are going to be as long as they stick to the female dominated thing.

I have been digging around in my library about knitting as well this morning. I have come across several book by EZ, Debbie Stroller and The Yarn Harlot. A few years ago when Debbie Stroller’s first book came out it was a slap in the face to male knitters ever where. I own it and it is a fairly good beginner book. It is not my taste as far as technique goes. Granted I strayed from the conventional path a long time ago. I understand than males have been unfair to women for the lion share of history. Still, I am not even thirty. I have not been alive long enough to have taken part in most of these sins against women.

I will say that The Yarn Harlot’s books, or the ones I have read, are respectful of men. Still, they are more concerned about knitting and don’t appear to have a political axe to grind. And I am not just saying that because she gave me some nice PR recently. I was past basic knitting when both of the first books came out. The Harlot’s books have continued to grow and have included increasingly more difficult techniques. And I have found some interesting stuff in her books about her travels and knitting culture in general. For the most part the Stroller’s books are all beginning knitter books.

What does this have to do with there not being more men in knitting. These two authors are a microcosm of the fight in the knitting world. On one hand you have the female dominated knitting world. On these other you have one that is open to change. Men may not be fully integrated into knitting yet. Still, I may see it in my life time.

Be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice.