a manly yarn..

By Sharon Reich

NEW YORK (Reuters) - If you're stuck for entertainment in New York on a Friday night, and as long as you're man enough, try learning to rib at "Boyz Nite" at a Greenwich Village venue from 9 until late.
That's rib as in knitting the cuff of your sweater.
Knit New York, a wool and craft store in Lower Manhattan, is fighting the stereotype that knitting is the province of women. "Are you strong enough to knit and man enough to purl?" says an advertisement for Boyz Nite on the shop's Web site.
The store draws dozens of men to its weekly men's night where beginners and experts gather to exchange tips over beer and hot dogs.
"Believe me, we love women," said store manager Josh Bennett. "But it's like when guys get together to watch a football game, they have all that in common so there's that sense of excitement. After a long week, you can come and work on your project have a couple of beers and hang out."
"Do you know how to rib?" he asks a group of learners on a recent Friday evening. "Go ahead and knit the first two stitches, you always want to give it a nice tug," he says.
"Now when you purl, what's the most important thing? That your yarn's in front. You want to go right between the legs," he says, drawing the yarn between the two knitting needles.
A cosmetics salesman from a nearby store was offering samples of avocado moisturizer along with skin care tips, and conversation ranged from knitting triumphs to dating disasters.
But Bennett said Boyz Nite was not a singles night for gay men. "It's not a dating thing at all," he said, adding that plenty of heterosexual men were keen knitters. "I haven't met anybody. I don't mix work and dating."
"A lot of boyfriends will schedule a classes for themselves and their girlfriends on their first date," Bennett said. "And I made a bikini pattern for a guy who wanted to knit a bikini for his girlfriend."

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Amazing...never thought there would be a day when men started knitting. My knitting teacher, Mrs. Hashimoto said there was a young man who came to inquire about her club. He seemed quite enthusiastic to join and signed up for the club. Shortly after (one week later) she received a call from him informing her that his wife didn't want him to join. Jealous of some knitting club housewives? Beats me, hmm.