Slog - Comments on The Heart of the Wolf http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting He walked onto the bus (number 4, heading up to the CD from Downtown), sat on the seats across from mine, and began knitting. He was about 25, white, tall, dressed in black, with short black hair, and boots on his feet. His knitting needles were long, fat, and slowly materializing a thick something that shall (or shall fail to--more likely the latter) keep some member of the body warm. Because he recently learned how to knit, every part of his being--his mind, his eyes, his hands, his fingers--was lost in the process itself. He was nowhere else but in... Copyright 2008 Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:19:42 -0800 Thu, 07 Dec 2006 10:28:53 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Colin Or, maybe he's trying to save money and/or be creative with his Christmas presents.

I think sometimes you read too much into these sorts of things Charles.

]]> Colin http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543091 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543091 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:37:28 -0800 Comment by Soupytwist Knitting used to be a cross-gender hobby, go back to first half of the 20th century, before the polariztion of the sexes and gender-branding and marketing.

You're revealing your programming, Charles.

]]> Soupytwist http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543109 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543109 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:41:43 -0800 Comment by Fnarf He's knitting because knitting is trendy.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543112 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543112 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:44:46 -0800 Comment by Redshirt He's definitely trying to get laid.

]]> Redshirt http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543115 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543115 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:44:59 -0800 Comment by Ursula Nope, definitely trying to get laid or else (inadvertently or otherwise) mock those unfortunate members of the lower class who are still forced to knit their own crude clothing with red and blistered fingers; there's no other possible explanation. Why can't you people see through the veil (lace-weight, of course) that this devious mastermind has cast over your eyes?

]]> Ursula http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543119 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543119 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:47:21 -0800 Comment by SeMe Thats just let the dudes that pretend to be feminists.

]]> SeMe http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543126 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543126 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:51:17 -0800 Comment by SeMe Ooops. That should read, That is just like the dudes that pretend to be feminists.

]]> SeMe http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543129 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543129 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:53:48 -0800 Comment by robotslave I have an alternate theory!


I believe the young man is a Situationist. His aim with the knitting is to create conditions that bait expatriate African intellectuals into regurgitating offensive sexist tropes!


And our young Situationist has netted a fine stereotype indeed; he now has, in print, a rewarmed vision of entirely sexless female desire, of womanly wants that are wholly negative in their impact on the masculine!


Behold this creature, dragged still and fetid from the ancient sexist mire, reanimated with crude intent, sent out to do the bidding of the great philosopher! Thrill as she attempts "to tame, to break, to beat, to nag into submission" all that is Male and Free! Behold the stifling scope of her zombie desire, to sink her decayed talons into one to "bake cakes with, grow flowers with, make the bed with, wash dishes with, shop with, cry with, and watch my pregnancy with"!


Bravo, knitting man! Well played! Well played indeed!

]]> robotslave http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543158 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543158 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:04:30 -0800 Comment by gfish Mastering new skills makes you a better person, Charles. It builds character. Sitting around commenting on the gender rolls of complete strangers... not so much.

]]> gfish http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543192 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543192 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:13:50 -0800 Comment by monkey Maybe it was his form of meditation. Concentrating the front of the mind with a mundane task so the rest of the mind can find peace.

]]> monkey http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543215 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543215 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:18:47 -0800 Comment by SDA in SEA Third conjecture: He's a flaming homo. Knitting is the new drag.

]]> SDA in SEA http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543219 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543219 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:19:32 -0800 Comment by Lloyd Clydesdale The litmus test to prove Charles' 'bird trap' theory would be to discover if this chap had spent his early 20's lingering for hours on end at his favorite cafe, writing endlessly in his notebook and eventually bringing in his favorite mix CD's for the erstwhile cute-as-christ barista to play in-store.

Those were the days.

If this were indeed the case, there's yet a more ominous factor here. There's no bird, no bullseye, in sight. This would, disturbingly, make him *more* dangerous to us other guys now. His skills have evolved beyond ours and we suspect him for his unexplainable advantage.

Fuck.

]]> Lloyd Clydesdale http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543513 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543513 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:52:22 -0800 Comment by Mark Mitchell Good one, Charles. Not quite as inflamatory as some of your baited traps, but pretty good. You almost got me for a second, since I've knittied for years, but you blew it in the last paragraph when it became so obviously more about you than anything else. As always, my best wishes, and a hope that you'll eventually feel a bit less hungover.

]]> Mark Mitchell http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543529 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543529 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:54:38 -0800 Comment by Takes One to See One Definitely an overt act of gayness. Nothing straight about these actions. The 'granny glasses' metaphor stays, however for a different target.

]]> Takes One to See One http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543567 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543567 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:59:52 -0800 Comment by keshmeshi Assuming you use quality materials, knitting your own clothes is much more expensive than buying cheap crap at WalMart. Hand-made, quality products are the new status symbols.

]]> keshmeshi http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543682 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543682 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:15:32 -0800 Comment by Lloyd Clydesdale The 4 bus is the new Joanne Fabrics.

]]> Lloyd Clydesdale http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543765 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543765 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:27:35 -0800 Comment by switzerblog Can knitting not be knitting for knitting's sake? Some people meditate - perhaps this young man knits. Knitting is a mind-clearing exercise in repetitive motion that, unlike meditation, actually has a useful physical end-product.


Or perhaps Sir Editor Mr. Savage needs to find something for Charles to do to occupy his clearly wandering mind.

]]> switzerblog http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543770 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543770 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:28:08 -0800 Comment by GrammarCop Your ignorance is showing. As a male knitter, I can tell you that our numbers are growing. Again. (Before World War II, knitting was almost exclusively a male hobby. During medieval times, women were prohibited from practicing the hobby and were permitted only to spin the yarn used by the men.)

]]> GrammarCop http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543881 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543881 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:14:38 -0800 Comment by GrammarCop Your ignorance is showing. As a male knitter, I can tell you that our numbers are growing. Again. (Before World War II, knitting was almost exclusively a male hobby. During medieval times, women were prohibited from practicing the hobby and were permitted only to spin the yarn used by the men.)

]]> GrammarCop http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543882 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543882 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:14:53 -0800 Comment by him I guess my wife is painfully bored. But knitting isn't as painfully boring as sitting there on a bus, like a dupe, staring at somebody knitting and wondering why they are knitting instead of staring.


As a side note, when, if ever, will I stop getting this message every other time I try to open the comments section?
Got an error: Bad ObjectDriver config: Connection error: Too many connections

]]> him http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543893 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543893 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:20:05 -0800 Comment by Beamer I have a friend around the same age who started knitting about a year ago. He's also fidgets a lot with his hands. When we're at a restaurant, he's always moving the silverware or salt and pepper shakers. I think knitting calms him down and satisfies his urge to fidget so much.

Knitting is also the new yoga.

]]> Beamer http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543903 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c543903 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:24:34 -0800 Comment by He Aspires To Make It Into The Dos Column. Charles, have you learned about girls yet? They're not drawn to safe and housebroken.

Your literature groupies from SCCC aren't the norm.

What happens is you look kinda cute, you make them pay for everything all the time, you never call them back and occassionally fix their car. They hate that shit but few can resist.

That dude knitting on the bus is just making the mistake of letting Vice Magazine and The Stranger be his cultural road map and listeng to KEXP podcasts way too zealously. He's a try hard who's fooled himself into thinking he's happy so long as he's occassionally "The first kid on the block to ______". That dude isn't even sure if he wants to get laid.

He definitely wants youi to write about him on The Slog though.

]]> He Aspires To Make It Into The Dos Column. http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c545108 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c545108 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 20:17:42 -0800 Comment by Glenn Like a young Jedi creating his own light saber, this young man is merely creating his own vagina. A crafter's fleshlight if you will. But it is NOT a metaphysical penis pump.

]]> Glenn http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c545126 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c545126 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 21:02:01 -0800 Comment by Ebenezer Knitting is hot. My wife, who is 7 months pregnant, loves to knit in the nude. Every time she misses a stitch, we fuck. I can't watch people knit without getting a boner.

]]> Ebenezer http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c545139 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c545139 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 22:19:12 -0800 Comment by Lloyd Clydesdale It's getting hot in here.

]]> Lloyd Clydesdale http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c545145 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c545145 Life Tue, 05 Dec 2006 22:41:51 -0800 Comment by Grant Cogswell I hear it´s really soothing.

]]> Grant Cogswell http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c547810 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c547810 Life Wed, 06 Dec 2006 10:41:31 -0800 Comment by Geni Anyone who thinks people knit because they can't afford to buy their own garments has never paid for their own ball of wool, clearly. That shit is expensive.

]]> Geni http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c548089 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c548089 Life Wed, 06 Dec 2006 13:56:38 -0800 Comment by blahblahblah Charles, as someone who's from a place where colonialism and its repercussions have destroyed millions of lives, don't you think equating that with some white kid on the bus appropriating knitting is sort of, umm, offensive to people who might starve to death because of colonialism? Like when people yell "Nazi" when they see anything remotely totalitarian? I think you might be crying wolf.

]]> blahblahblah http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c551432 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/man_knitting#c551432 Life Thu, 07 Dec 2006 10:28:53 -0800