musings of a male knitter

Josh and Harry at Rowan Booth at TNNA

Okay, so I am a bit star struck!  One mega highlight of attending the yarn tradeshow (Winter TNNA show)  last week was meeting Josh Bennett in person and chatting with him.  As my daughter put it, “Yeah Dad, you were cool on the outside, but inside you were saying ‘OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!!’ ”  Yup, that about sums it up.  Got my signed copy of Rowan Magazine 51 which has Josh as featured designer as well.  He seems genuinely happy and stoked, and was a hit strutting his stuff on the fashion show runway!  He looked like he was having fun at the show meeting and greeting, and I wish him every success in the future.  Check out this short video Josh Bennett Interview where Josh discusses the inspiration behind the Rowan sweater collection.  And you can download the six Rowan patterns for free!

Also at the show, I got to meet Jennifer Burt in person (Managing Editor, Love of Knitting), and she told me that my “fabulous vest” (her words!) was going for its photo shoot in a couple of weeks! I’m very excited about this men’s summer vest design, and can’t wait to see how it looks on the model and in the magazine. The summer issue is due out on May 1st, but Jennifer said that I could mention that a sneak peek preview of the vest should be on the Love of Knitting website around April 25.

I’m also working on a hat and scarf set for the Fall issue of Love of Knitting.  Of course, I can’t share the design or any swatch photos at this point, but be sure to stay tuned for future updates.  I design with men in mind, but so far, my accessory designs are as popular with women as men.  I suspect this hat and scarf will appeal to both as well.

Gills Neck Gaitor

I’ve been wanting to experiment with designing some men’s neckwarmers, and had the perfect opportunity when Skacel Yarn Company sponsored a competition among the men attending the Men’s Fall Knitting Retreat which happens annually on the West Coast over Labor Day weekend. The challenge was this: Design a one skein project using HiKoo Simpliworsted yarn.  All of us participants received a skein of royal blue yarn, and had a few weeks to come up with our designs.  There was to be one, maybe two, winners whose designs would be purchased by Skacel to be made available as free downloads on the Skacel website.  It was fantastic to see the variety of designs that emerged, and Karin Skacel decided that the best thing to do was to purchase all the designs and make them available as free downloads. Here’s the link to all the patterns!

Back of Gills Neck Gaitor

My design is the Gills Neck Gaitor.  The front top of the gaiter is designed to curl inward under the chin (see image above).  There are half gussets (decreases on bottom, increases on top) that shape the flare of the gaiter.  You can see that flare as the downward slope starting right under the ear in the photo to the right.

The Channel Island cast on makes small pointed bumps along the bottom edge, and is mirrored with small picot bind-off bumps along the top back edge.

This is a “tame” version of my original inspiration, but I am very pleased with it. Ever have a moment of wild inspiration when you envision a design that would be an outrageous runway creation?  You know, one of those garments that looks totally extreme, where an idea is pushed to its limit?  I did. And its theme is “Gills”.  I have no idea where it came from, it sort of popped into my head, but I’m planning a whole series of these neckwarmers and cowls within that theme, some pushed to an outrageous limit.  So think of this gaitor as Gills #1 and watch for more to come!

Boneyard Shawl/Scarf

I just finished the Boneyard Shawl, by Stephen West,  as a triangular scarf for me.  I made it out of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk, and took Stephen’s recommendation of using a needle larger than recommended so that the scarf would have nice drape.  I love this scarf!  I didn’t even block it before starting to wear it, since the weather has turned quite chilly here for the Northern CA coast.   It’s a free pattern, and easy to knit.

I met Stephen at a retreat organized by me and Cat Bordhi for men interested in self-publishing knitting books.  As you can see, between the sessions with Cat in the morning teaching us all about self-publishing, and the individual participants presenting their project ideas, we had some time for relaxation at the beautiful lodge at Lakedale Resort. Here’s Stephen on the deck, working on a design.

Stephen West

Herbivore

I have been following Stephen on Ravelry for some time, and am so impressed with his work.   His shawls/scarves look great worn in the popular fashion for men, with the point hanging in front with the tails wrapped around the back of the neck to drape in front.   As you know by now, I like men’s designs that have a simplicity that sparks interest in the way that it plays with structure and color.  Stephen’s designs do this so well.  Take a peek at Herbivore, a really popular design by Stephen due to its unique structure.  Then there is Daybreak, which Stephen describes as “… a semicircular shawl, featuring clear graphic stripes that echo a rising sun.”  The three sections allow for all sorts of color play to get a variety of effects.

Windschief Hat

Windschief Hat and Neck Warmer

My next project to knit  is Windschief, a hat and neck  warmer pattern that is very attactive.  I saw  this hat knitted up, and immediately wanted  one.  The lines spiral around the head, creating an amazing look. The cool thing about  the pattern is that it gives directions for both accessories, the hat and neck warmer,  so you can make either or both to match!

Stephen has been designing at  an amazing pace, as can be seen in his patterns available on his website and on Ravelry, Westknits.  His  first collection has just come out,  Westknits Book One.  All indications are that we can expect a lot more from this rising male knitting star!

And by the way, as you can see below, Stephen has a great sense of humor!

Herbivore Attack!

"Brigade" by Todd Gocken

Take a look at this design by Todd Gocken!  I love it.  This is exactly the type of sweater design that I find very attractive, with its sleek lines accented by smart design elements.  Check out how the ribbed sleeve runs up the shoulder into the wide neck band, and the offset zippered placket.  There are several other closeups of the design elements on Todd’s Ravelry site where he is known as chiknitterguy.

The design  hints of a Star Trek uniform to me…which  resonates with Todd’s comment that the design builds on “its military heritage, while maintaining a modern, stylish design.”

I also appreciate this excerpt from his Ravelry statement! Todd says “I would like to be a glowing example for the counterpoint to the statement that ‘men who knit are like dogs who are trained to walk on their hind legs: it is so amazing that they can do it at all, that how well it is done is not considered.’ ”   I need to find out from him who he is quoting!

Todd has a few other designs on his Ravelry site. He says he has more designs in his head than time to execute them.  Let’s hope he will find the time so we can see more of his exciting designs!