Stitches - 15 yr.old boy who enjoys knitting/needlework !!!...unusual hobby and a mad father !?

15 yr.old boy who enjoys knitting/needlework !!!...unusual hobby and a mad father !?

my friend's son just loves to knit, & all kinds of needlework, and his father ridicules him all the time,verbal abuse and everything, a couple of times even thrashed all those little 'projects' his son was working on ! he just can't see him doing it....

Public Comments

Needlework and knitting shows patience and creativity. It might be considered an unusual hobby for a boy, but my grandfather used to knit and he was an amazing man. Before ridiculing his son, the man should think about all the other worse things he could be doing.
Something is wrong with the father not the boy you should talk to the father and ask why he does that. That is just messed up.
Sounds like the father is worried his son might be gay! the father should have a heart felt talk with his son
Maybe the father is afraid the son may turn gay. Do to in the norm it's considered unmanly but womanly the hobbies his child likes. And for a man it must be hard to see your son acting like a girl. At least the father is perceiving it this way.
Needle point was good enough for Rosie Grier. Let the kids dad try to trash his projects. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Grier
Rosie Greer was a big deal big time football player who also stood next to Bobby Kennedy as a supporter and body gauard. Rosie was the tall black man in the photos just before Kennedy was shot, he did needlepoint. Actually, it was petit pointe. Many wounded veterans are taught crochet, knitting and other needlework as an occupational therapy. My son has been having trouble with nightmares after two trips to Iraq. He went into the Marine Corps knowing how to sew and iron and create things he designed himself. now, he uses those skills to chill. He makes soft toys for his daughters, did a complete makeover of their room, totally tinkeeeerbell and lavendar. he was covered in lilac and lavender for days, he also freehanded fairies on the walls with flower garden murals. I dare you to thrash his work. I double dare you to ridicule him. look at this Celebrity Knitters...Look Who's Knitting! by WorldKnit.com's editor, Trinity. MPLS - Knitting is HOT! ... The list of celebrity knitters is staggering. ...http://www.worldknit.com/celebrityknitters.html with a younger crowd drawn by celebrity knitters and the emergence of "knit cafes. ... Other avid celebrity knitting stars include U.S. actress Julia Roberts, who ...http://www.boston.com/news/.../05/cafes_celebs_recast_knitting_for_younger_crowd ... Europe, only men were allowed to work in the professional knitting guilds. ... men create most of the elaborate hand knits for which the region is famous. ...http://www.yarnmarketnews.com/article_men-knit.php
Hi: Tell the boy father this: Rosie Geer( a famous football player ), Along with Patrick Mcgee of the Avenger did knitting & needle work to relax him. Sean Connery did needlework to relax him also. there are a lot of famous men who crochet,knit , and do needlework. Also the boy is learn to repair and make his own clothes. If he join the arm forces of this country. this is a very valuable skill to have. Also about fifty year ago to hundred year ago or back further in time men sewed and made clothes for other men and women as a means of employment. Just have the boy tell his his father, he want to be a clothes designer for both men and women especially the woman swimsuits ( How else is going to meet or be near to the most beautiful women in the world?) . He need those skills; just to get in Also tell him to be proud of his son. We come a long away. and there are a a lot men in this country that still do Knitting,Crocheting,and needlework's. Take him to a bookstores or library and show him a cross stitch book, or knitting book there a lot of beautiful patterns that were made by men. He not a Homosexual for doing this. and it a very rewarding hobby What are you going to do when you are in the old folks home? At least you will leave a lasting keepsake for your family and his . Also he may not be aware of the fact the Men are taking a active part in the revail of Knitting,Crocheting and Needleworking and other crafts. I hope this helps. PS: You tell Him Carol H. I like your style. I didn't know that Rosie Geer was a body guard to Bobby Kennedy. Thanks for the info.
I think the father is abusive and I wonder in what other ways he abuses his son. Maybe the son is gay, maybe he is not. So what! He is going to need an adult like you for support throughout his life it looks like. And I just wonder if you shouldn't report it really. Maybe find out who the boy's counsellor is at school and talk to that person. If nothing else, someone in authority should know about this and be looking out for other signs of dangerous abuse. I have taught half the boys in my neighborhood to knit or crochet. Some stick with it and some don't. But, if I heard that one of their fathers was abusing them in the way you describe because of it, I might even call the police to tell you the truth - if for nothing else than to let that father know I had my eye on him and would not hesitate to report something I considered suspicious. It is up to us to step up and do something - no one else will do it so you must! Don't wait and look the other way. Call the high school and ask to speak to his counsellor. The office will know who his counsellor is by his last name, they are usually assigned alphabetically or by grade level. Don't wait! Beth
the football player Rosie Greer, if anyone is that old, even put out his own needlepoint design book. its sick to trash anything a kid takes pride in, he should be ashamed. is the boy gay? or is the father afraid it might be so? hes got to accept the boy for what he is, or he will lose the boy forever.
Parents pre-conceptions can cause the deepest and longest lasting bruises and pains in a child's heart and head. 3 things need to happen in this situation. 1. Someone that the father respects needs to counsel him on the issue. An intervention if you will. Not only have famous present-day "manly" men used the craft to de-stress but men through history have traditionally been the weavers, knitters, tailors and such. It is only in recent history that women have had a serious presence in the industry. While we all remember pictures of women ages ago sitting around doing petit point and needlework for amusement and discipline, it was the men who made did the work as a viable income. I teach loom knitting and have many male students young and old AND straight. Be sure to remind the father that his son could be shooting up, gang banging or worse instead. With his interests he will be able to serve humanity rather than humanity serving him. Noble work indeed! 2. Someone also needs to be a big brother and mentor to the son to help water down his fathers ridicule. Please someone make sure that he is made aware that men have always knitted and in fact fishermen are considered the originators of knitting. Can't get any more manly than that! And 3, everyone in and near the situation needs to be in prayer about this. The father fears something that he needs to deal with and the child is in danger of becoming alienated from his father. I know I will keep them in my prayers!
Tell your father about Rosiey Grier. Football star. Bodyguard. inspirational speaker and needlepoint advocate and author of a book on the subject. Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for Men came out in 1973. At 6'5" and 300 pounds, he didn't care if you thought he was a sissy or not. Do what makes you feel good as long as it does no harm.
Sounds like dad needs anger management classes! I don't know why there's this whole stigma about guys knitting and doing needlework and other handcrafts. The other day on DIY, there was a father and his young daughter knitting together. The dad said he learned to knit so he would be able to help his daughter if she ever had a problem. Now THAT'S a man! There was also a mother and son duo and the son says he loves to knit because it means he gets to spend more time with his mom. Where's the mom in all this? Forget about the whole knitting thing. We're talking about respect and "building up" our kids. My daughters were raised to believe that they could do ANYTHING, and they should never let anyone tell them they can't do something 'cause they're a girl. Same thing for this young man. It's obvious this boy is an artist. Instead of ripping his son apart, this dad should find a way to understand what it is about this medium that draws him and then find a way to be a part of it. Sorry about the rant. It just really kills me to see kids being abused this way. Breaks my heart.............. Blessings, Leslie
I don't know why all the answerers mention Rosie Greer -- he was only one of many men who created beautiful things from yarns and threads -- today there are many successful men who design knit patterns Kaffe Fasset for one, in the fashio world it is often as not a man who designs clothing -- doesn't have anything to do with sexual orientation -- it has to do with talent and inclination -- ART is ART -- and ARTIST will chose the media that best suits him or her, whether it is paint or fiber, metal or stone -- ultimately he or she is still and ARTIST...
Tell the childs father that he will be far ahead of all the other residents in med school if he already knows his knot work!!! I used to teach on a childrens psych unit and would spend my lunch hour teaching the residents getting ready to go into their surgical rotations how to stitch and tie off properly!!! Also, many men who have an affinity for needlework go on to have very successful (and financially fruitful) careers in tailoring and fashion design. It is never acceptable however to ridacule or denigrate a child when expressing creativity. He could easily grow up to be a stunted, repressed redneck and people would shake their heads and say "like father, like son"!!!!
Being a teenager is rarely easy, but we get through it. As long as this guy (the younger one) has all of us as friends, it'll be easier! The abuse needs to be addressed, but better closer to home than a bunch of well-wishers on the 'net. Here's some support: a 2-min video of guys talking about how & when they knit. There's a football player holding a mini purse-thing, so not totally non-gay, but hey, takes all types. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jYa_rJyG18 Real Men Knit Knitting with Balls (book) And women have to deal with a lot of odd looks and auntie/grannie comments, too. Dad's probably just jealous that he can't be so productive on the bus- knitters actually have something to show for waiting in line at the post office! Older woman's 17 yr old son often comes to my knitting group 'to be with his mom'...and check out the college chicks. Knit on, young'un!
Ugh, poor guy. Gosh, so many men crochet and knit, it's crazy good. Would it make a difference to the father if the boy made him something, a nice blanket maybe? Can he come to your house and knit and do his needlework? My soon to be 16 yr old nephew keeps asking me to teach him to crochet and knit. He's not gay. But so what if some men who crochet and knit are gay? If there was someway this father could learn to be much less anxious over his son's needles and hooks. I certainly don't have the answer, but only a suggestion or two. All the other answers are great, and the reference to certain books are wonderful. I'm going to have a look at them myself. I do pray this father can learn to respect his son.
The Father is a jerk and ignorant as well. Tailoring is traditionally a male profession and knitting used to be done by men and women were not allowed to do it. All of the fairisle stitches etc were worked by men who needed thick woolen sweaters for fishing and working on the land in England, Ireland, Scandinavia and the Channel Islands. So actually knitting and needlework are male endeavours. Tell the boy to do it in his room and when he is a rich tailor he can tell his father to go jump off a pier.
The young man's father should not ridicule his son, at least he is doing something constructive and not into drugs or alcohol.
I think a bit of information might help: Will the man's son ever become a President? If so, he'll have good company: President (of US) James Buchanan was a crocheter; President (of US) FDR was a knitter Perhaps he'll want to tinker & explore for the better of mankind? If so, he'll be glad to know about Inventor and Chemist George Washington Carver who happen to also enjoy crocheting & other fiber arts. Or maybe he'll join Marvin Smith, a well known photographer who's work was described as "Shakespearean," who was also a crocheter. Play the music a bit loud & inspires to make it on the Top Charts? If so, he'll be in company with Vivan Stanshall, a "rocker" who was also an accomplished artist enjoyed a great number of various art forms, including crochet. Or is sports his game? Rosie Grier, already mentioned in several answers here, had the book "Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for Men" published. He also crocheted. For a more current sports figure, google up & coming Ian Johnson who plays for Boise State; he's known as the "Crochet Boy," and is a candidate for the Heisman. (video recap here: http://video.msn.com/v/us/dw.htm?m=us&p=truveo&g=9c525401-3cbf-4655-8471-90a67d3d3cbc) Is the boy destined for college? If so, then I also want to mention that many colleges are embracing the fiber arts to explore various theories: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4099615.stm I hope this information inspires the son to continue, and for the father to embrace his son's creative side. ~Dee Stanziano Certified Crochet Teacher
tell him its OK it was men who invented the crafts to make sails for they're ships in viking times. the sails were actually knit with wool believe it or not and tons of men knit and do crafting . some top fashions designing men also love these types of crafts they are great for relaxation. Does his father wear sweaters? he should be encouraging his creativity instead of expelling it, hey he could get a cool scarf gloves or even socks out of it one day tell his dad its OK to keep busy and enjoy his time doing this it also helps with math skills, especially fractions and geometry since knitting is based on pi scale. maybe some of you could keep his projects at your house for when he comes over . or get together at a craft store , even the library to work on these things, does his father do any other hobbies with him maybe he could help his dad work on his hobbies that dad likes , and then work on his own needlework when not with his dad. plus there are also tons of single dads learning these things so they can teach they're daughters and to have something to do together and share.