Who Says Real Men Can’t Knit?

via WSJ.com.   Like other occupations, long-haul trucking has seen a decline in demand.  So, in their down-time, some truckers have taken up stitching.  At left is Kevin Abraham-Banks, a Sioux Falls, S.D., trucker, with tattoos and shave head,  who likes to pass time at truck stops by knitting — here he is making a sweater for his wife.  According to the article:

“Creating something tangible beats sitting around the truck stop “talking about who has a bigger radio,” he said. He’s finished a scarf and socks, and is working on a sweater for his wife.

“The fact that you can take strands of thread and basically make something out of it, that’s awesome I think,” he said. “It’s pretty cool stuff, man.”

Comments on the article range from “this is pathetic” to observations that knitting by men used to be (and still is) common in some cultures — e.g. 19th century Scotland:  according to one comment, “only men were allowed to knit in public as it was their winter livelihood. Women were only allowed to knit in their own home and for personal use. The men knit the Royal Army uniforms. They don’t seem to have found it ‘funny’ to KIP their WIP (Knit In Public their Work In Progress). Even well into the 20th century, knitting was a required class in British schools (my husband attended in the 60s).”

So men, don’t be afraid to KIP your WIP!