Episode 11: Man Camp (35:27)

This one time at Man Camp, I saw men knitting and spinning and having the time of their lives. The first-ever Men's Spring Knitting Retreat (MSKR) was the event of the year for those who attended. If you don't believe us, read some of the recaps from Ted, Joe, Paddy, Kenny, Mel, Sean and Guido. You can also see the fevered pitch discussions on Ravelry archived thread (last count 416 posts).

QueerJoe and KnitterGuyTed had a vision for a decidedly masculine gathering of fiber-heads. This historic happening was hosted at the idylic and picturesque Easton Mountain Retreat in upstate New York, not too far away from historic Woodstock (well, it's actually closer to the less-pop-culturey-historic Albany).

Stephen bit the bullet for Team YKNIT and traveled to the OTHER coast where he interviewed, taught and met online friends offine. In addition to Joe and Ted, he spoke with cotton-spinning master VTknitboy Chris.

It takes a village of fiber enablers to make super sweet schwag bag. A big thanks to the generous sponsors of the MSKR. If you like to see men knitting and spinning, please patronize these fine establishments:

• Schoolhouse Press
• Black Bunny Fibers (Carol)
• Briar Rose Fibers (Chris)
• Crystal Palace
• Woolcott & Co. (Sean)
• Wild Geese Fibers
• Louet North America
• Danny Ouellette Knitting
• Green Mountain Spinnery
• Hyphen Boy Designs
• Oceanwind Knits
• Rabbitworkds Fibre Studio
• Red Maple Sportswear
• Spinning Loft
• Shelridge Farms
• Nomad Press

A Men's Fall Knitting Retreat (MFKR) (Ravelry link), is being brainstormed right now. Momentum is swirling around one in Oregon. For more information or to volunteer to help, contact GrandfatherKnits on Ravelry.

 

Contest - ENDED ON AUGUST 16, 2008

The kind folks from The Unique Sheep sent a lovely skein of their yarn, just like the yarn for the The Ram Club for Men. It's 334 yards of sport weight superwash merino in Grey Streets colorway.

To enter, tell us your story of teaching a Y-Chromosome (man or boy) how to knit or spin OR how you're planning to do so in the near future. Post your story the comments below or on the YKNIT Ravelry forum. One winner will be randomly selected from the eligible entries. DEADLINE: August 16, 2008.

Yknit and spin? It's MAN-tastic!

We used snippets of the following songs in this episode:

• "Where the Boys Are" by Connie Francis (single) (MGM, 1960)
• "Where the Boys Are (demo)" by Neil Sedaka from Neil Sedaka: The Definitive Collection (Razor & Tie, 2007)
• "Johnny Are You Queer?" by Hotbox from Blowin' Our Cover (Roach Coach, 2007)
• "Hot for Teacher" by Richard Cheese from Tuxicity (Surfdog Records, 2003)
• "The Boys are Back in Town" by Thin Lizzy from Jailbreak (Mercury, 1976)
• "Boys Don't Cry" by The Cure from Boys Don't Cry (Fiction, 1979)
• "Cottontail" by Oscar Peterson from JATP '53 (Jazz at the Philharmonic) (Verve, 1953)
• "Simple Man" by Klaus Nomi from Simple Man (RCA, 1982)
• "Boy" by Book of Love from Book of Love (Sire, 1985)

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Episode 10: Public Displays of Creation (37:20)

Do you do it in public? Are you a voyeur or exhibitionist? Are you out and proud?

Y Knit hits the streets and investigates PDC (public displays of creation) all over the Bay Area.

Back in May, we headed down to the 3rd annual Maker Faire. Put on by the peeps behind CRAFT and MAKE magazines, the Maker Faire is a physical manifestation and celebration of all things DIY. Drawn down by the Yarn Harlot's appearance (sounds like the knitter's version of the Virgin of Guadalupe), we were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of creativity. Natalie Zee Drieu, senior editor of CRAFT magazine, tells us all about it.

After a long, long day of knitting, steampunk outfits, Diet Coke and Mentos fountains, hanging with the Harlot, fire sculptures, rockets, motorized cupcakes, hackers, crafters and a few friends (PuNk rAwK pUrL and Knit Sonya), we can't wait to go back. The next Maker Faire is in Austin, TX, October 18-19. If you are in the area, don't miss it!

Next up, Michael ran all over the Bay Area to check out World Wide Knit in Public Day 2008 events. Sile Convery from KnitOneOne and Elaine Kim of KimChiCrafts hosted the Berkeley event and Laurie (Trumom) hosted the Albany event. Then, it was across the Bay on BART to Union Square for the San Francisco event.

In addition to interviewing the many attendees, Michael was seen spinning in public with his favorite new toy, a Golding Tsunami Ringspindle. Stephen spent the day with his synchronized swimming team, not spinning.

Contest Winners

Episode 7: Blue Moon Fiber Arts special edition Knitters Without Borders. Our winner made a donation to KWB (aka Knitters/Doctors Without Borders) and requested that they remain anonymous.

Episode 8: A signed copy of Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One was won by Yarnbird (Verena).

Episode 9: 3 signed copies of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Things I Learned from Knitting (Whether I Wanted To or Not) were won by Orange (JenniferP), Seamless (Sharon), and Soo (Soo).

Congratulations to our winners and thanks to everyone who participated!

We used snippets of the following songs in this episode:

• Power to the People by John Lennon from Working Class Hero (EMI, 2006)
• Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy by Stinky Weaselteats from Ren and Stimpy TV show created by John Kricfalusi and Billy West (Nickleodeon, 1991)
• Le "manine" di primavera by Nino Rota from Amarcord (CAM, 1999)
• Robots by Flight of the Conchords from The Distant Future (SubPop, 2007)
• Scarborough Fair/Canticle by Simon and Garfunkel from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (Columbia, 1967)
• Girls Guitar Club Theme by Karen Kilgariff and Mary Lynn Rajskub from the short film Girls Guitar Club directed by Ruben Fleischer (Ruben.FM, 2001)
• Chocolate (Mr. Gone's Club Sandwich) by Afro Elements from Nude Dimensions 2 (Naked Music, 2001)
• Who's That Woman by Phyllis Newman from Follies (TVT, 1998)
• The Limit by Lovebirds from Nude Dimensions 2 (Naked Music, 2001)

Lastly, a HUGE thank you to everyone who downloads and listens to Y KNIT. We're honored that you choose to spend 30 (or so) minutes of your time with us every few weeks. Here we are at 10 episodes, and we've got over 3000 new friends!

Yknit in public? It's genetic!