Reddit reviews Knitting With Balls: A Hands-On Guide to Knitting for the Modern Man

I'm a lady, but I'm always looking for patterns and whatnot to knit for my boyfriend. It's hard. Knitting is incredibly skewed towards women. One of my friends got me the Knits for Nerds book, and it's awesome, except that every pattern is made for women. I don't want a ladylike browncoat. I want a knitted replica of the regular, Malcolm Reynold's browncoat. Maybe a version with optional darts for my boobs.

My LYS recommended that I pick up Knitting with Balls for patterns. I haven't done it yet (not a lot of expendable income), but she said it has great patterns.

As far as notions and whatnot... I also have had little success finding supplies that aren't extremely feminine. For needles, there's a brand called Karbonz in black/steel colors. I haven't had the opportunity to try them yet (again, not much expendable income), but have heard nothing but good things.

I hate to agree with WoollySocks, but it's true that some things are just gender-skewed. I've pretty much accepted that I'm going to be treated differently when I go shopping for tools, because I'm female. I'm going to have trouble finding work boots. It is, for me, about quality of product, rather than accessibility for my gender. I would advise not straying away from Knitpicks. I think that Knitpicks is the best inexpensive yarn store out there (that I've found so far, anyway), and it would be a shame for you to lose access to their products. They have a wide and reliable rainbow of wools, and their colors are fairly uniform across fibers (as much as they can be).

Don't be discouraged, we are all here for you!

I was going to go "Wait, I thought there was a book on that." Then I realized the book is on knitting.

It does look rather interesting though.

http://www.amazon.com/Knitting-With-Balls-Hands-On-Modern/dp/0756622891

I knit my first scarf with the pattern from this book. (Which happens to be the best name for a guy's knitting book ever).

It's something great to do while watching TV. Just avoid drinking and knitting. I can show you exactly where on my projects where I had a little too much to drink...

Hah. This was also a suggested title.

Medallion Mitts from Knitting with Balls.
Twisted rib for cuff, medallion cable.
Yarn:
Queensland Collection Merino Spray,
Navy

For me there are several ways that knitting is interesting. First, it's something repetitive that I can do to soothe my mind and actually have a useful product at the end (using double-pointed needles provides just the right amount of mental stimulation). Second, it's a fascinating topological exercise how a string can get turned into a complex, 3D object, like a sock. Third, cables and lace and designing custom-fitted objects are interesting engineering projects, especially when you take into account the various personalities of the different kind of fibers you can use. (This type of knitting is very mental and not at all soothing, especially when you lose track of where you are or drop a stitch.)

Scarves and hats are boring. My next project (after I finish the mittens for my daughter) is a torus from this book. The fractal shawl also looks interesting. :)

Historically, at least in some places, knitting was unisex, especially among fishermen, who had their own cable patterns in their sweaters to make identifying their bodies easier if they drowned at sea.

We need more men who knit, as well as young women, to break the stereotypes.

Very good progress!

I'm a lady but my fave knitting book is Knitting With Balls: a hands on guide to knitting for the modern man. You might like it!

A few years ago I taught myself how to knit. I have a collection of yarns and needles and my mom gave me my grandmother's old knitting basket. I'm a department manager at my work and I'm knitting scarves for the people in my department to wear at work during the winter. If any of you dudes are interested in picking up knitting give this book a shot.