It sounds like the
title of a politically correct fairy
tale, doesn't it? But no, it really
exists. In the center of Lake Titicaca
there lies the tranquil and beautiful
Peruvian island of Taquille. An island
where time seems to have stood still,
the people still speak Quechua, the
ancient tongue of the Incas, and handicrafts
are a primary source of income. With
a backdrop of the snow-capped Andes
mountains, no vehicles disturb the
tranquility. And the residents of
the island wear traditional dress
that represents the fiber handiwork
of the women AND men of the island.
The women
of Taquille do the weaving and share
in the spinning duties. Young girls
carry their hand held spinners everywhere
they go and the woman weave the intricate
and colorful images that represent
the rich cultural history of the island.
But whenever one sees travel photos
of the island of Taquille the inevitable
image is that of the island men and
their knitting. Boys are taught to
knit at a young age -- a much better
alternative to Nintendo as far as
I am concerned -- and they knit as
they walk around the village. As they
grow to be men, they knit hats called
Chullos,in colors that depict
their marital status: white for bachelors,
red for married men. Even the tassles
on the hat say something about the
man, If you are single the tassle
hangs behind your head. If single
and looking for a wife, it hangs to
the side of your head. I
know many American single women who
would welcome the introduction of
this tradition in our country...it
would be so much easier than the inevitable
neck-craning search for the gold band.
My discovery of
this island's unique culture has caused
me to reflect on what it would be
like if Taquille's gender-bending
knitting tradition were shared with
this country. What would it be like
if North American men were the ones
who did most of the knitting? For
an answer to this question I turned
to an American male knitter.
At 6'3" and
270 pounds computer manager Mike Diehn
is about as far as you can get from
a stereotypical knitter. He learned
to knit from some female co-workers
at vicinity.com and has taken to it
like an alpaca to a pasture. When
I asked him what he thought it would
be like if, like Taquille, more men
knitted in America than women, he
immediately said that he would not
be as interested in it seems he likes
standing out in a crowd (and at 6'3"
I bet he does often). He went on to
speculate that given the male personality,
the tools of knitting would be larger
and more elaborate. He also felt that
men's fashions would be different,
more sensual and textured. He went
on to speculate that women's fashions
would probably be affected too (especially
given that he is learning to crochet
just so he can knit his wife
a bikini). He finished by saying that
perhaps men would be more affectionate
and open up more socially given the
wonderful interaction he has been
part of in his lunchtime knitting
circle.
Mike's thoughtful
reflection made me consider how I
envisioned the craft would change
were the men to be in the knitting
majority:
