Sockmatician Nathan Taylor: Guys Knit - The Instruction manual

"GUYS KNIT. Yup. We do.

It’s an ever-increasingly digital world: people stare at little screens all day, with nothing to show for it when the power goes off. More and more we are turning to traditional crafts to redress the balance, and for many, that means knitting.

I want to challenge the commonly held ‘misperception’ that knitting is a feminine pursuit – 
GUYS KNIT is a beginner’s guide to knitting, and it is aimed specifically at men.

So I set out to write a manual that a guy might notice in a shop, and think to himself: that’s a book that represents me, and who I am. I wanted to do that because I am a guy. I’ve always championed male knitters, and together, we can overthrow the ridiculous notion that guys don’t, or shouldn’t knit. We do. And we should.

So if you are that guy in the shop, holding this manual in your hand, let me answer the question you’ve probably been asking yourself since you picked it up:

Yes. Knitting is for you. And this is the manual to teach you."

The book contains step-by-step photo tutorials, to take you from zero knowledge, to hero knitter in no time at all.

There are five specially designed patterns, showcasing the techniques you will have learnt along the way, and each one is deliberately put together with the idea that just because you are a beginner, doesn't mean that you need to be patronised with boring  things to make.

I've also included loads of handy hints and tips for you to dip into as you work your way through the book: I figured why should a new knitter have to wait to pick up titbits of expert knowledge? My knitting life is easier now than it was when I started, precisely because of the stuff I've learnt along the way. I figured a beginner might be able to make use of some of it at the start of their journey too!