knitting for the men in your life...??

[princesscarwash]

I've made slippers for my boyfriend.  He requested monster slippers from Stich'n Bitch Nation, red ones, so I obliged.  I haven't given them to him yet, though.  They're his Christmas gift.

Yes, I know, men who wear monster slippers are few and far between, but you can have some luck with more simple slippers, maybe even felted booties.

funnily enough, my boyfriend has asked for these too! i suppose it's better than socks that might not fit..did you have trouble making them man-sized at all?

um, i also knitted my man a very simple twisted rib scarf from brown rowan polar. he's so fussy but amazingly he loves it!

[dancedupapillon]

Actually, because of my inability to tweak knitting patterns, I just knit the slippers like very big socks.  I basically just did a swatch, felted it, and worked from there.  My boyfriend is over six feet tall and has feet to match, so before felting the slippers were quite clownlike.

[have2craft]

I'll preface my response by saying that my husband is about as masculine/man's man as they come.

I printed a pattern (and can't find the link again to save my life) for a cabled skull cap.  I asked The Hub if he'd wear one if I knitted it for him, and he was ALL stoked about it.  I made him a hat last year, but it turned out WAY too big.  (That was before I learned the importance of gauge swatches.)     Anyway, he requested black or blue for this one.

I've also made him a scarf.  He does wear it, but only when it gets extremely cold.

[blu40]

My hubby likes the picture knit jumpers and he wears them
he is 47,he has super mario,2 golf jumpers and a football
jumper and he has had more which he has worn out,my
sons 21 and 14 have grown out of them,now hubby wants
spongebob squarepants on a jumper.Here he is a few years
back wearing super mario,excuse him pulling a face.

[diosaperdida]

Men like socks, hats, hooded sweaters that aren't too elaborate...my husband is a knitter and thinks almost ALL men's sweater patterns look efeminate. HIS plans for knitting for himself, seem to center more around household things. My nephew actually REQUESTED a hat!
There is a site called www.menknit.net , that can be quite an eye opener as to what men like.
I was quite surprised to find patterns for things that I know my husband wouldn't be caught dead in.
So...I guess it really can be up to each individual man.
I would peek in the closet to see what they already own.
One thing I do know...most men, rarely feel a need for a new and exciting look.

[pcockey]

Last year I knitted my boyfriend a huge black, white and blue striped scarf, his favorite colors--and he does wear it all the time. (His mom is a knitter too, though, so he's well-used to hand-knitted stuff--he found a hat in her basement this fall that, quite frankly, I would have frogged halfway through, but he loves it and wears it constantly.)

Scarves seem to be hard to beat. Unless you live where it never dips below freezing or he REALLY REALLY hates scarves, it's hard to go wrong. My dad and grandfather are getting hefty double-knit scarves this year, and my best friend, who is a guy, is also getting one (though he's uber-fashionable, so his will be a bit different).

After that, socks. The boyfriend will proooobably be getting a pair this year (as soon as I find the other ball of yarn!) and they are, in my opinion, much more fun to knit than scarves.

[snowyangel]

Awww good for him for living young. That's gonna be my husband when he's older, still inlove with cartoons and video games!

[D.I.Winer]

I've knit 2 pairs of socks for the mr & whenever I see them on his feet I am filled with glee. For christmas this year I'm knitting him a sweater. It's supposed to be a surprise, but I think he knows about it because the other night he said "how about you knit sweater pieces & I seam it together.....you know....to avoid the boyfriend sweater curse....." I told him he didn't have to worry about that since that's not what he's getting for christmas. (which is sort of true - it's a top down raglan, so really, there is no seaming.)

for my dad I knit him a hat & some socks. last year I made mittens for my male friends & they wear them lots....

like everyone has said, it depends on the guy, but I think scarves & hats & gloves are a safe bet.

[brideOFkniterstein]

....to avoid the boyfriend sweater curse

ok, i definitely have some really good ideas now.

one side question.... WHAT'S THE BOYFRIEND SWEATER CURSE??

the only curse i'm away of is the boyfriend hankercheif curse... where if you give a man in your life a hanky, you end up breaking up.... is the sweater curse along the same lines? i would love to knit my husband a sweater, but if there's a curse...

[stringy]

Yep, that's more or less it - I've never heard of the hanky curse, but it sounds the same.

I defied the boyfriend sweater curse and we're getting married in 5 weeks time! Really, I think it's because knitting something like a sweater is so expensive and time-consuming that it puts a lot of pressure on him to not just like it, but to *love* and appreciate it properly - there's an old thread here somewhere, if you search for 'boyfriend sweater curse' you should find it.

I think if he's already your husband though, you should be safe

Back on topic: my curse-defying sweater was the Berkshire Pullover from Weekend Knits. Not only did he love it, he got heaps of compliments and "where did you get that?"s from his mates. It's a very simple pattern (i.e. mind-numbingly boring, but nothing tricksy for a new knitter), but the neck opening is on the small side. Luckily, it's easy to alter this part!

I've also had a lot of success with knitting SnB's Hot Head pattern for my dad and brother-in-law as well as my guy.