'I Started Knitting To Overcome Anxiety': Karnataka Youth Sohail's Journey As Knitter

Breaking gender stereotypes is a brave and important attempt to help society drop the unnecessary and absurd expectations from boys and girls. Women from a young age were told they are supposed to not indulge in physical activities but instead opt for hobbies like knitting.

Knitting, thus, for a very long was considered a feminine hobby. Things have changed and how! Sohail, a young business owner, is one of the few male knitters who has received wide recognition.

When Sohail started knitting, it was just to engage his mind in a hobby that would help him overcome his anxiety. He would have never thought that it would soon become an inseparable part of his life. He knitted great sweaters and his friends helped him realise the worth of his talent.

With the support of his family, friends and relatives, he was able to start his own Instagram business by the name The Rough Hand Knitter. Society needs more people like Sohail who are taking steps towards eradicating stereotypes based on gender and his family and friends who support such people and want to create a change.

Man Breaking Gender Stereotypes: "I Started Knitting To Overcome Anxiety"

"I started knitting a year ago to overcome my anxiety. I wanted to learn something creative. Often I’d think, ‘what’ll happen when I will age & have no work, what will I do? Knitting was the answer. Last year I ordered yarn & a needle & started learning knitting from YouTube. It helped my anxiety," he said.

"Once, I was knitting a sweater when one of my friends came up and said ‘ I want to buy this’ But I wasn’t selling. She kept insisting & asked the price; I got sceptical. I never thought people would want to buy handmade things when you can just buy good sweaters," he added.

"After constant insistence, I quoted 900 rupees. She refused it & said ‘it is not worth 900, you should take something more.’ & offered Rs.1700. That’s when I realised the real value of handmade products. Once I even thought that my friends were taking them at a higher price just to encourage me. That’s when I asked a thrift store owner to sell it at her shop. I sold it for Rs. 650. I still regret underestimating the price so much."

"People loved buying from me and that’s what motivated me to start my Instagram account. My sister volunteered. From selecting yarn colours to planning the content, she has been my backbone. But she’s not the only one. The day I told my dad that I wanted to knit, he was very happy. He is very supportive. Even when I have to sit till late at night knitting, they (my sister and father) sit with me. They even help me in winding my yarn," he spoke about how his family has supported him.

"My family, relatives, colleagues, and everyone around me are really supportive and appreciative. My relatives even give me orders. Everyone’s efforts have really paid off. I feel so good when I see kids wearing the clothes knitted by me. At times when I get too tired, I redirect people to other pages for orders, but they come back saying, ‘we want a sweater knitted by you’."

"Now I am addicted to knitting & plan to make a change through it. I want to raise funds to help people through knitting & inspire many more to do things they love. So if you want to learn something, just go for it because trying is better than regretting life.”

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