Mark Newport's Knitted Heroes

Blaise Faint writes "Mark Newport's knitted comic book covers and superhero costumes are on display and have sold for as much as $5,500.00 (US). Online displays are currently available at Lyons Wier Gallery and Greg Kucera Gallery -- images include Batman, Captain America, Daredevil, The Escapist, Mr. Fantastic, and others."

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Re:Ahh, Slashdot.

[kfg]

News for crocheters. . .

Us knitting purists prefer to refer to them as "Hookers."

However, if you ever catch me attaching such pretentiously assinine psuedointellectual claptrap to my knitting as this metroasexual nerdball somebody just fucking shoot me, ok?

Look, here's Knitting for Guys in a Nutshell (angora rabbit on the bookcover):

1)Knit scarf
2)Give scarf to girl
3)Profit!

Life don't get much more macho than that.

KFG

Unfortunately...

[DaedalusLogic]

for both parents of this post... Hookers and a mispronunciation/misreading of crocheters (think "Crotch-a-teers") is going to lead to some really weird and frightening mental images.

Also, have you people seen what the top entries on Google is when you look up "crotch"?

http://www.google.com/search?rls=en&q=crotch&ie=UT F-8&oe=UTF-8 [google.com]

Re:Ahh, Slashdot.

[kfg]

Don't sweat it.

KFG

Let me be the first to say...

[Hakubi_Washu]

...that stuff is sooo ugly. Seriously: Knitting may be interesting, but I have real issues categorizing it as "geeky"...

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[Walt Dismal]

But..but...Linus has a form-fitting penguin suit he wears when going out to fight crime at night.

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[Hakubi_Washu]

Gah... THAT is one disturbing image... Just like a naked RMS, covered in bittersweet chocolate :-P

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[failedlogic]

Thanks for that. And just because you have a disturbing image in mind doesn't mean you have to share it. ;)

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[Hakubi_Washu]

I enjoy doing that :-P

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[ploss]

Good thing we set their server ablaze! Hopefully some of the pieces can be put to better use as space heaters. Slashdot: News for Nerds, Destroying stuff that doesn't matter.

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[stand]

You've obviously never knitted before. Seriously, there's quite a bit of geekiness there.

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[Hakubi_Washu]

Matter of fact: I have, which is why I'm willing to grant an "interesting", but "geeky"? Nope.

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[stand]

I agree to disagree then. It's an eye of the beholder thing.

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[Hakubi_Washu]

Wow, you know how long I've waited for somebody on slashdot to say that? Thank you for being the first poster who ever did the sensible thing and simply agreed to disagree :-) (Most other people I've met here cannot accept different views/tastes/whatever to exist *shrug*)

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[stand]

LOL! I guess that was very un-slashdot-like of me. I'll probably get kicked off.

You are of course entitled to your opinion...EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE WRONG!!!!

How's that? Better?

Re:Let me be the first to say...

[Hakubi_Washu]

:-D

Learn some history, people

[Atario]

Clearly we need more history-of-computing classes. Knitting, weaving, all that sort of stuff, are closely bound to modern computing. Behold:

The Jacquard Loom [wikipedia.org], precursor to computer programming itself (you may find the punch cards oddly familiar...)

"Knitting was one of the first applications of computer programming" [knittingfool.com]

Ever notice how needlepoint is very pixely? [google.com]

And finally, on more general principles:

Geek: A person with a devotion to something in a way that places him or her outside the mainstream. This could be due to the intensity, depth, or subject of their interest. [wikipedia.org]

Meaning, you can be a geek about anything. Even knitting.

Loosen up those buttoned-down minds, folks.

Two problems with crocheting/knitting

[some guy I know]

The two main problems that I have with crocheting and knitting are:

1. Low resolution, and
2. Very low FPS.

sadly...

[Raleel]

Sadly, my mother will use this to point out to me how knitting is making a come back, and how many young eligible women are knitters, and by picking it up myself, I would find a nice selection.

Re:sadly...

[vmcto]

Your mom reads slashdot? Whoa...

Re:sadly...

[jawtheshark]

Knitting? Sewing?

Are you crazy? The modern man *cooks*. I found out myself... First it's a relaxing hobby, and second girls love men that can cook. Well, I only found out after getting married but there isn't a day that goes by where she throws herself around my neck after dinner... :-P

Forget knitting... It's a dead end ;-)

Re:sadly...

[ZippyKitty]

The modern man *cooks*.

Dishes - women adore men who do dishes.

>

Now I'm sure no one here cares but http://www.flynnquilt.com/ [flynnquilt.com]John Flynn is an Engineer who designs and sews quilts. I like his quilts - and they are so obviously designed by an engineer.

ZK

Engineers and dishes

[jawtheshark]

Some engineers already looked into the problem: they invented the dishwasher. :-) So after dinner, you can fill up the dishwasher and the fill up your girl *evil grin*

Re:sadly...

[Locke2005]

Cooking?!?

Screw that! What really makes the women wet is a man that washes the dishes after dinner! I suspect your wife is only hanging around your neck to get you to clean up after yourself!

Re:sadly...

[jawtheshark]

I don't like making duplicate comments [slashdot.org].

Re:sadly...

[Coryoth]

Cooking?!?

Screw that! What really makes the women wet is a man that washes the dishes after dinner! I suspect your wife is only hanging around your neck to get you to clean up after yourself!

I think that depends on the quality of your cooking. A good enough cook is politely shuffled out of the kitchen come washing up time and not expected to do dishes. A poor cook, on the other hand, doesn't tend to engender such a gracious response.

Jedidiah.

Re:sadly...

[the-build-chicken]

I don't understand? If you can cook...why'd you get married?

Re:sadly...

[jawtheshark]

Hmmmm, why... the part where she throws herself around my neck of course... ;-)

I have to admit that you get at least a +3,Funny, in my opinion, for that comment. (Even if the mods don't agree) :-)

Re:sadly...

[deathy_epl+ccs]

Hand = boring.

Re:sadly...

[hachete]

you need someone to wash the dishes

Re:sadly...

[Bogtha]

girls love men that can cook.

Tried that. They run a mile when they see this [oreilly.com] in my bookshelves.

Re:sadly...

[kfg]

As a male member of a knitting circle (yes, I'm one of the Chicks with Sticks. Do not confuse this with a Chick With a Kickstand, which is something entirely different), I hate to break this to you, but. . .

Once again mom is right. Don'cha just hate when that happens?

Worst comes to worst you get a pair of funky socks out of the deal.

KFG

Re:sadly...

[Abcd1234]

Indeed... in fact, I'm working on a pair of socks right now (thought not terribly funky :).

Re:sadly...

[JGaiser]

Your mom is probably right.. Though it seems that most male knitters are gay and are not interested young eligible women.

Still, being straight and a male knitter gets a lot of attention. Trust me...

confirmed my suspicion

[Spades_]

That the Flash swung both ways... http://www.lyonswiergallery.com/html/4.the-flash%2 0copy.jpg [lyonswiergallery.com]

Wrong Slashdot color thcheme

[Work Account]

The thee-ess-ess thtyling for thith knitting article should be pink not green!

The DareDevil one was easy.

[AltGrendel]

It's just lots of red.

KNITTING????!!

[Stanistani]

We're all going home now.
Last one to leave please turn off the lights.

5 grand?

[Lisandro]

Come on, i know knitting takes it time and skill, but 5k? Isn't it a bit much? I mean, my grandma would probably do it for the price of the raw materials. And i'm sure it'd look better.

Re:5 grand?

[snuf23]

"By exhibiting the wolf's clothing without the sheep, Newport exposes the superhero as fraud and demonstrates that growing into manhood may not require leaping over tall buildings but rather passing through the eye of a needle."

You see there is knitting and then there is exploring the nature of manhood via knitting superhero clothing. Which is art. And we all know knitted art is worth more than mere utilitarian knitting. In fact if your Grandma knitted a Bat Man costume it wouldn't be considered art, becaus

Re:5 grand?

[iamhassi]

"thus exposing that Bruce Wayne has a small weiner. And that would be art."

wait... what?? So if you have a small weiner your a artist?

Re:5 grand?

[saitoh]

i know your post was intended to be funny, but in truth this is the modern facet of "fine art". I've seen some strange stuff, but the prices are about right for the fine art world, and both sets of pics were at galleries.

Quote from the article (second link):
"The artist considers these pieces expressions of his independence from the male role models that may have provided preparations for his transition into manhood."

This isnt something thats practical. Yeah, you *could* do it cheaper yourself, maybe even be

Re:5 grand?

[squidfood]

Come on, i know knitting takes it time and skill, but 5k?

Well you see, yarn is expensive if it's made of Unstable Molecules [wikipedia.org].

He knit what?

[alansz]

I'm a major knitter, but frankly, I think this site [blogspot.com] says it all with respect to this story.

Re:He knit what?

[Paul Slocum]

I don't see anything about this story on that site...

formally give back my super low UID

[Brigadier]

ok this is an all time low. I formally give back my super low UID.

Re:formally give back my super low UID

[GraZZ]

Pffft. 5 digits. Amateur :P

Re:formally give back my super low UID

[Nachtfalke]

And you think 4 digits is low? ;)

Re:formally give back my super low UID

[NegativeOneUserID]

Lightweights!

Re:formally give back my super low UID

[chialea]

I didn't bother registering for quite a while, myself, and it wasn't a problem at the time at all. I just don't have maximal dick-waving rights now.

Lea

And you thought Furries were bad!

[StefanJ]

Aye, the horror

How soon will it be before SF conventions are overrun with people in knitted superhero and supervillain costumes?

Stefan "Not that there's anything wrong with that" Jones

Yeah....

[jawtheshark]

This is better, right [tronguy.net]....NOT!

comic covers, head-to-toe sweaters

[stuttering stan]

Mark Newport --
No, seriously...What the hell is wrong with you?

Re:comic covers, head-to-toe sweaters

[Anonymous Monkey]

Mr. Stuttering Stan

Well, after the blunt force trauma I suffered as a child, I started suffering from OCD and then...

Okay, someone please explain this hobby to me...

[Silicon_Knight]

I've got a girlfriend (no joke) that knits, and while I can't understand the appeal behind it, I've just write it off as one of her quirks.

Can someone explain to me what the appeal is? Does clothes REALLY matter that much to some people that they'd spend the hours and hours on end to knit a pair of socks, or a sweater, or ? I understand the appeal of "see if I can do it", but to me it seems like a big repetition of moves, nothing more.

* It can't be to save money, b/c the material is ungodly expensive - w

Re:Okay, someone please explain this hobby to me..

[alansz]

It's sort of hard to explain, but the appeal is like that of most crafts:

* You make something that's unique (even if you start from a pattern, you can vary it, the materials you use, techniques, etc.)

* You've made something with your own hands that provides a basic human necessity.

* You can make something that fits perfectly, far better than clothes off the rack, and that fits the wearer's personality.

* The physical sensation of knitting can be pleasurable (with good yarn), although there are repetitive str

Re:Okay, someone please explain this hobby to me..

[Raleel]

I suppose it's similar to some folks hacking hardware. You can buy something that does it, but you go through it for the love of the art.

And honestly, the knitted sweater is way way nicer than anything you can buy in the store. Really, having had several, I can say for certain of this. Feels nicer, wears better, is more durable (assuming you wash it correctly), is warmer.

Re:Okay, someone please explain this hobby to me..

[halltk1983]

My mom knits. I asked her last time we were together, and she said it's relaxing. YMMV.

Re:Okay, someone please explain this hobby to me..

[ZippyKitty]

I don't knit, but I quilt, sew, and do a lot of other needlework.

Sewing of clothes is done partly so I can get things that fit right in colours that suit me even when pastel pink is the "in" colour. This is particularly true since I tend to like a gothic look and I have a fairly ...hmm.... hourglassy figure and most clothes out there these days is designed for sticks. Of course as an engineer I usually where whatever is in the closet - but I'd like to have nice clothes that fit! And I prefer sewing to

Re:Okay, someone please explain this hobby to me..

[pinopino]

(I'd really like to find a way to surf the 'net and sew at the same time) ZK- http://www-306.ibm.com/software/voice/viavoice/ [ibm.com] http://www.footmouse.com/ [footmouse.com]

Re:Okay, someone please explain this hobby to me..

[Stradenko]

Same reason people roll their own distros or build their own systems.
Do-it-yourself is neat. I brew my own beer, build (assemble) my own computer systems, cook my own food. I've made a quilt or two in my time, as well. I've found it's always more satisfying to enjoy one's own labors. Additionally, it's a good contrast to the daily grind.

I'd grow my own fruits/vegetables if had enough space (or lived in a non-desert climate)

I'm not saying you should self-knit every sweater you ever wear, but knit one or

Re:Okay, someone please explain this hobby to me..

[Locke2005]

Be thankful. It gives her something to do with her hands, rather than slapping her boyfriend upside the head. Seriously! Take her knitting supplies away from her for a couple weeks, and see how many bruises you get! Can't say I didn't warn you...

Re:Okay, someone please explain this hobby to me..

[pavon]

I learned to knit as a kid while bored at my grandmas house, and while there are other hobbies that I prefer to do instead, I understand how knitting can be enjoyable.

First repetitive task are soothing. They aren't challenging or mind tasking or exciting, but when you have spent all day at work, that isn't always what you want.

It is also something to keep your hands busy, and can be done while doing something else. This fact appeals differently to different people: It is a justification for gossip gathering

Re:Okay, someone please explain this hobby to me..

[rsadelle]

A coworker with a troubled teen said, "What I like about knitting is that I can do it wherever I am. The hospital. The probation office. The police station."

Consider yourself lucky.

[TheConfusedOne]

You have a girlfriend who finds joy in handling small things for long lengths of time.

Re:Okay, someone please explain this hobby to me..

[Abcd1234]

An excellent question, actually, and one I probably won't be able to answer adequately. For me:

1) I like creating stuff (it's the same reason I code, cook, etc). It's quit satisfying to create things with ones own hands.
2) It's relaxing (as other posters have mentioned).
3) It can be challenging when I want it to be (ie, a tricky cable pattern, etc).
4) It gives me a productive way to spend time on the bus, in front of the TV, traveling, etc.
5) Great for gifts, so I don't have to go shopping! Moreover, it'

Sure, if I were a totally pathetic comics geek

[multiplexo]

(as opposed to being a moderately pathetic one) I might think about shelling out 5.5 Kilobux for one of these ugly POS costumes, especially since they would probably stretch over my decidedly non-heroic beer gut and child-bearing hips (which, since I'm a man are not a good thing to have). But why do that when for a few K more I could (if I were totally pathetic instead of being only moderately pathetic) buy a Real Doll [realdoll.com]? That would be a lot more fun than a badly crocheted Spiderman costume.

Re:Sure, if I were a totally pathetic comics geek

[thexgodfather]

You'd rather have a rubber crotched Real Doll then a badly crocheted spiderman costume LoL use lube don't burn rubber!

Kewl... I think not.

[gmac63]

Does this stuff just creep you out too?

Kreeeeepy man. Kreepy.

Re:Kewl... I think not.

[CoffeeJedi]

actually, i think its supposed to creep you out. the artist is trying to make you feel a little unsettled. i guess it worked

Vacuum Sweeper

[Shadow Wrought]

When did the vacuum icon appear. I can't remember having seen it before, but then I realized, "Oh yeah, this story sucks."

Re:Vacuum Sweeper

[jawtheshark]

The "vacuum cleaner" icon means "Quickies" and has been around longer than I've been around. I don't have the lowest ID number, but I recall reading slashdot in 1999... I just don't remember if I had an ID back then.

Re:Vacuum Sweeper

[Xandu]

The quickies were awesome. Only Taco would post them, and they were just a big collection of random stuff submitted to /. that couldn't deserve their own articles, but en masse, is worth posting. Often humorous, always full of links. Those were the days (I, like you jawtheshark, read slashdot long before registering).

When I pulled up slashdot, I saw the ol' quicky icon and was overjoyed, but as I scrolled down, SkuttleMonkey made me sad. And mad. SkuttleMonkey needs to learn, this is slashdot. Dupes I

Re:Vacuum Sweeper

[Shadow Wrought]

I started reading slashdot around '99 but I didn't read it very regularly until recently. I don't ever remember seeing it before, and thought it was soemthing new. Thanks for the correction;-)

$5500 ???

[pagercam2]

Who is stupid enough to buy a knitted superhero outfit for $5500 even if they were well done they wouldn't be work $5500, and none of there were anywhere near well done. My grandmother could do twice the job in a few hours!

Re:$5500 ???

[zippthorne]

Seriously. This is getting up into the order of magnitude of the real batman costumes from the movies.

Re:$5500 ???

[NineNine]

Kid, relax. It's called "art". Ask your parents to bring you to an "art museum". Don't bring your iPod.

Calling Captain America

[FishandChips]

Kaptain Kitsch, the artistic scoundrel, strikes again. This time he's relieving New Yorkers of $5000 for a bunch of wool! Only Captain America can save the world by wrapping the Weasel of Wool in his own twine and sticking those needles where it hurts!

Besides, a woolly Bat suit can make a chap darn wiffy in high summer, er, Robin.

Next episode: Captain America hunts down the Wool Bandit who leaves innocent sheep to freeze in winter!

Re:Calling Captain America

[Sporkinum]

One would assume that he is "relieving New Yorkers of $5000 for a bunch of wool!", but he is out of Mesa, AZ, and the Gallery is in Seattle, WA. Probably was relieving some Left Coasters or Sedona/Santa Fe flakes of some lettuce instead.

Just another man....

[BarneyRabble]

Spinning a yarn ....for fun and profit, of course.

Missed one

[Locke2005]

I'm suprised he hasn't yet knitted the costumes of these guys [rotten.com]

No no no...

[FlyByPC]

This is *not* what we meant by multi-threading!

You insensitve woman!

[m4c north]

From Greg Kucera Gallery's page:

The artist's use of needle craft, typically considered well within the realm of "women's work," establishes a challenging relationship between the young man implied by these works, the voice of popular culture/media, and a father's voice.

-- Anna Wilson

Wrong and wrong. Men created knitting [wikipedia.org].

Re:You insensitve woman!

[WillowAnneLyra]

Her statement is not wrong. Regardless of the climate of the 14th century, in this century (and the last) hand knitting has been typically considered part of "woman's work"

Re:You insensitve woman!

[m4c north]

You're correct. On a pedantic level, she isn't wrong: knitting is seen as "women's work," and has been for quite a while. However, on an equally pedantic level, she isn't right. The nuance in her statement makes no referece about the origins of knitting, and perpetuates an unknowing reader's ignorance. Had the reviewer considered this, she could've written something more honest, and perhaps more interesting:

The artist's use of needle craft, which in recent culture has been typically considered well withi

Re:You insensitve woman!

[WillowAnneLyra]

Except it's not just "recent culture" -- hand knitting has been women's work since knitting moved into the factory. In addition, there's no inidcation in historical literature that only men knit in the past, just that knitting as a profession was something only available to men. At the same time, only men could be in sewing guilds, baking guilds, etc, but these were tasks frequently performed inside the home by wives, mothers, and daughters. The statement in wikipedia does not state that knitting was hi

Knitting for Nerds

[Soporific]

Slashdot
Knitting for Nerds. Static-shock that matters.

~S

Slashdotted Nonetheless

[Damer Face]

A stream of complaints as to this site's orientation, taste, relevance, point etc, but this site appears to have been slashdotted nonetheless.

C'mon fess up to your secret slashdot knitting parties: "hey look I've made retro green on black screen. remeber them?", "yeah? well I'm designing a slick new UI with 4,294,967,296 different colours." etc.

Interesting site

[nitehawk214]

At 8:30 EST it reads:

This domain name has been temporarily suspended for exceeding the daily bandwidth quota. The site will be automatically turned on again at 12:00AM PST (unless the site's allocated monthly limit is reached).

Good job slashdot. I won't even bother bringing up stuff such as coral or mirrordot, it just isnt worth bringing up since the editors just don't care.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Maybe he could make a costume that would

[multiplexo]

look like Yarn Man [deniskitchen.com] from the Megaton Man [worldfamouscomics.com] comic book. That would be the only costume that he could create that would actually look something like the character and which wouldn't totally suck.

Eh

[LesPaul75]

Sew what.

knit one

[Anonymous Coward]

Knit one, perl two....

(rag rug weaver myself - looms were the original computers, after all).

I guess there'll be a few changes

[ScrewMaster]

"I got your 'fiber' right here!" said Spiderman through knitted teeth.

Characteristics of 'Art'

[youngjohn14]

From Wikipedia: Characteristics of art 1. Requires creative perception both by the artist and by the audience 2. Elusive (as in "tending to evade cut-and-dried definitions or being fixedly grasped") 3. Communicates on many levels and is open to many interpretations 4. Connotes a sense of ability 5. Interplay between the conscious and unconscious part of our being, between what is real and what is an illusion 6. Any human creation which contains an idea other than its utilitarian purpose.

The irony...

[kronocide]

So this is supposed to be a statement against stereotypes, but instead of learning how to knit, manly Mark Newport "outsourced" the actual work to his mother's knitting club, which I'm sure is not a manifestation of old traditional gender roles... Stupid.

Let's hear it for stereotypes!

[g33kgirl]

Wow. You're all so right.

Knitters would never be geeky [knitty.com] or sexy [knitty.com] or pretty [knitty.com] or fun [knitty.com] or sexually active [knitty.com].

And they're certainly not attractive [domiknitrix.com] or witty [yarnharlot.ca] or sensual [knitty.com].

No, no, no. No worth in knitters at all. Pfft.

Re:Gay

[NFNNMIDATA]

Agreed, lol.

You just might be,,,

[gmac63]

If you crochet Super Hero suits in your spare time... ... you might just be a nerd.

Re:Um - he didn't make them - his mom did

[iamhassi]

"If you read the article, you'd see that he "donated" the material to a club that his mom belongs to and showed them what he wanted. The women took it from there."

MARK: but mommmmmmyyyyy i wanna batman costume!!!!

MOM: I'm sorry son but you're a grown man you dont need a life-sized batman costume anymore!

MARK: but mooooooommmmmmmmmm i wanna i wanna i wanna!!! i wanna get naked and get in my costuuuume and dance around my room!!!!

MOM: FINE! shuddup and i'll see if some of the ladies in the club wil