Hey Domestigays! If you are in the United States, I hope you enjoyed your three-day weekend and saluted past and present service people for all their sacrifices and courage. Today I have some quick pictures for you! Beefcake Towels! I recently started to work out (for another big gay project) and stitched this towel up a few months ago for inspiration. Since then, I caught the beefcake bug! I’ve been stitchin’ beefcakes like they are going out of style. Thank goodness they are timeless bodies and poses. Later, I’ll post about my next big gay project and more about gay body types. (pssst! If you are in the knitting group I attend, this is the embroidery I was working on last time I was there!) X X X X X X X X X X Are you on Facebook? Then like Domestigay! Do you tweet? Follow me! (@domestigay) Have an Instagram addiction? See me there, too! (@domestigay) *New Android users, I’m lookin’ at you!* Just tag your stuff #domestigay on Twitter and Instagram or post it to the Domestigay Facebook page to see your stuff on the Domestigay blog! It doesn’t have to be embroidery or gay—just domestic! Get this Beefcake pattern from Sublime Stitching here! Related articles On Why I Need a Friend with a Disposable Income (domestigay.net)
-
Super Share Sunday : Nathan Vincent
Super Share Sunday : Nathan Vincent
Welcome to Super Share Sunday. The other day I posted about the manly art of knitting, but what about the manly art of crochet? I recently found an amazing male crochet artist. Nathan Vincent crochets wonderful work that questions stereotypes and expectations of masculinity and femininity. The exhibit is an entirely crocheted male’s locker room. He meticulously (with very specific detail, like woodgrains) crocheted lockers, benches, urinals, and showers. I admire this particular exhibit’s meshing of the masculine and feminine. Locker rooms express a very hard, testosterone-driven atmosphere—at least all the ones I’ve ever been in and the people I talk to have been in. Vincent’s art, on the other hand, draws on the traditionally feminine position of fiberarts—in this case crochet—to craft a locker room that becomes, literally, softened. Yet, I don’t think he feminizes the locker room in traditional ways. We tend to get caught up in binaries—especially masculine and feminine. This exhibit’s brilliance comes in deconstructing these binaries. Crochet is not feminine and a male’s locker room is not masculine because of the way that Vincent engages both discourses of gender that subvert this dichotomy. Yet, this project is not the only one of Vincent’s I loved. I found myself spending hours looking and relooking at the work he has posted on his website. Most of my dear readers know my impulse to embroider beefcakes, this guy crochets them… ON LACE! And he is a bad-ass beefcake crocheter! Again, the juxtaposition of the masculine and feminine (whatever that means) really inspires me and creates a very specific critique of the methods of representation. The “hard” you-can-only-get-these-muscles-through-testosterone physique that traditionally epitomizes the male body gets undermined when crocheted on the delicate lace. I’m really excited to see what this artist [...]
-
Knitting Soap on a Rope
Knitting Soap on a Rope
Hey, there! Remember when I told you I went to the Midwest Men’s Knitting Retreat? Well, one of the great things about this retreat was all of the wonderful knitting goodies everyone got in their bag. From my local yarn shop, I got a kit for a knitted soap bag. I wanted to knit it up to see if it would be practical for a small Christmas gift. I think it is. I realize in saying this some people will miss the “surprise” of it, but I don’t think many people actually read this blog—so it is a risk. Anyway, I knitted what I consider to be the best gift one could ever give a prisoner. It is even better than soap on a rope! It is soap, in a knitted bag, closed with a crocheted rope, made to be held ever so tightly to keep you from dropping your soap. Some people may want to drop their soap. I say go for it. One can still “drop” one’s soap if that’s what one desires. So, check out today’s knitted domestigay project! OH! Did you know that MOvember is over tomorrow? You can still donate by going to http://mobro.co/jvanfosson! To help get you in the MO-spirit, enjoy this video about public prostate exams. Related articles The Midwest Men’s Knitting Retreat, Or My Big Gay Summer Camp (domestigay.net)
-
Embroidered iPhone!
Embroidered iPhone!
Hey, there. Guess what I did. I embroidered my iPhone! I have been enviously looking at blogs where people have embroidered their iPhone for weeks now. In fact, I was thinking of the idea before I even saw it on any blog, and then it appeared on a lot of craft blogs. After a quick search on Google, I found a cheap website to order from. I ordered a couple (because they were so cheap). After a week of hearing nothing other than PayPal releasing my money to a Chinese company, I thought I’d get in contact with them. Using a type of instant messaging service, I spoke with a customer sales representative who had very broken English (which made me thankful for the instant messaging because I could diagram the sentences in my head when they were really bad—dork!). This representative said that the products I ordered were, “on order behind.” This means backordered. They did not know when/if the product would be received, ever, so then they refunded my money. So then, I followed a link from a blog that swore quick shipping by both the American writer and many of the commenters. I ordered it, and in one short week, I received a package from Korea. Inside was my shiny new cross stitch iPhone case. I’ve had this case since September and have been anxiously wanting to stitch it. I could not figure out what to put on it. A whale perhaps? ”Domestigay,” maybe? One of the included patterns of Superman? The traditional, “Jason,” you know to make sure everyone knew who I was. No. Then last week, Boyfriend and I went to the bookstore and I got to page through [...]
-
The Midwest Men’s Knitting Retreat, Or My Big Gay Summer Camp
The Midwest Men’s Knitting Retreat, Or My Big Gay Summer Camp
A few weeks ago I went to the Midwest Men’s Knitting Retreat. It all started with the first snowfall for this winter in Kalamazoo. We went to a local yarn store, Stitching Memories, in Kalamazoo for homemade lasagne, drinks, shopping, fellowship, and, of course, knitting. While not everyone was here, we kicked off the weekend with a knitted bang. We talked about untold stories of the ER and what to do for fun in rural West Virginia. Needless to say these stories carried over throughout the weekend. I hosted a fellow knitter Thursday night. On Friday morning he invited me to take a little road trip with him to Howell, Michigan to see his friend from The Spinning Loft. This was a great trip, but a problem arose. I-now-need-to-learn-to-spin. I became fascinated with this process. After some good chinese food, we drove to Circle Pines in Delton, Michigan for a weekend of knitting. Circle Pines is a community-based retreat facility. We helped set the table, clean up, and do dishes for every meal. The food was all organic and local. It was amazing. At times during the weekend, I wondered if I was there for the food or for the knitting. Even though this was a knitting retreat, I did a lot of embroidery on this trip. Although I cannot share with you, loyal reader, because it is a Christmas gift. After meeting everyone on Friday, we took a field trip! That’s right. We went to Circle R Ranch and met some lovely alpacas. There were baby alpacas, too. I looked around at the other men and it was quite hysterical. All of their eyes glazed over and popped out of their heads. In each [...]
-
FUNKIN PUMPKIN SKULL
FUNKIN PUMPKIN SKULL
Oh, hi, there. You scared me. I’ve been so busy I forgot that I had a blog to update, stitching to do, knitting circles to attend, and people who are anxiously awaiting for the next domestigay installment. Okay, so maybe that last one is a stretch, but you get the idea. So welcome back to domestigay-goodness. It is October! Halloween is only a week away! So what is a domestigay to do when Halloween is a week a way? Stitch a pumpkin, of course. Okay, so I didn’t stitch a pumpkin, but I did stitch a funkin (a fake pumpkin). I used a free and spooky pattern from Sublime Stitching. Okay, so take a look. Yup. That’s it. Enjoy this pumpkin, now. I really am happy with the way it turned out. Now, I am working on some amazing cross-stitch for Halloween. I’ve determined that cross-stitch and embroidery will be the way to decorate my apartment since I am only here for five years. Okay, now to the next cocktail napkin! This time it is champagne! There are only two more cocktail napkins to stitch up! But I must do it after Halloween. So, now you must tell me, loyal reader. What are you craftin’ up these days? Tomorrow, I will be bringing you a great new recipe from a Texan domestigay!! Happy Saturday! Related articles I Need a Drink (domestigay.net)
-
Cocktail Napkin #3: The Margarita
Cocktail Napkin #3: The Margarita
Hola! It’s time for another cocktail napkin to show up! This time it’s got a Mexican flavor. I sure do love going to Mexican restaurants for their delicious margaritas. Some like them frozen. Some like them on the rocks. I like margaritas cold and moving from the glass to my mouth. For this I focused on greens and decided to use a split-stitch for the glass to mix it up. Now, the picture does not nearly capture the awesomeness of the metallic thread. What?! You don’t see any metallic thread? That’s cause my lil camera phone instagram camera-phone couldn’t capture the brilliant white metallic thread I used at the top to “salt” the glass. Margarita’s are great, but I sure do love the salt at the top. The pattern for this comes from Sublime Stitching. There’s a link to the post where I first discuss that book below. It is officially the weekend! Now go get yourself a margarita! Related articles Cocktail Napkin #2: Martini! (domestigay.net) I Need a Drink (domestigay.net) Best Margarita Recipe (mademan.com) The delicious, humble Margarita (sqwinkly.com) Taste Test: Low-Cal Skinnygirl Margarita (fitsugar.com)
-
Cocktail Napkin #2: Martini!
Cocktail Napkin #2: Martini!
What is this? TWO domestigay posts in ONE day? How can it be? Procrastination is the key! I love martinis. I almost had a martini last night called “Sexy Bartender,” but decided a gin and tonic was in order. Martinis are delicious. They can be even more delicious when consumed with a hand-stitched cocktail napkin. Check it out. Can you tell I was stressed when I stitched the bottom half? Look at how small those stitches are compared to the rest! I used a split stitch for the olive. I don’t like the split stitch very much because it never looks how I think it should look in my head. This is much closer to how I think it should look though. This pattern comes from the Sublime Stitching book. I tell ya, that Jenny Hart makes cool stuff. Cheers! Related articles I Need a Drink (domestigay.net) Dirty Martini Recipe (mademan.com)
-
Beefcakes and Cruising
Beefcakes and Cruising
I embroidered a domestigay shirt. Actually it is just a shirt with a domestigay-friendly embroidery on it. Take a look. I like this shirt a lot. Oh, you want to know more about the stitching? Okay. As the beefcake says, “Alright, Mr. Domestigay, I’m ready for my close-up.” I don’t know if you can tell through this picture, but the water is made out of metallic thread. I like to look at the metallic thread. I do not like to stitch with it. It is very specific. It is a summer shirt, I know. The weather has been cold here, I know. This shirt is now a winter shirt. Because I said so. It is hopeful for the days of beefcakes on the beach. I have not been to the gym in a very l-o-n-g time. Maybe this shirt can give me the kick I need to go back to the gym. Last night I had dinner with a gay friend. At one point we talked about the gym. Breeders don’t understand the gym like homosexuals do. Homosexuals have notoriously used the gym (especially the locker room) as a cruising* ground. The inherent homosociality of the locker rooms add a heightened awareness to homosexuals in the gym. My dinner friend and I thought it is interesting that both of us refuse to use (on campus) gyms where we may see students or colleagues. We wondered why. Could it be because the connotations of the gym in gay life? Could it be because of the way the gym functions as a type of temple for gay men? After all, gays go regularly in an attempt to better themselves—not unlike religious breeders who go to church regularly [...]
-
Take That, Hitler!
Take That, Hitler!
Remember how I said domestigay was also political in the beginning? No? Well, I did. See here. I haven’t done much politics. Politics are scary. Politics are stressful. I love them and will now embrace my domestigay political side. Something amazing has surfaced. Have you heard about it? I’ve seen it all over the internet. It is the story of a man from Britain in a World War II concentration camp. So what? I would ask my students. He is a man who cross stitched. But not just any cross stitch—subversive cross stitch. Now we all know, how much I love and adore subversive cross stitch, but this is the pinnacle of subversiveness. Major Alexis Casdgli, according to The Guardian, was given a piece of canvas. Using the threads of a pullover that had seen better days he began to stitch a basic cross stitch sampler. Nothing too subversive about that. But wait, oh loyal domestigay reader! The clever chap inserted Morse Code in the sampler that, when decoded, says, “God Save the King” and, my personal favorite, “Fuck Hitler.” This is subversive cross stitch at its finest. This piece, along with a piece from Casdgli’s son (Captain Anthony Casdgli) will be on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Mr. X Stitch saw this piece and has a wonderful picture of the subversive stitch over on his blog. It is quite amazing. Especially when you think of the limited resources. The Guardian wonderfully quotes the son saying, “He would say after the war that the Red Cross saved his life but his embroidery saved his sanity.” Agreed. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – [...]
Recent Comments