Keep it like a secret

It figures that I've dailyblogged for months, but now that I've taken the NaBloPoMo pledge, I'm struggling for topics. Since a lot has changed since I began this endeavor last October, it makes sense to reexamine a central issue on this blog: knitting in secret.

Suffice it to say that my reason for blogging pseudo-anonymously is no longer valid, or at least not in the form in which it was originally intended. Obviously my family and some friends know that I knit. I couldn't give them the Christmas gifts I made without revealing my new hobby. (Well, I suppose I could have, but what fun would that have been?) In rereading my first post I was stunned to find that protecting the holiday surprise was the only reason I gave for shielding my identity on this blog.

Granted, the me of a year ago didn't know how this blog would evolve. I'm pretty sure I've covered the secret blogging aspect at some point or another. So, rather than rehash all that, it's simple enough to say that I don't envision my name appearing on this blog anytime soon.

But why is the knitting still secret? For instance, no one at work knows, whether it's co-workers or students. In fact, I reckon that most, if not all, of the people I'm in face-to-face contact with on a regular basis have no idea that I knit. Honestly, I'd be mortified if they knew, although I'd be more aghast if they found this blog. It probably doesn't make any sense, especially because I have no qualms about knitting in public.

The biggest part of it is about keeping a boundary between my work life and personal life. Experience and observation tells me that some separation must exist between them. It's because knitting matters to me that I'd rather those people not know. While I expect that my colleagues are better equipped to accept that I knit--or, more likely, not care--I'm familiar enough with students to know that some would never let me hear the end of it. I get my chops busted enough as is. I don't need to hand them the club and unlimited free swings.

It is undeniable that being a guy has everything to do with it. Generally speaking, I feel a little rebellious knitting in public because it challenges (in my mind) the preconception of what is socially acceptable for me to do. I don't anticipate my students, those late teenage/early adult males in particular, getting it, though. They're still carving out identities. In all fairness, before taking up knitting I'm not sure what I would thought from the outside looking in.

Is this any clearer?