Caleb Channing - Muscles and crochet aren’t opposites

With a sculpted physique and a crochet hook in hand, Caleb Channing challenges everything you think you know about masculinity and craft. The Philadelphia-based designer proves that discipline, strength, and softness can exist in the very same stitch

GWF: Tell us a little about yourself

I am a designer by trade living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I’ve always had a need to create things with my hands even as a child. Whether that be cooking, playing with legos, or making random things out of sticks I found. As an adult I went through several creative fields before I settled on being a user experience designer. And now I consider myself a crochet designer.

GWF: Fitness and crocheting don’t always appear in the same sentence. How did crochet first enter your life?

I was first introduced to crocheting by my mother when she was ill. I would bring her supplies and print out patterns for her. I was busy getting my masters at the time so I did not have time for her to teach me but she would make me hats and such. That was her favorite thing to do. I still have some of them.

“…it is nice to get off of it all and actually be able to hold something and create something that is yours that doesn’t live in the phone”

GWF: Do you remember the first piece you ever made, and what it felt like to create something by hand?

The first thing I made by hand was a square coaster. I was happy to be able to actually understand how to chain and move the hook around. Starting crocheting in the hardest part of learning.

GWF: Your physique represents discipline and strength. Does crocheting offer a different kind of strength or focus for you?

Crocheting grounds me and forces me to focus on what I can control. When I am crocheting I have to focus on the task at hand. It becomes meditative for me. Also it forces me to focus on one project and completing it. I have so many ideas and it takes strength not to go out and buy more yarn for a new project before completing the one in front of me.

@caleb_channing by Caleb & @btscenesbody

GWF: What draws you to crochet specifically?

Crochet MUST be done BY HAND. It cannot be replicated by machines, so far at least. The craft of it is so tactile and involved that when someone crochets something for you, you’re getting a part of them.

GWF: Many men today are reclaiming knitting and crochet as creative outlets — even public figures like Tom Daley. Why do you think textile crafts are resonating with men right now?

This is one of the few art forms that cannot be imitated and replicated by machines. We spend so much time scrolling and swiping on grids, it is nice to get off of it all and actually be able to hold something and create something that is yours that doesn’t live in the phone. All these social media apps and could go away and all that content is gone. Whereas this will remain and is unique.

“I have built my body and fitness by hand. I think they compliment each other”

GWF: How would you describe your aesthetic when it comes to the garments and pieces you create?

My aesthetic is wholesome sexy hubby haha. I create things that you would wear at a cottage on a beach in Denmark during a romantic holiday in summer.

GWF: Do you design intuitively, or do you plan your pieces technically before you begin?

My design background gives me a bit of an edge with this. I know how to and when to apply design principles such as color, weight, contrast, etc. I do then make changes as I go along and the garment begins to really take shape. When you crochet, you’re just making a piece of fabric. The construction is when things can go wrong or right.

GWF: What does the process of making something by hand give you that modelling or fitness does not?

Hmmm, I have built my body and fitness by hand. I think they compliment each other. It is funny when people see my stuff and say, “well with his body anything will look good” I can safely say that isn’t true. The process of making something by hand is all about the journey and what you learn along the way. I can’t say one gives anything different than the other.

GWF: You also sell your creations — at what point did a personal hobby become something you wanted to share commercially?

When people kept asking to buy them haha. I do have a problem of making things I do not want to sell.

GWF: Have you ever felt that crochet challenges expectations about masculinity? If so, how do you navigate that?

Absolutely! I see so many big crocheters out there, mainly women, that do not do mens’ clothing. This stopped me from pursuing crochet because I thought it wasn’t for me. But then I started making hats for myself and realized crochet isn’t gendered. It is all about creating shapes that complement the bodies we have. I decided to create garments that complement a masculine shape.

GWF: What excites you most about where your creative journey — both physical and artistic — could lead next?

I am excited about making more things and getting more of my stuff out there in the hands of people. I just want to create and share more!

GWF: What advice would you give to beginners when starting to crochet?

DO NOT START WITH THOSE AMIGURUMI KITS! Try making a scarf or a coaster first. The way you will learn how to hold the string, hook, and tension. Those kits are way too complicated for beginners if you do not even know how to hold a hook.