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April 13, 2005
Public Knitting
nona believes knitting is as much about community and connections as it is about process and product. Try a bit of public knitting if you don't know what I'm talking about -- you'll be surprised at the number of interesting people you'll meet. Are you a solo knitter? Why not join -- or start -- a knitting group? Remember, even a beginner knitter can teach and encourage a new knitter. You never know where you'll encounter a group of knitters, maybe even on a commuter train. Be prepared, have your knitting -- in a respectable bag -- ready and waiting.
nona asks, where do you publicly knit?
April 13, 2005 in Knitting Philosophy | Permalink
Comments
Where do I knit publicly???? Where do I not knit publicly. I knit at conferences. I knit at work. I knit while waiting in line in the bank or at doctors offices. I knit at the gym (recumbent bikes are awesome). I knit at traffic lights. I knit on the subway when in NY, and I knit on the Amtrak train all the way there and back from Miami. I used to knit in lecture classes. I knit at the laundromat.
Now if only I could figure out how to knit and grocery shop......
Posted by: Wendy | Apr 13, 2005 9:39:05 AM
I KIP everywhere. At the playground, in line, in the car (at a really long light or if traffic has stopped), in restaurants, anywhere I'm waiting for the kids. And then I KIP with four different knitting groups. At least three, usually four, nights a week I'm in a coffee shop somewhere with a group of women knitting away. Last night there were women at the table next to ours knitting too.
Posted by: Jessica | Apr 13, 2005 9:59:33 AM
Nona you are too funny. Doctor's offices, car knitting (someone else driving, of course), restaurants, coffee shopes, art galleries...
I made my friend a knitting bag because she was carrying her stuff around in a PATIENT BELONGINGS BAG. Can you believe that?
Posted by: patti | Apr 13, 2005 10:16:16 AM
My absolute favourite place to knit is in my everlasting bank lineup.
I am aware that the security cameras are watching, and live in hope that the "Customer Service" people take a peek, in order to gauge how they are (not) doing.
I hope they notice the difference in the size of my work, from the time I join the line, to the point when I actually face a teller!!
Posted by: Judith | Apr 13, 2005 10:24:48 AM
I knit on the NYC subway primarily. I have about half an hour of knitting time each way to and from work, and will knit whole socks just commuting..
though I am still a little traumatized from when a drunk guy wanted to talk to me about a sock in progress on the train.. eeeek!
Posted by: Diana | Apr 13, 2005 10:48:56 AM
I knit at a coffee shop on a Saturday morning, just to give my knitting a change of scenery!
Posted by: Deb | Apr 13, 2005 11:12:46 AM
I've knit in a garden centre, in a resturant (where I was told off by my Mum!), on a brick wall behind a hairdressers and in a supermarket car park!
Posted by: AmyP | Apr 13, 2005 11:38:34 AM
I love to knit in church -- (I hope our minister understands). This has led to numerous people asking me to teach them, and even to me offering knitting lessons for our church's auction this year.
--Ingrid
Posted by: Ingrid Clark Zavadoski | Apr 13, 2005 12:13:48 PM
I knit everywhere, too: in line, sitting somewhere (even restaurants), on any kind of transportation. I never leave the house without my knitting. Socks are good KIP projects. I stick the yarn in a coat pocket or a shoulder bag and knit while I walk. Listen, a hundred years ago women in the Shetlands used to knit entire Fair Isle sweaters on long dpns while they did chores and hauled peat from the bog; knitting a sock while walking to the bank is a snap cinch. ;-) I knit at the dentist; last week I got four rounds done on the T-Shirt hem while I was in the chair getting a filling. (They're used to it now, and they don't even comment.)
Posted by: Joan C | Apr 13, 2005 12:41:09 PM
I knit in church, in lines if I have something, small, handy and stockinette, in the movies, on public transportation, in the car - sometimes even while driving, if traffic is stopped, sitting in a restaurant waiting, doctors offices, my kids sports activities (practices and games). I am sure there is more, but it is so second nature, I can't think of it all.
I hope my bag makes the cut:
http://www.knittersreview.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=30055
http://jenknitter.blogspot.com/2005/02/best-bag-ever_24.html
Posted by: Jenni Brown | Apr 13, 2005 12:52:15 PM
I knit: on BART and other transit (including other people's cars); in restaurants when I'm by myself; in waiting rooms, lobbies, bank queues, etc.; at rehearsals and recording sessions. If I've gotten to a movie/concert/play early enough I might knit while waiting for the theater to go dark, but not during the performance.
Posted by: Tonia | Apr 13, 2005 1:54:18 PM
For me, Nona, its where DONT I knit? That's what its come to.
Allison, my daugher and I, knit at the Dixie Chicks concert before it began, and Keith Urban concert. I knit a sock during Tim McGraws outdoor summer concert in Chicago a few summers ago.
If you want to look in irisheyesknitters.blogspot.com archives for Dec. you'll see me knitting under the Irish and Hungarian Christmas Trees at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
I do find it fun to knit socks anywhere anytime, and the glances from nonknitters are priceless.
Posted by: kathyb | Apr 13, 2005 4:01:40 PM
Oh, Nona,
I forgot: Allison is in high school, she began knitting in her classes last year. She is known as "that girl who knits". No teacher has ever asked her to stop. She is an excellent student. Elenore ROosevelt knit at many many of her White House meetings. :)
Posted by: kathyb | Apr 13, 2005 4:05:01 PM
Let's see, I've knitted in a doctor's waiting room, beside the swimming pool while keeping a hawk's eye on the kids, in the train (or subway as you call it) and at a cafe with my knitting meet-up group.
Posted by: erin | Apr 13, 2005 9:46:15 PM
Doctor's waiting room most recently. I was so nervous though that I can only work on the most simple projects. I tried to entice people to join me in the lunch room at work but no one would. Oh so that's why I'm the lonely wombat!
Posted by: Elizabeth | Apr 14, 2005 9:30:10 AM
Almost everywhere - on the bus, at work, in the doctor's office, during (some) presentations, at the movie theater during the movie (works well for scary movies - can become very interested in WIP at appropriate times) Found at first people wouldn't sit next to me on the bus (apparently knitting is too weird in LA!), but did get a few comments.
Posted by: kate | Apr 14, 2005 2:07:58 PM
Living on a small island there isn't much chance to knit while travelling nowhere is far enough! Most of my public knitting is done in the staff room at school, I've had a few odd looks when I've knitted through staff meetings but then they think I'm rather odd anyway....
Posted by: Janine | Apr 14, 2005 2:22:06 PM
I actually look forward to "waiting time" now because I can get out my knitting and go for it! What a wonderful change of attitude...from "wasted time" to "Yippee...knitting time!" Was kitting at Starbucks recently teaching a friend to knit and both the "strangers" who stopped to talk were men...both very accomplished knitters (fair isle, intarsia, steeking were some of the techniques bandied about) and definitely wanted to talk about it!
Posted by: nona friend the oldest | Apr 15, 2005 6:29:59 AM
i can't really leave the house without my knitting. i don't know what to do with myself. i knit everyday on the bus for two hours. i knit when he and i go anywhere. i knit at the diner. i try not to knit during class but it is hard to resist. i knit when it is slow at work. i had an interesting coversation with an older woman on the bus who shares my hatred for eyelash yarn and says her favorite stitch is something like knit one under the row. yeah. last week when i got out of work i jammed my work into my purse and i walked about 15 yards before my co-worker yelled to me that my ball of yarn had fallen out and was unrolling itself all over the parking lot. awesome.
Posted by: erin | Apr 15, 2005 6:44:43 AM
I knit and crochet everywhere. Hubby thinks I am strange for doing so. But why sit there with idle hands when I can create something?
Posted by: K. Anne | Apr 22, 2005 11:51:01 PM
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