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Tuesday, September 19, 2006

To Knit and When to Not

I have now read Mason-Dixon Knitting and was inspired by their brief list of places you can and can't knit. Also, while making my extravagant yarn purchase, I spoke with a woman who knits in movie theaters. Awesome! So, now I am looking at patterns with an eye towards movie theater-ness. And in fact the blanket I am working on now is good for that, since it's all garter stitch, just row counting needed for the pieces. So, some suggestions for those of you looking for places to knit and not knit.
My general rule of thumb is that a place where you can wear sneakers, is a place you can knit. This is not to say that one must wear sneakers while knitting, but simply that places where there is freedom of dress tend to be more open to knitting. The other two things to consider are attention and hand freedom. Attention comes in to play, both in your ability to knit and pay attention to anything that you need to be listening to or watching as well as other people's perception of your attention level while you are knitting.

At Your Office
(If your job does not have you in a corporate setting, chances are not even these scenarios will work for you. Unless you work in a knitting shop. In which case, knit on!)
DO - on a break
DO NOT - in a meeting. (I have a friend who knitted during a training session and was taken to task for it. There may be exceptions in some offices for this, but generally non-knitters view knitting as proof that you are not paying attention.
DO - on a conference call. I find knitting gives my multi-tasking brain enough to do so that I resist the temptation to start dome web-surfing, and yet I can still listen and participate as necessary.
DO NOT - when you are leading the conference call. Again there will be exceptions, but if you are leading the call, chances are you are taking notes and need full concentration.
Out and About
DO on public transportation. It's a great way to pass the time, and either scare or entice fellow passengers.
DO NOT on a date. Especially a first date. Once you guys know each other there may be opportunities, but again, you have to know the person well enough for them to understand that you can multi-task - as in listen and knit. (Then they might really like it.)
DO at sporting events. You may want a pattern that requires minimal counting, but go for it. Professional, amateur, football, hockey, go for it. If anyone says anything, sharpen your sticks.
DO NOT on a job interview. Unless you are applying for a job with a knitting shop, and even then - I would wait before whipping it out. (The knitting, I was talking about the knitting.)
DO at a coffee shop. Yeah, this one's pretty easy, but I think some people get so used to knitting at home or occasionally at a knit shop, they forget there are other places.
DO NOT in a car. Unless you are a passenger. (This should go without saying, but just in case).
DO knit in movie theaters. That way - regardless of the quality of the movie, you will have accomplished something. Again, this calls for a simpler pattern and this is over-ridden by the date rule above - as applicable.
DO NOT knit at the theater. I'm bringing the dress code rule into play here and theater, opera, or even your child's play count as places where your knitting may not be appreciated. Bring it for the intermissions only.
Do knit a lot. You have my permission!