August 3, 2011

Thank You, Miss Manners!

DEAR MISS MANNERS:
Over the years I have noticed people knitting in public and have had no particular problem with it. However, I am a bit put off by those who knit in church or at an event such as a recital or concert.
Is it acceptable to knit at a church, synagogue or other religious service? And what about a concert or recital? I recently attended a piano and violin recital in a small venue where someone was knitting in the third row. Surely it was evident to the performers. And if such knitting is not appropriate, how should the knitters be approached, or prevented?
GENTLE READER: Please do not -- repeat, not -- make a hostile approach to knitters. Have you not noticed that they are armed with long, pointy sticks?
Of all the multitaskers who could annoy you, Miss Manners would not have guessed that knitters would top the list. There is a centuries-long history of ladies quietly doing needlework while remaining alert to what was going on around them.
But perhaps your complaint is that they are not quiet. If the clicking of needles is what bothers you, you could appeal to the authorities at church or concert hall that as they ban texting, it is only fair to ban activities that create similar noise. And if they don’t already ban texting, you might start by asking that they do before going after those comparatively unobtrusive knitters.

1 comment:

  1. I knit in public....I do get looks...I do wonder if they are annoyed.
    Do I care? Nope...not in the least.
    I've thought that they too wished they had some kind of activity to do while waiting.
    Time spent at the Dept. Of Motor Vehicles got me dozens of looks and had I had with me extra sets of needles - I'd have an entire room of new excited knitters. I figure the people that get bothered by knitters are just frustrated because nobody ever taught them and somewhere deep inside - they want to knit themselves a pair of socks:-) I lost count at the people I've taught to knit that were too afraid to ask.

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