knitting | Curious About Reactions to Public Knitting and Crocheting

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Curious About Reactions to Public Knitting and Crocheting

Cross-posting this to

crocheting.

I take my knitting and/or crocheting with me when I take public transportation, and I can no longer tell myself "Your imagining it," particularly when I ride BART in the SF Bay area:

People tend to back away and put space between me and my knitting. They don't do it so much when I sitting there with my crocheting, but I get more open staring at what I'm doing with crochet.

I don't think I swing my needles around like those ninja sticks, so I can't be putting people in fear of putting their eyes out. The crochet, I think, is just that it's not as familiar to lots of people as knitting is, so they're probably wondering how where my other needle is. But still, the "let me slide on down a little further away from her on this bench on the platform until I almost fall off" (which a woman in a shockingly pink coat did this morning) is a bit puzzling to me. It's almost like they think I'm going to go ballistic, which is particularly funny since I actually knit and crochet for the associated stress-reduction benefits as well as the good feeling that comes from making something with your hands.

Oh, and just to be clear, I don't get the same reaction when I'm talking on the phone or reading a book or simply sitting there. Needles and hooks are seemingly necessary components.

Does anyone else get this?

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since we can't actually read anyone's mind, i'll just guess

movements tend to make folks give more space

crafting makes movement

also! i forgot to answer the actual question

i knit socks on the train and folks never move away from me

tho, i am chosen last when we're having to triple up ~grin~

I usually do socks on the bus and trains, too. Otherwise I would be flinging my needles around and putting my own eye out. I'm not overly coordinated at the best of times, and trains do tend to bump around a bit. Too bad, because I have a number of projects going on 14" long straight needles.

The crochet, though, I'm usually able to keep most of the actual fabric in my project bag, so only the needle is visible. Less motion for the other people's eye to catch, I guess.

tho, i am chosen last when we're having to triple up ~grin~

It's the extra room those needles take up. ;)

I used to knit on the bus all the time, but stopped because I found people were MORE likely to sit and get chatty with me when I had knitting than when I read a book.

This has been my experience as well.

Oddly enough, I find people get really chatty when I'm waiting with my knitting or crocheting at places like auto dealership service departments, dentists'/doctors' offices and coffeehouses. And no one on the bus or Metro lines I take seem to care one way or the other, although there are occasional comments and questions.

Maybe it's a train thing. That, or I look more dangerous than I realize.

I haven't stopped but yeah, people talk to me a hell of a lot more when I'm knitting. Sometimes it's just the odd "Wow, I've never seen a guy knitting", sometimes it's a full attempt at conversation.

I did a course over the summer where I wasn't particularly interested in "hanging out" with my classmates - so at lunch I'd pick a table in the far corner, put on my headphones, and knit. And every single time I'd get people coming over and asking what I was working on, what else I made, who taught me, and to go on about how they couldn't possibly learn that. (Which baffles me - if I've just said that I taught myself out of a book as a kid, how stupid to people think they are if they think they couldn't be taught as adults?)

if I've just said that I taught myself out of a book as a kid, how stupid to people think they are if they think they couldn't be taught as adults?
Hahaha!

I do the headphones-and-knitting thing sometimes too, if I'm getting an oil change or something. I should try it in cafeterias though, that's a great idea. (And maybe I'd actually make some progress on my holiday projects...)

Well unfortunately I didn't make as much progress as I'd hoped because people kept coming over and bugging me! But it definitely helped to de-stress me, which made the course easier to deal with.

There's no public transportation in my city, so I can't speak to that aspect of KIP/CIP-ing. I do tend to take projects with me to various waiting areas, and I usually get curious looks and one or two strangers who'll ask about what I'm doing. When I take things to work, just about everyone who walks by will ask about it. Never had the experience of people moving away from me, but I tend to radiate a personal space bubble in the first place, so.

I've had some nice chats with people at the car dealership service dept waiting area. The most memorial with a nice young male college student. Extremely fun that was --- the older guys waiting for their pick-up trucks were totally baffled about our discussion about cables.

radiate a personal space bubble

Maybe I do this when the public transport element is thrown into the mix without realizing it.

I don't crochet much in public, so I can't say anything for that. But knitting... When I knit, people tend to stare, especially when I have my eyes closed and keep knitting (maybe they're wondering if I'm doing it in my sleep? XD). Some of them try to talk to me, but I often have my ipod on, or at least I'm wearing earplugs, to prevent social interaction. Misanthropy, that's me!

Knitting is stress reducing for me, too, but for that reason I often look like I'm possessed, swinging my needles around and poking everywhere.

I often look like I'm possessed, swinging my needles around and poking everywhere.

Maybe this is me, I'm thinking, 'though why it's only more prevalent on one type of public transportation for me than on others is strange.

I used to commute and knitting on the commute (with the headphones in) was an excellent way to get the seat to myself. People tended not to sit next to me but they didn't give me a wide berth either. I didn't tend to get stared at, only occasionally and generally I'd see the starer with their own craft project at a later date so I always figured they were admiring/curious about the wool and debating whether it would be rude to interrupt me to ask about it.

Outside commuting times small children are generally the big starers and want to touch the knitting...Though train guards often used to start conversations with me about cross-stich when I did that on the train...

People tended not to sit next to me...

To be fair to my fellow passengers, this is pretty much what I've noticed in the past, and it's totally understandable. I tend not to sit next to people doing various thing that look like they may take up space, either. But every once in a while, it's like people get scared off -- get up and move after they've sat down, etc., and I'm always very careful to not knit or crochet if I'm going to be jamming people with my elbows or needles. Today's woman sliding on down the bench was just, to me, more noticeable than most because I started with this flashy hot pink coat (put me in mind of the first Sherlock BBC episode --- it was that shade of pink) sitting down next to me then inching further and further away.

Now I think about it, I should be pleased. More space to create!

I must admit the sidling away is a bit odd. Although admittedly there is no way to be subtle when wearing a hot pink coat (I must confess I was mentally imagining the outfit from that episode when I saw your post) but still.

My oddest one was sitting knitting on a half-empty train when a bloke sat down next to me and gradually took up more and more space until I ended up turning round in my seat so my back was to the window, just so I didn't poke him in the arm every stitch. And then me preceded to sigh pointedly and huffily at me every time I started a new row. Thankfully he got off at the next stop and I wasn't forced to employ sarcasm regarding the 'fullness' of the carriage but the whole situation was bizarre.

...admittedly there is no way to be subtle when wearing a hot pink coat...

Hah! So very, very true!

Definitely an odd one you ran into on that train ride. Almost like he was trying to antagonize you into saying something snide so he could then start complaining about how you were persecuting him by insisting on knitting even though he was on the train. He'd benefit significantly from the soothing and self-affirming qualities of knitting, I think.

Knitting on the bus (Seattle to suburb) will get me a seat to myself for an extra 4 people or so. Once in a while I will get an aspirational crafter to ask me about it, which I don't mind. I have developed my knitting style so that my elbows almost never move, and I am usually using circulars, but I have long suspected it was the reluctance of people who thought I might be wiggly. This is the way I don't sit next to known sleepers.

I keep my elbows tucked in,pretty much, and tend to knit socks on lines that I know are packed. I think I've been elbow-poked more poked by people using their iPads than I've elbow-poked anyone. But yeah, it could well be that they figure it's going to degenerate into "elbows out" so they tend to back off. Which also might explain why they don't when crochet is involved.

I have knitted on the bus in Canada, on trains in Europe, and on planes, and I recall people's reactions being either neutral or positive. I've had a number of lovely conversations with people who would tell me about their own knitting, or how their mothers used to knit, including a discussion with two French women in my very bad French, which taught me the verb tricoter. On late night transit with drunk dudes the knitting seemed to make them a bit less rowdy / lecherous, which I suspect is because knitting makes many people think of their older female relatives. Mind you, I once nearly traumatized the lady opposite by ripping out the whole arm of a sweater - she was a knitter, and knew how much time that represented!

However, when I'm knitting in public I am nearly always making hats on round needles, so I don't take up any more space than I would without the knitting and there is nothing intimidatingly pointy. I suspect people might give me more room if I was making a huge blanket that spilled onto nearby seats.

Hah! So funny, because I coming back on the reverse train a guy that seemed borderline messed-up (probably drunk at the moment, possibly left-over organisity from drug abuse -- but something was up) looked at me knitting my sock then asked if I knit the sweater I was wearing, then followed-up by asking if it had been "hard work". When I said "yes", he nodded his head in commiseration then walked off.

I stay away from big projects on the train simply because they do get in the way and it is impolite to be nailing people with your elbows. I guess the fear of Wild Elbows is just there for people, though. Still not sure why it doesn't happen on the bus or Caltrain, except that I take the bus in from a different region (Monterey Bay) and everyone is pretty Santa Cruz laid back on the routes I ride. Caltrain, there's more space, or at least the seats aren't configured so that you feel like your packed in like sardines.

I once nearly traumatized the lady opposite by ripping out the whole arm of a sweater - she was a knitter, and knew how much time that represented!

Oh, yes. They feel so badly for you when they see you do that!

I was actually knitting on the bus today! I don't typically knit or crochet if the bus or train is full (because then I'm often standing up, or at the very least trying to make sure I keep hold of all my bags so I don't drop them on anyone). No one sits next to me when I'm knitting or crocheting for the most part, but there are also usually at least some empty seats.

I knit in public in other places - there's a group of colleagues who get together for lunch at least once a week in at least a partially public area, and we're all knitting and crocheting (sometimes even spinning, on drop spindles). People will ask what we're making but we mostly know everyone who stops by. I figure they think it's okay to talk to us, because we talk to each other. If someone is reading they are mostly left alone.

I also knit at sporting events. Occasionally I see other people doing the same, but not a ton of them. I tend to bring things I can do without looking so I can watch the sport. I don't think I've ever been interrupted about knitting, although people do interrupt for other reasons (such as to ask if I sing in a choir after hearing me sing along to something).

I don't typically knit or crochet if the bus or train is full (because then I'm often standing up, or at the very least trying to make sure I keep hold of all my bags so I don't drop them on anyone).

Same here. Plus, too easy to make a mistake.

I've definitely had the staring, but no sidling away. People have stared for both crochet and knit--I'd agree with those who've suggested that the movement / elbow room thing is key, even so.

I've found that when people blatant stare, either on public transport or in some public stationary setting, they end up asking about what I'm doing. And avoiding sitting down next to a knitter is understandable, sort of, because of the elbows-in-motion thing. Sidling away was a new one, though.

I tend to knit socks and other small things (this is not the time for the afghan with 4 yarns and #20billion needles) when I'm on the train. If I can get a single seat, I'm golden. But even when sharing a seat, I haven't had a reaction of people moving away - the misanthrope in me is envious. ;)

Most of the time, too, I have my iPod so I'm not encouraging conversation, and unless I'm feeling super chatty, I'll answer a question or two, and then put the headphones back in with a "'scuse me, gotta get back to listening to this thing" look - doesn't seem to be a problem.

Funny story - This one time I was finishing a sock, and as I was darning the ends, had someone ask if that was the first or second sock.
"The first," I said.
"So now you have to do another?"
"Yeah, unless I find someone with one leg."
This cracked up several people around me. But hey, sock knitters all know, the second sock is a drag that takes forever. ;)

(this is not the time for the afghan with 4 yarns and #20billion needles)

Unless the goal is achieving that defensive space. ;) Too bad that the train distractions in general would lead me to make too many mistakes, or all of my sweaters would be finished.

"So now you have to do another?"
Hah! They so didn't think it would come out sounding that way!

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Curious About Reactions to Public Knitting and Crocheting

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