Curious About Reactions to Public Knitting and Crocheting

[evilawyer]

Cross-posting this to knitting and 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?

Comments

[azurelunatic]

I shall have to experiment! I don't crochet in public enough anymore.

[evilawyer]

It'll be iinteresting to hear what results you get.

[sorchar]

I get people asking what I'm making, but other that that, I generally don't notice what's going on around me because I have to concentrate hard not to fuck up the pattern.

[evilawyer]

Yeah! I'll get questions in places like car dealership service department waiting rooms and dentists' offices, and I usually have to stop working to talk or everything gets completely messed up.

[derridian]

I crochet on public transport, and I get looks and sometimes questions. I smile at people a lot and am happy to start up a conversation though. Interestingly I've only ever seen someone else knitting/crocheting on public transport probably twice. I don't know why it's so uncommon.

[evilawyer]

I know I don't take any work that's complicated on the bus or train. The movement of either is enough to make me lose track of what I'm doing and mess up the pattern unless I look at is so intently I get motion sickness. Years ago, when I used to ride into San Francisco a lot, it wasn't too unusual to see people knitting or doing cross stitch. Crochet was always a little more rare. Now everyone is playing with their Smart Phones --- even book reading is kind of a rarity.

[geeksdoitbetter]

~claps~

car dealership service department waiting rooms are my favorite places to bring out my drop spindles because there's more room in front of my chair than i'd get on a train

am now all wistful about my next oil change, which is slightly over due

[muladhara]

Yes! I crochet when I have to commute to the nearest big town (which is an hour away) and I'm lucky if someone sits next to me. It's like they think I'm going to...I don't know, stab them with my hook? Crochet them into my work? (That would be awkward!) And crochet hooks are so much smaller than knitting needles, too (good job I don't knit, actually, because I know I'd be swinging my elbows all over the place, and then I could understand why people don't want to sit next to me).

Although I've noticed this when I am drawing and writing, too. I wonder if it has something to do with most other people thinking you're weird if you're doing something other than staring listlessly out of the window?

[evilawyer]

And the drop spindles never fail to generate questions and comments.

[evilawyer]

That's really interesting, because I've been attributing people's reaction to the elbow swing that can happen with knitting. Then again, I tend to keep the material that comes from crochet more bunched up in front of me (and sometimes stuffed in a bag on my lap), so maybe they don't notice it so much.

And damn, but I'd hate to have to unravel my work because people got caught in the stitches. It's bad enough that my hair sneaks in there when I'm wearing it down.

I wonder if it has something to do with most other people thinking you're weird if you're doing something other than staring listlessly out of the window?

Or indulging in an Internet-Smart Phone addiction.

[derridian]

Interestingly I can't crochet on trains because it gives me motion sickness but I can read and write. On buses I can crochet but can't read or write without getting motion sickness. Don't know what that's about. On trams I can do anything but I don't live on a tramline anymore :(
Most of the crocheting I do on public transport is patterns I know well enough to not even look much at the work I'm doing.

[sorchar]

Late reply - I've always wanted to learn to use a drop spindle! My mother-in-law does wheel spinning.

[geeksdoitbetter]

spindles are awesome!

are you on ravelry?

i learned everything i needed from the Stupid Questions thread on this forum: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/spindlers

i can also recommend the Learn to Spin kit from Askthebellwether: http://www.thebellwether.biz/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=23

there wasn't anything i needed to know in my first year of spinning that wasn't in her booklet

[sorchar]

I am, though I'm not terribly active on it. I will check out these links!

[geeksdoitbetter]

also, if you're anywhere near philly, i'd be happy to give a few lessons

[sorchar]

Alas, I'm pretty much as far from Philly as you can get and still be in the 48 contiguous states. :D I'm in Portland.

[geeksdoitbetter]

~grin~

try a local spinning guild

[sorchar]

I got the kit! In fact, I'm glad I ordered it right after this, because they don't have any now. I'm eager to try it out, but trying to decide if I need to do more YouTubing or try to find lessons locally first.

[geeksdoitbetter]

try it!

try it!

for me, nothing beats hands on experience

followed by a frantic review of the instructions when something unexpected happens ~grin~

hooray for spindling!