Is it rude to knit while chatting to friends??

[KnittingKnewbie]

Hi all,
I'm new to the Arts and Crafts page 😁

I've recently re-started knitting. With two small kids I don't have lots of time to knit so it's usually a half hour watching tv in the evening.

I met up with friends for a girls day recently, we had tea and sat around and chatted.

I brought my knitting with me and asked if they minded if I knitted while we chatted and they said not at all, go for it.

I mentioned it in passing to my mother who'd be a very good knitter. And she nearly died at the rudeness of me knitting while chatting. She couldn't believe I had done that and was horrified I was SO RUDE.

Was I? Is it a major faux pas??

I just thought as a busy person it was a good way to get a few rows in!

Nope. I'd think it rude if I did it.

Not at all - I just prefer to leave my knitting at home and make my participation in the group chat my main focus.

My username is an homage to Harry Hill. I’m not a knitter.

In fact ‘knit and natter’ groups make me cringe myself inside out. It’s the utterly girly naming of a get together that does it.

No 😆

I think it's rude because it's rude...

It would depend on the situation for me. If we are meeting up at a restaurant or to have a coffee, I would find it a bit rude. If came over to visit and you were already knitting it wouldn't really bother me as long as I didn't feel like you weren't really listening and not providing any input. I will say i'd prefer someone knitting over scrolling/checking their phone constantly.

Doing needlework at social events is etiquettely approved and a long-standing tradition.

I don't think it's necessarily inherently rude. It depends mostly on the company, and maybe the occasion and the location.

I'd absolutely knit/crochet if my family were visiting. It's quite normal for us to all hang out, with a couple of people doing the crossword, me knitting, a few people playing a board game etc, while all chipping into an ongoing conversation. It's nice! I have friends I'd knit in front of and friends I wouldn't.

You missed the point completely. My point is that I would feel insulted that my presence and company is not enough for my friend, she feels a need to entertain herself with knitting. Why can't she knit on her own time?

It is her own time. Time that she's spending with you, but that doesn't mean her hands can't move. If she's able to hold a conversation while doing it, then your company is enough.

www.deseret.com/2009/2/5/20300264/miss-manners-needlework-has-a-long-tradition

I don't have any ND that I'm aware of. Knitting isn't a self regulating/self soothing thing for me.

It was more that I enjoy knitting, I enjoy chatting to my friends. It was the first time I'd had a long session without my children and I thought why not combine two things I like (chatting and knitting). It was a very old group of friends, I know them many years and we are very fond of each other. There were 5 of us so it wasn't a one on one thing.

It was an easy pattern, I didn't need to look at what I was doing.

Interesting how many posters agree with my mom! I did text into our group to apologise if anyone thought I was rude. Two said no prob, one put a laughing emoji and the last friend isn't great with texting but is very laid back anyway

Interesting question because this happened to me. A few years ago I had a houseful of visitors and one of them took out her knitting. At the time I had never knitted or crocheted myself. I thought it was appallingly rude. She didn't ask and I didn't comment, I just felt it gave the impression that she was bored and didn't want to take part. I was hosting and felt a bit insulted.

Since then I learned to crochet and I think I see it slightly differently now. It's perfectly possible to follow a conversation and crochet. I still wouldn't do it because I imagine others might feel like I did.