Crafting Etiquette

So you are a crafter, and you think just sitting without something crafty in your hands is a waste of good crafting time. But there is a time and place for everything, and sometimes, doing something crafty isn’t the right thing to do.

Yes, it is definitely OK to craft when
"watching" your family members play cricket!

As an example, knitting or crocheting at a Rankin Cottage Crafts monthly meeting – that’s just fine, and in fact, almost to be expected. Taking your sewing machine with you on a weekend away with your husband (and yes, this is a real example), not so good.

So what are the rules of etiquette for crafting? Let’s take a few situations and see:

Watching TV – but of course you can craft! It shouldn’t even be questioned. If the craft is something you can do without concentrating, then go for it! If you have to look at your work, or the pattern is a bit more complex, make sure what’s on the TV doesn’t also require serious attention. You don’t want to have to re-do the crafting you’ve done, and constant requests for explanations may annoy your TV-watching companion. Just try to keep any knitting needle click-clack to a minimum.

When travelling – as long as you aren’t the driver, I’d say this one is also “of course!” Driving across the Nullarbor Plain, whilst not as boring as some might think, is improved greatly by the opportunity to finish that cross-stitch you’ve been working on for years. The train trip to Sydney is quite a pretty one, but it is mostly the same every time, and you can get that scarf finished, as long as the person in the seat next to you doesn’t hog the elbow room. As for the flight to Melbourne, feel free to crochet to your heart’s content – crochet hooks are allowed on the plane, but knitting needles and scissors are not.

At the movies – maybe not. It’s dark in there, so it would have to be something you definitely don’t need to look at. And with the price of a movie ticket these days, you want to get full value from what you are seeing.

In a meeting – well, it depends. Is the meeting related in any way to craft? If yes, then I’d say crafting would almost be compulsory. If no, again, it depends. Surprisingly, not everyone sees craft as an essential activity, and can view it as an indication that you either aren’t interested in the subject of the meeting, or are just plain rude. So, if the other people in the meeting know about your crafting obsession and are tolerant of it, then maybe it is OK. But generally, I’d say err on the side of caution, and wait until another time to get out your embroidery.

During a meal – generally this one is a no. It’s a definite no if it’s a dinner party – you need your wits about you to keep up with dinner party conversation, and the other guests would almost certainly take offence. Even if the meal is just yourself and a sandwich, it’s better to put down that hand-sewing for the time it takes to eat – don’t want vegemite on your new, handmade bag.

What are your crafting etiquette rules? Have you had any interesting reactions when you’ve been crafting in public? Have you been a part of Knit in Public Day?