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Not-Breaking News: Knitting Isn’t Rude

April 18, 2023 by Sarah White

If you’ve been knitting for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed there are a few classic types of stories that regular media does about knitting. One of them has to do with (gasp) men who knit. This was huge around the last summer Olympics, when everyone (including, we’re happy to admit, other knitters) was enamored with Tom Daley, the British diver who knit a cozy for his gold medal and his own Olympic sweater, among other projects he worked on poolside during the games.

Another popular trope is the “not your grandma’s knitting” story, which is usually about yarn bombing, or someone under the age of 50 who knits.

And then there’s the seemingly never-ending discussion of whether it’s rude to knit in various places.

This is the latest story to make the rounds, via the New York Times (that’s a shared link so you should be able to read it if you’re not a subscriber).

This time the story goes like this: Rachel Garrick, a county councilor in Wales was accused by a colleague via Twitter of bringing the board “into disrepute” by knitting on screen during a virtual meeting.

Of course that’s ridiculous (and who hasn’t knit — on screen or off — during a meeting in these days of virtual meetings?).

The article doesn’t spend much time on that inciting incident, though Garrick notes she took up knitting to help deal with the pain associated with chronic osteoarthritis and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Instead, it talks to people about why they knit in meetings or at work (there’s even a male knitter and none of the “aww, shucks” attitude usually presented in stories about men who knit).

There’s even an expert, John Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, who says knitting and other activities done with the hands activate the prefrontal cortex, which aids in concentration. Without the professional language, any knitter could tell you about a time working with their hands has saved them from boredom, helped them concentrate or even kept them from falling asleep when they shouldn’t.

Do you have a story about someone’s reaction to you knitting in a meeting or elsewhere in public? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Andrew Testa for the New York Times.]

To explore the many aspects of knitting in public, we have written several articles that cover everything from the benefits and challenges of public knitting, to the etiquette and history behind it. So if you’re a knitter looking to take your craft on the go, or simply curious about this growing trend, these articles provide a wealth of information and inspiration to help you get started.

Knitting in Public: Better than Using Your Phone

Are You Knitting in Public?

Do You Think Knitting in Public is Rude?

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Summer T-Shirt Knitting Patterns

Knitters are always looking for ways to continue to knit and to wear their knits even when it’s hot outside, so there are tots of great T0shirt knitting patterns to choose from. I love knitting short-sleeved shirts because they feel so much faster than sweaters, and you can wear them on top of dresses or even longer-sleeved items when it gets cooler.

There are lots of different styles of knit tops, from the basic to the more detailed. On the more basic side are things like the Perfect T-Shirt from Originally Lovely, a basic raglan tee with nine sizes and worked in worsted weight yarn; Paper Bloom by Yvonne Hugo (free on Ravelry), available in six sizes and worked with cotton and silk yarn for extra coolness; or Iris H’s Amelia Top, also on Ravelry, a slim fit, DK weight top with nine size.

Jazz it up with a bit of lace like on the Athens Lace Hem top by Sarah Hatton (Ravelry). This otherwise simple project has a bit of lace at the bottom, which is an easy way to make a project more interesting without a ton of work. This one uses fingering weight yarn and comes in nine sizes.

Another simple embellishment is to emphasize the lines of your top with different stitches. The Spring Lines top uses twisted ribbing at the center front and V-neck and along the raglan lines to give it a slimmer fit and more interest. This design from Turquoise Toque Designs has 11 size options and is available on Ravelry.

Silfurberg by Joji Locatelli uses both of these elements, with lace panels at the center front and back and purl ridges throughout to make it a little more fun to knit and to wear. The pattern uses fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Learn more on Ravelry.

Keep it simple or add puffed sleeves (and/or long sleeves) to the slim fit Knitty Committee top by Lily Kate France. This one has two length options, waist shaping and optional bust darts to fulfill all your curvy top dreams, and it comes in nine sizes. You’ll find it on Ravelry.

Take it even more romantic with the Daphne Top from Friday Knits, which has puffed sleeves and applied I-cord to emphasize the bust and sweetheart neckline. It comes in eight sizes and uses DK weight yarn.

Or add some sweet flowers with the Gigio pattern from Emilie Luis. This pretty pattern found on Ravelry has cable panels running up the front with the option for adding sweet embroidered flowers. You can also add decorative buttons if you like. It comes in 11 sizes and calls for sport weight yarn. 

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