Knitting in public

I spend quite a bit of my time knitting, I get into the house, grab a cup of tea (or glass of juice if the mood so takes me), and settle down to continue with whatever project I have on the go. This is fine and I'm happy to tell people that this is what I do. What I have never done, however, is taken said half-finished projects out and about with me.

There is still some stigma attached to knitting, it is still largely viewed as a 'granny hobby'. We should be keeping it secret and only admitting to people when they compliment our scarves or mittens "thanks, I made it myself" rather sheepishly (see what I did there... Sheep.. Wool). 

I was due to meet a friend in the metrocentre this week, I knew I would get there before she finished work and I thought I would settle myself in a cafe. I lay awake the night before thinking about how good it would be if I could use that time to continue to knit my scarf that I want ready before my trip away. Then I thought "I can't possibly do that, people would see me!"

This led to a lot of backwards and forwards between "why should I feel ashamed of knitting?" and "what if they laugh?". I decided to at least take the scarf with me (concealed in a tote bag), stowed it away while I was at work, then got to the cafe and went over the same argument again.

It took me a good ten minutes to sneak my knitting out of my bag and sit it on my lap while working a few nervous rows. And you know what... No one even noticed!

All of that worry and I sat happily knitting away for an hour and a half. I felt liberated! This got me thinking about why it's such a taboo thing to be doing, why it's considered out of date and just a bit sad. Yet people who do this looking down upon are always so impressed with what people make, and the fact they are hand crafted and not from some magic factory on the other side of the world.

I'm now a convert, I shall knit where I want and I shall feel proud that I know how to knit! Although I still can't do this on planes as my needles are lethal weapons and considered too dangerous, can't have everything I guess.