would it be rude to knit?

[jimithing]

To me, it all comes down to size.

If it's a classroom, with 30 people - no. It can, occasionally, give the impression that you aren't paying attention (even if you totally are). It's also rather obvious in that setting.

If it's a huge ginormous lecture hall with 400 seats and 75% full - I think it's fine. The lecturer isn't going to notice, and there are going to be people multitasking. (At least, that has been my experience with lectures of this size/type).

I'm personally only concerned about disrespect to the lecturer themselves and distraction in a 'small group' environment. I understand what people are saying, but I honestly wouldn't be that concerned about distracting other people during a large open lecture - I'm assuming the knitting would be of a non-distracting nature, i.e., nothing enormous, sparkly, or overly complicated, no long needles, no complex setup. If something very small and relatively unobtrusive distracts the person next to me so much that they cannot hear, how in the world would they ever manage if I were furiously scribbling notes with a scratchy pencil, or furiously taking notes on my laptop... CLICKETY CLICKETY CLICK CLICK CLICK! That was law school. 125 Clickety clickers in a room all clickety clicking away at the same time. Knitting would have been many times LESS distracting.

I have to say, for me, the distraction is in the motion. Therefore, if I am in a lecture hall with 400 people and you are sitting near me, it would still be distracting. It may seem unobtrusive to you (generic you) but knitting involves a different type of motion than writing and it "jars" me.

I agree as well.  I liken it to have a cell phone on in a theater or during a movie, even if the theater is very large.  I will always zone in on it, even if the screen is darker.

[One Goat to Rule Them All]

The only reason I would even consider knitting during this lecture is that I am very discrete. I knit silently, so there is no clicking, and I hold the knitting very close to my lap, so unless someone was sitting right next to me the motion would be very difficult to see. The last thing I want to do is be a distraction. After reading all of the responses, I will not likely take my knitting with me tonight, and if I do I will put it away when the lecture starts.

part of the reason I want to take my knitting along is that at about 30% of these lectures the speaker is either boring or using language that is waaaay over my head.

Then why are you going?

I'm going to this lecture because most of them are interesting. I'm not sitting in on a university class, this is an open, "community" lecture. There will be professors, grad students, undergraduates, and people from the community. Unfortunately some the the lecturers don't modify their talks for this audience, and give the same talks they would give at a conference. That's fine for the other professors and grad students, but they tend to be way to technical for a good half of the audience, even the undergrads. IMHO it's a bit lazy on their part- they know what the audience is going to be, but they don't want to take the time to modify their talk. I still try to be as attentive as I can during these lectures, but I just know my eyes are all glassy.

[M-theory]

In my mind, knitting is in a category with doodling in notebook margins, chewing gum, etc. It helps some people concentrate and absorb information better, and if anyone had the audacity to complain, you could very well politely point that out to them.

-Space Cowgirl, who cannot concentrate on her work without sugarless gum, a lollipop, or a pen cap in her mouth

[kingsrings]

In my mind, knitting is in a category with doodling in notebook margins, chewing gum, etc. It helps some people concentrate and absorb information better, and if anyone had the audacity to complain, you could very well politely point that out to them.

Soooo......we should all do just whatever we need to do to make it better for ourselves to learn, to heck with the consideration of others and the speaker?

[M-theory]

In my mind, knitting is in a category with doodling in notebook margins, chewing gum, etc. It helps some people concentrate and absorb information better, and if anyone had the audacity to complain, you could very well politely point that out to them.

Soooo......we should all do just whatever we need to do to make it better for ourselves to learn, to heck with the consideration of others and the speaker?

Actually, if the speaker complained that would be a different story. You're right there. But if a fellow audience member complained, I'd be inclined to think they were hypercritical.

I'm not seeing how any of the above is inconsiderate, though, presuming it's done discreetly.

ETA: My statements are from my perspective, of course - it's entirely possible that other people do somehow find discreet knitting/gum chewing/whatnot distracting. Then again, I find it distracting when people tap pens, rattle change in their pockets, and bounce their legs - none of which I've ever heard referred to as impolite.

[DottyG]

In my mind, knitting is in a category with doodling in notebook margins, chewing gum, etc. It helps some people concentrate and absorb information better, and if anyone had the audacity to complain, you could very well politely point that out to them.

Soooo......we should all do just whatever we need to do to make it better for ourselves to learn, to heck with the consideration of others and the speaker?

POD to this.

And, it's NOT like doodling in the margins.  It's a totally different motion that can be highly distracting to others around you.

And, I know the OP has decided not to do it after all, but I wanted to comment on one line in her latest post.  The OP said, "I hold the knitting very close to my lap, so unless someone was sitting right next to me the motion would be very difficult to see."  Well, what about those people sitting "right next to" her?!  Do they not deserve consideration as well?  It's ok to only bother a few people rather than a lot of people?  It's still wrong!  I'd hate to be the person sitting next to someone who had this kind of attitude.  (Speaking in general - again, I know the OP has decided to leave her knitting at home.)

[DottyG]

tap pens, rattle change in their pockets, and bounce their legs - none of which I've ever heard referred to as impolite.

Actually, I would refer to it as such.  If someone's tapping their pen, rattling change or bouncing their leg and being a distraction to those around him/her, it's rude.  It's a matter of being considerate to others.

[Sharnita]

tapping pens, rattling change, bouncing legs - rude.  In fact I'm pretty sure we have addressed some of these in the past.  I don't think the "they're doing X rude behaior so I'm cleared for Y rude behavior" is really the way to go.

[jimithing]

tapping pens, rattling change, bouncing legs - rude.  In fact I'm pretty sure we have addressed some of these in the past.  I don't think the "they're doing X rude behaior so I'm cleared for Y rude behavior" is really the way to go.

ITA.  The bottom line is that knitting has the potential to be a distraction.  Considering this is an etiquette board, why advocate doing something that could be distracting to others?  No matter how quiet you say you are, I would be distracted just by watching and the movement.

[M-theory]

tapping pens, rattling change, bouncing legs - rude.  In fact I'm pretty sure we have addressed some of these in the past.  I don't think the "they're doing X rude behaior so I'm cleared for Y rude behavior" is really the way to go.

Just to clarify, I myself do not knit/chew gum/doodle during lectures. While I do believe it's okay, albeit not ideal, I personally try to give a speaker my undivided attention even if it means having to mentally recite the Gettysburg address to stay awake.

ITA.  The bottom line is that knitting has the potential to be a distraction.  Considering this is an etiquette board, why advocate doing something that could be distracting to others?  No matter how quiet you say you are, I would be distracted just by watching and the movement.

Because "could be distracting to others" is a gray area. You can make generalizations, of course, but it's safe to say some things aren't distracting to some people, while other people have the attention span of a goldfish and could be distracted by something as innocuous as the birds chirping outside.

[alli_wan]

I'm a knitter and an instructor.

For a formal class, I'd say knitting is a definite NO NO.

Knitting before class or after class, fine (though not in my class, because it's a lab and you don't want good yarn in the lab).

Knitting during a seminar series not connected to a class, I'd say is more reasonable, particularly if you have a notebook out to take pertinent notes.

The reason I will knit during seminars/journal clubs is because they are inevitably held in large, dark, stuffy, inadequately ventilated and poorly climate-controlled rooms.  As soon as the lights go out, it's like I'm a parakeet, if I'm even slightly sleep-deprived (a constant state in graduate school), the blood pools in my legs, the oxygen content in the air is sucked out by my fellow audience members and I'm doing the head-nod thing and can't keep my eyes open no matter how interesting the material on the screen is.  (They also tend to serve cookies at these functions, so the sugar crash doesn't help either).  If I'm knitting, it keeps my body active enough that I can keep alert and pay attention.  I even seem to take better, more useful notes than I would if I were sitting there, desperately trying to stay awake.  And just to make sure that people don't think me inattentive, I usually ask a question after.  I'd hardly do that if I couldn't remember the lecture because I was trying too hard to stay awake.

As for proper knitting in lectures, I'd recommend circular needles, especially bamboo.  No clicking, no banging if the drop, no rummaging under neighbors chairs if they escape like straights or dpns.  They also take up less elbow space, and allow you to put down your project to jot down a particularly important point.

[DottyG]

while other people have the attention span of a goldfish

While I know the point you're trying to make, I think there are a lot of less offensive ways of putting it.

[Jenzilla]

My DB works with women who knit, and do so during all staff meetings. It drives him crazy. It gives the appereace that it is sooo boring that they need something to entertain themselves.

Wow, someone unobtrusively knitting during a lecture I could try to just ignore, but knitting at work, during a meeting? I'm very into knitting, but I can't imagine tolerating that. It doesn't just give the appearance that they're not paying attention, they really are not paying attention, at least not completely. If the staff meetings are that long and dull, or if what's being discussed doesn't relate to them, then they should find appropriate ways to address that, rather than just bring in outside work to do instead.

Maybe your DB could start bringing in some modeling clay or other craftsy project to work on at meetings. 

[jimithing]

Because "could be distracting to others" is a gray area. You can make generalizations, of course, but it's safe to say some things aren't distracting to some people, while other people have the attention span of a goldfish and could be distracted by something as innocuous as the birds chirping outside.

But I think that we should make reasonable accommodations for the people around us.  I can't do anything about the birds chirping outside.  That has nothing to do with me.  But I can be a responsible classmate and refrain from bringing something in that could be distracting to others.  We have had many posters who have said that this would be distracting, and the question has been asked, so I assume that this is a concern.  This is definitely a distraction for many people.

[DottyG]

Maybe your DB could start bringing in some modeling clay or other craftsy project to work on at meetings. 

Why?  Does he work with 3 year olds who have to play at the meetings and can't just sit still and act like adults? !