Is Public Knitting Bad Manners?

 

The large demand for knitting in 1917 was for the young men who away from home in WWI… “Even with the present urgent demand for knitted garments, it really is not a good idea to knit in classroom or in chapel.”– Image titled “The Women Ply Their Knitting Work” from an early 1900’s etiquette book

What Readers Ask– “We are three girls in college, and we devote all our spare time to knitting for the Red Cross. We have been taking our knitting to class and to chapel, and one of the young women instructors told ua that we showed very bad manners to do this. What do you think about it?” 

Even with the present urgent demand for knitted garments, it really is not a good idea to knit in classroom or in chapel. You cannot possibly do your classroom work well or attend to chapel service when you are keeping part of your mind on your stitches. I have heard from several lecturers and speakers that they are greatly distracted by the constant clicking of the needles in their audiences, I agree with your instructor. – Mary Marshall Duffee, 1917

 🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia