What if I told you that there was a way to get more knitting done, lower your anxiety, and meet new people? Pretty enticing, right? Well, tada! There is a way and that way is called “knitting in public”. While it can be a little uncomfortable at first, it’s more than worth it! Let’s dive in, shall we?

Why You Should Try Knitting In Public

Community

For one thing, it will increase your sense of community.  When you’re out and about with your needles, you’ll eventually find a fellow knitter.  There’s just something about knowing that “you’re not the only one” that can be so empowering and not just with your knitting game!  Knowing that there are other people that share your passion can give you the gentle push you need to take leaps in other areas of your life.

Awareness

In addition to meeting some Knit Night buddies, you’ll be showing off knitting for the world to see. For people that have never met a knitter, you’ll create awareness for this amazing art that they may decide to try.  Who knows? You could be responsible for creating a new knitter that goes on to shower their loved ones with fibery goodness!

Confidence

One of the best reasons for doing almost anything is that it will increase your confidence.  Trying something for the first time can feel a bit daunting but, overtime, that feeling will fade and you’ll be left with this awesome new skill.  In the case of knitting in public, you’ll gain the confidence of being able to take your work anywhere and talk to new people. Talk about an awesome new skill set!

More Knitting

The obvious icing on the cake is that you’ll be able to dramatically increase your knitting time. Say whatttt?? If you can add just ten little minutes to your knitting every day by knitting while out and about, you’ll gain sixty hours of knitting a year.  You read that right: SIXTY ADDITIONAL HOURS a year! I don’t know about you but that’s some serious motivation for me!

Let’s get to it!

#1:  Know Your Stuff

First things first:  bring a project that you know and understand!  Set yourself up for success by bringing along a project that has a yarn that you’re familiar with, isn’t splitty, and is easy to see. This will cut down on the possibility of dropped stitches, split stitches, and not being able to work on your project because of poor lighting.   

You’ll also want to bring something with an easy to memorize pattern or, better yet, no pattern at all.  This lowers the risk of you losing your place, having to put the project down because you’re at the “hard part” or, worse, finding out later that you made a mistake and have to rip back.  Womp womppppp. If you bring something simple enough, like stockinette, you could practice knitting without looking. An essential skill for maintaining eye contact while holding conversations and anything having to do with Netflix.

#2:  Know How To Travel With Your Knitting

Now that you know your stuff, it’s time to think about where you’ll be knitting and how to get your project there and back.  Before leaving the house, you’ll want to make sure you have the following:

Pretty much just anything you realistically think you might need while out and about.  It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Now say that ten times fast!

#3:  Remember That They Aren’t Judging

If it’s your first time knitting in public, you may feel uncomfortable with the whole idea of drawing attention to yourself.  Trust me, I’ve been there and I know how odd it can be at first. It’s easier said than done but it helps to remember that most people won’t notice you at all and the ones that do won’t really care that you’re knitting.  

There will be a handful of people that will notice that you are knitting.  Some of these people have never seen a knitter in the wild before and some have happy memories of a knitter and are just happily reminiscing a simpler time.  Either way, almost everyone that you’ll encounter while out and about are either apathetic or sympathetic to your knitting cause. They aren’t sitting in the corner and silently judging you or anything!

#4:  Know Your Responses

While it doesn’t always happen, people may come up to you when they see the awesome project that you’re working on.  If you’re not naturally quick on your feet with spontaneous conversation or if such things make you a bit nervous, it can help to rehearse a few lines before hand:

• What are you making?
  • “I’m knitting a pair of socks for charity!”
• I knit, too!
  • That’s great!  What project are you working on right now?
• You could sell that on Etsy!
  • Thank you!  I actually do sell my items….
  • Thank you!  That’s so sweet of you to say!
• My grandma crochets.
  • Aww, that’s sweet!  Crocheting is such a beautiful art.
• Can you teach me how to knit?
  • Sure can!  Grab a seat!
  • Of course!  Here’s my card…
  • I’m not a great teacher but the book/teacher/blog/Youtube channel I learned from is….

These are just some suggestions from questions that I’ve been asked in the past.  If people do approach you, keep in mind that 99.9% of them are just kind hearted people that are curious or feeling nostalgic.  They’re not meaning to make you uncomfortable, invade your space, or overwhelm you with questions. That being said, it’s also a good idea to have an “exit strategy” up your sleep just in case the conversation becomes too much. My personal favorite is “I really need to focus on this bit but thanks for stopping by!”

#5:  Just Do It!

That’s right, I’m quoting Nike.  Just do it. Take a few deep breaths and start knittin’.  Yes, you may feel that people are watching you and that’s ok!    Any weird feelings will quickly lessen over time, especially if you use something called graded exposure to work your way up.  All you need is a few “wins” to make this whole thing that much easier. It’s ok to start out small and it’s ok to be a bit nervous.  The important thing is to start.

Your Turn!

What are your best tips for knitting in public? Let us know in the comment section down below!