bad etiquette?

It seems that everyone has an opinion on this topic so I will give mine
also. I am a regular churchgoer and also work in my church office; I also
have taken my knitting to many public places such as waiting rooms etc so I
feel somewhat qualified on this topic.

I think one thing we need to keep in mind is that non-knitters don't
understand that it is possible for us to give our full attention to
something else while our hands are busy knitting. Some of us even stay more
calm and alert doing so.

However these non-knitters become offended because they feel we should be
giving God and/or the pastor our full attention during the service and feel
we are being disrespectful.

I feel when attending a church you should be respectful of the others around
you and try your best not to offend. This includes all issues, the way you
dress, the way your children behave, the way you use your cell phone... the
list can go on and on.

Since there is bound to be someone in church that would be offended this
probably isn't the place to knit. I guess you could also apply this
reasoning to other places that require your attention like lectures, theater
and so on.

For what its worth there's my two cents.

Betty

"Allaya Diep" wrote in message
news:UmIBd.18290$Q%4.6524@fed1read06...
Hi everyone

I always thought it would be considered "bad etiquette" to knit in church.
Not that I know much about these things, but it was just something I dared
not do. But a couple of weeks ago, I saw somebody else doing
it...knitting
in church! For those of you more experienced, is it okay to do this, or
is
it sorta rude? It was around Christmas, so maybe she had to finish
something up. *shrug*

Allaya

I tend to fall into agreement with you, Betty. I told my dh about
this discussion and asked him what he thought and he said that he felt
it was very disrespectful and irreverent...but he doesn't knit. lol
I can see how it could be considered offensive and how it could be
somewhat distracting to someone sitting next to you. I will continue
to leave me knitting at home on Sunday mornings, even though,
personally, I wouldn't have a problem with it if someone else chose to
knit during service.

And, as far as kids coloring, etc. during church, I did that sort of
thing with my kids when they were little and so did many other
mothers. The key is training your kids to color *quietly* while
church is going on. (Yelling and fighting over crayons is completely
out of the question!) Mine would sit and color quietly and only
whisper when they wanted to show me something. It's so frustrating to
*hear* parents telling their children to please be quiet and then
begin to enter into a long drawn out discussion as to *why*! All I
ever had to do was raise my fingers to my lips in the "shhhh" manner
and my kids would even quit whispering. Children can learn to be
respectful and quiet during church and can even be *expected* to be
quiet...maybe not very *still*, but at least quiet. ;o) They just
need to be trained. And, if they can't learn to be silent (or at
least reasonably quiet), they need to be taken out of the service.
(I've had to do that a few times too! lol)

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now! lol That was just my own two
cents. )

Jenn



On Mon, 03 Jan 2005 14:13:00 GMT, "Betty"
wrote:

It seems that everyone has an opinion on this topic so I will give mine
also. I am a regular churchgoer and also work in my church office; I also
have taken my knitting to many public places such as waiting rooms etc so I
feel somewhat qualified on this topic.

I think one thing we need to keep in mind is that non-knitters don't
understand that it is possible for us to give our full attention to
something else while our hands are busy knitting. Some of us even stay more
calm and alert doing so.

However these non-knitters become offended because they feel we should be
giving God and/or the pastor our full attention during the service and feel
we are being disrespectful.

I feel when attending a church you should be respectful of the others around
you and try your best not to offend. This includes all issues, the way you
dress, the way your children behave, the way you use your cell phone... the
list can go on and on.

Since there is bound to be someone in church that would be offended this
probably isn't the place to knit. I guess you could also apply this
reasoning to other places that require your attention like lectures, theater
and so on.

For what its worth there's my two cents.

Betty

"Allaya Diep" wrote in message
news:UmIBd.18290$Q%4.6524@fed1read06...
Hi everyone

I always thought it would be considered "bad etiquette" to knit in church.
Not that I know much about these things, but it was just something I dared
not do. But a couple of weeks ago, I saw somebody else doing
it...knitting
in church! For those of you more experienced, is it okay to do this, or
is
it sorta rude? It was around Christmas, so maybe she had to finish
something up. *shrug*

Allaya

Very well-put, Betty!

Katherine

Betty wrote:
It seems that everyone has an opinion on this topic so I will give
mine also. I am a regular churchgoer and also work in my church
office; I also have taken my knitting to many public places such as
waiting rooms etc so I feel somewhat qualified on this topic.

I think one thing we need to keep in mind is that non-knitters don't
understand that it is possible for us to give our full attention to
something else while our hands are busy knitting. Some of us even
stay more calm and alert doing so.

However these non-knitters become offended because they feel we
should be giving God and/or the pastor our full attention during the
service and feel we are being disrespectful.

I feel when attending a church you should be respectful of the others
around you and try your best not to offend. This includes all issues,
the way you dress, the way your children behave, the way you use your
cell phone... the list can go on and on.

Since there is bound to be someone in church that would be offended
this probably isn't the place to knit. I guess you could also apply
this reasoning to other places that require your attention like
lectures, theater and so on.

For what its worth there's my two cents.

Betty

"Allaya Diep" wrote in message
news:UmIBd.18290$Q%4.6524@fed1read06...
Hi everyone

I always thought it would be considered "bad etiquette" to knit in
church. Not that I know much about these things, but it was just
something I dared not do. But a couple of weeks ago, I saw somebody
else doing it...knitting in church! For those of you more
experienced, is it okay to do this, or is it sorta rude? It was
around Christmas, so maybe she had to finish something up. *shrug*

Allaya

I agree nothing is more distracting than a mother telling her kids to be
quiet ever few minutes.

Two points I didn't exactly make in my first post.

1. Knitting can be perceived by the non-knitter as a message saying "what's
going on here isn't important enough to deserve my full attention." That's
fine sitting in a waiting room or on a bus but maybe not church. I love to
take my knitting in public its a opener to many conversations with people. I
once spent an entire day sitting in a hotel loby while my daughter attended
a flute conference and I met so many people though my knitting. But I
wouldn't take my knitting to a party because that's like saying "you people
bore me and aren't worthy of my full attention."

2. When in Roman do as the Roman's if you go to a church where many people
allow there kids to color (I did when my daughter was small) then it will
not be offensive to most people for you to do likewise. If you attend a
church where you don't see that happening maybe its best to find another way
to deal with you children. (or find a different church) Wouldn't it be nice
to find a church were everyone knits? Maybe that's what heaven will be like.
Betty


"Jenn W." wrote in message
news
I tend to fall into agreement with you, Betty. I told my dh about
this discussion and asked him what he thought and he said that he felt
it was very disrespectful and irreverent...but he doesn't knit. lol
I can see how it could be considered offensive and how it could be
somewhat distracting to someone sitting next to you. I will continue
to leave me knitting at home on Sunday mornings, even though,
personally, I wouldn't have a problem with it if someone else chose to
knit during service.

And, as far as kids coloring, etc. during church, I did that sort of
thing with my kids when they were little and so did many other
mothers. The key is training your kids to color *quietly* while
church is going on. (Yelling and fighting over crayons is completely
out of the question!) Mine would sit and color quietly and only
whisper when they wanted to show me something. It's so frustrating to
*hear* parents telling their children to please be quiet and then
begin to enter into a long drawn out discussion as to *why*! All I
ever had to do was raise my fingers to my lips in the "shhhh" manner
and my kids would even quit whispering. Children can learn to be
respectful and quiet during church and can even be *expected* to be
quiet...maybe not very *still*, but at least quiet. ;o) They just
need to be trained. And, if they can't learn to be silent (or at
least reasonably quiet), they need to be taken out of the service.
(I've had to do that a few times too! lol)

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now! lol That was just my own two
cents. )

Jenn



On Mon, 03 Jan 2005 14:13:00 GMT, "Betty"
wrote:

It seems that everyone has an opinion on this topic so I will give mine
also. I am a regular churchgoer and also work in my church office; I also
have taken my knitting to many public places such as waiting rooms etc so
I
feel somewhat qualified on this topic.

I think one thing we need to keep in mind is that non-knitters don't
understand that it is possible for us to give our full attention to
something else while our hands are busy knitting. Some of us even stay
more
calm and alert doing so.

However these non-knitters become offended because they feel we should be
giving God and/or the pastor our full attention during the service and
feel
we are being disrespectful.

I feel when attending a church you should be respectful of the others
around
you and try your best not to offend. This includes all issues, the way
you
dress, the way your children behave, the way you use your cell phone...
the
list can go on and on.

Since there is bound to be someone in church that would be offended this
probably isn't the place to knit. I guess you could also apply this
reasoning to other places that require your attention like lectures,
theater
and so on.

For what its worth there's my two cents.

Betty

"Allaya Diep" wrote in message
news:UmIBd.18290$Q%4.6524@fed1read06...
Hi everyone

I always thought it would be considered "bad etiquette" to knit in
church.
Not that I know much about these things, but it was just something I
dared
not do. But a couple of weeks ago, I saw somebody else doing
it...knitting
in church! For those of you more experienced, is it okay to do this,
or
is
it sorta rude? It was around Christmas, so maybe she had to finish
something up. *shrug*

Allaya

On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 23:28:23 -0500, spampot wrote:

I know I'll be flamed for this, but church is for prayer and meditation,
and I feel that if children can't sit still during it, they should be
left with a babysitter or taken to whatever facility is available (our
church has a nursery or "children's chapel") -- it's VERY distracting to
have children talking out loud or arguing over crayons when one's trying
to concentrate on the service.

I don't want to flame anybody, but I have a different viewpoint.

I attend a small country church in Italy, which has no baby-sitting
facility and no room to put one in. Our church is full of children of
all ages. Those of age 5 or so and up all sit together in a special
section near the altar and the priest tries to make sure his homily
engages them at least a little. He is known to pause to tell them he
can see their attention is wandering but he reminds them gently to
concentrate a bit longer. They all love him dearly and try their best.
After the service, he pulls out a basket of candies to offer to the
children and says he considers this a part of the liturgy.

The younger children have pretty much free reign in the church. You
see little toddlers sitting beside the altar with their pacifiers in
their mouths. Once the priest backed up a bit and stepped on a baby's
hand. (not hard enough to do any damage.) If they get really loud
their parents usually take them outside, but you can't stay out there
very long in the winter.

I love seeing the children in church. They grow up loving the place,
because it's their place as much as it is the grownups' place. They
gradually learn to be quiet and look forward to the day when they're
big enough to join the "big kids" and keep quiet.

If you are accustomed to little ones moving around, you learn how to
concentrate in spite of their movements. Remember that Jesus reproved
his disciples when they tried to remove the little kids from the group
that had come to listen to him.
--
Barbara Vaughan

My email address is my first initial followed by my last name at libero dot it.

In article UmIBd.18290$Q%4.6524@fed1read06, "Allaya Diep"
wrote:

I always thought it would be considered "bad etiquette" to knit in
church. Not that I know much about these things, but it was just
something I dared not do. But a couple of weeks ago, I saw somebody
else doing it...knitting in church! For those of you more
experienced, is it okay to do this, or is it sorta rude? It was
around Christmas, so maybe she had to finish something up. *shrug*

I will knit at Bible studies and church meetings, but not during
corporate worship or prayers. I think it is distracting to others
praying and worshiping, and honestly, unless it were a mindless, st st
piece with no shaping, it would distract me from my own prayers. I also
think it is a little (a lot?) irreverent, because corporate worship is
not only about one's own private prayers but praying together as a body.
Each religion and denomination has their own structure for this, but
there is a form and knitting during it is irreligious.

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove Do Not and Spam to email

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

See my Blog at: http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/

In article ,
(Els van Dam) wrote:

I can't see why you can't knit during a church sermon....as long as you
are respectful and listening, I would think it OK, do take in account that
I am not a church goer

An objection I see with this is the distraction it may cause for
others around you. Also, since there isn't usually much interaction, it
is an instruction period like a college lecture more than a discussion
group, it may make one appear not to be paying attention, then drawing
attention to oneself.

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove Do Not and Spam to email

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

See my Blog at: http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/

In article , Jenn W.
wrote:

And, as far as kids coloring, etc. during church, I did that sort of
thing with my kids when they were little and so did many other
mothers. The key is training your kids to color *quietly* while
church is going on. (Yelling and fighting over crayons is completely
out of the question!) Mine would sit and color quietly and only
whisper when they wanted to show me something. It's so frustrating to
*hear* parents telling their children to please be quiet and then
begin to enter into a long drawn out discussion as to *why*! All I
ever had to do was raise my fingers to my lips in the "shhhh" manner
and my kids would even quit whispering. Children can learn to be
respectful and quiet during church and can even be *expected* to be
quiet...maybe not very *still*, but at least quiet. ;o) They just
need to be trained. And, if they can't learn to be silent (or at
least reasonably quiet), they need to be taken out of the service.
(I've had to do that a few times too! lol)

Amen, sister!

Training one's children seems to be out of fashion nowadays. It is
frustrating to me, and probably to my kids, too, because we have done a
good job training them to behave, to obey and to be respectful and then
others around them are out of line and the parents don't even say
anything. We are fortunate in that we attend a small church with
involved parents, so the kids are pretty well behaved and very
respectful of authority and adults in general. Doing stuff with the
boys' schools is always an exercise in disappointment for us.

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove Do Not and Spam to email

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

See my Blog at: http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/

In article ,
(Beinchat) wrote:

My sister was sitting next to a woman in church when the womans cell
phone started ringing. Unbelievably, she actually answered it and
started having a long conversation with the caller!!!!

This always amazes me. Obviously, one would understand if the person
were on call and this were an emergency or something, but those people
leave so they won't be a distraction, and they turn their phones to buzz
them rather than ring. It's the folks blathering on about whatever
idiocy occurs to them now that let it ring and talk over all around them.

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove Do Not and Spam to email

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

See my Blog at: http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/

In article , "Seaspray"
wrote:

It is extremely hard and almost impossible for small children to sit still
for an hour or so. I always had something in my pocketbook for waiting
times, church, appointments, etc. Crayons, pads of paper, little activity
books, small snack, etc. really can be a salvation for a parent. I would
recommend it to anyone with small children.

Maybe this is because we go to a liturgical church, but it isn't that
hard for our kids, and our services are longer than an hour and we have
no nursery. We just teach them the music, the order of service, when to
sit, stand, kneel, bow, the prayers, etc, so they can participate as
well. Even our two year old knows the flow of the service and when we
start singing before the Gospel reading, he sings and holds up his
Psalter like the priest holding up the Gospel book.

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove Do Not and Spam to email

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

See my Blog at: http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/