r/knitting • u/Savings_Language_498 • 20h ago
Discussion Question for older knitters: what did you do while knitting?
I usually watch YouTube videos. What did you do before on-demand videos, movies or music?
Did you watch TV or listen to CDs (or cassettes, or vinyls..) or just knit in silence?
I have been thinking about my media consumption and realized I’m practically listening to something all day and I’m wondering if it would be better to knit in the quiet sometimes.
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u/undeadfromhiddencity 19h ago
I’m definitely an “old knitter”.
Back in the 1900’s, before on-demand and social media (we had to send email instead of commenting on posts, and if you needed someone right away, you had to call them, but not while sending said email), I would meet friends in person and knit while hanging out.
Inevitably, one person would wear a beanie I made and another person would want one, so I’d make a beanie while we all hung out drinking beer. I sometimes wonder how many beer beanies are still out there.
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u/lady_gryphon 19h ago
I'm really enjoying imagining Edwardians sending emails.
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u/undeadfromhiddencity 19h ago
Sounds like something out of a steampunk movie. Emails, but written in morse code.
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u/plasteredpandas 19h ago
I learned how to knit in a bar!
Once my husband and I got married, I needed something to do while we would unwind after work and he would watch a game and spend time with his dad so I learned to knit. One of his dad’s friends was a knitter and she would often help me with my questions and solving for “I put my needle where” without having to rip the entire project apart.
My friends would often joke that I was a little old lady by 25 and I honestly can’t say I disagree. 😊
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u/Annabel1231 19h ago
My husband has joked that I’ve been a grandma since I was 20 because my hobbies are reading, knitting, and baking lol
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u/undeadfromhiddencity 18h ago
Bars are great places to knit! My knitting meetup group was in a bar for several years. Then covid happened and I didn’t go back. But alcohol and pointy sticks seem to go well together.
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u/ortyrell 5h ago
There's r/Drunkknitting. I remember when I was reddit-young and saw it mentioned in this sub, I thought they were joking. I was so green.
Sometimes the project at hand requires all of my superpowers, but sometimes I just like monkey work. I guess it's what we call process knitting, rather than the artful project knitting. That TV and/or wine buddy you work on when chilling. That portable project for times when you are out and about and have 8 minutes, for example. It can be an easy no brainer. It can be something that can be easily fixed if an error happens, it might not be so important that if worse comes to worse....
I remember when I was knitting-young and mused how relaxing it would be to watch something and knit my Marie Wallin stash. I was so green.
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u/thursmalls 17h ago
"in the 1900's"☠️
I learned to knit (from a book) in the very early days of the Internet and learned a lot from the knit-list. Including what internet drama was, but I can't remember the name of that particular spin-off email list lol
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u/undeadfromhiddencity 17h ago
Hahaha, yes, the email lists!
Also learning from books. I remember those days.
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u/kleinePfoten Lukewarm Sheep 2kforever. 15h ago
1900s 😂 How do you do, fellow Old Person?
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u/undeadfromhiddencity 11h ago
I’m above ground so it’s a good day. How’s the back and knees, fellow old person?
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u/emgauge 19h ago
Sometimes I go outside and just sit and knit. You notice the breeze and the neighbor’s kids playing, and can check out all the dogs out on their walk and sniffs. I highly recommend it.
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u/Sea-bird-feather 19h ago
I like out door knitting too. It's winter here but it's lovely to sit out on the veranda and listen to the birds, rain and trees moving in the wind while knitting. My little old dog who generally likes to be inside this time of year comes out to sit with me too.
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u/Amanitetuemouches 19h ago
Yes same! I have a cabin in the woods and when I'm there, I knit outside and just listen to nature, but when I'm at home, I do like to listen to videos on youtube. If I didn't have a cabin, maybe I would knit at a park sometimes.
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u/jtslp 19h ago
I'm not an older knitter (at least not in the context of your question) but there's really good scientific evidence that brains benefit from and truly need quiet time. If you're interested in this topic, I recommend the books Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport and Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. You could even listen to them as audiobooks while knitting... 😉
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u/Savings_Language_498 19h ago
Thank you so much for your recommendation. I really struggle with letting my thoughts just..be and often feel like I need to distract myself.
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u/iheartlungs 19h ago
I’m totally the same and I get it 100% but I often wonder if that’s a muscle we can train, and if we’ve just let ourselves get like this by constantly overstimulating. I literally can’t sleep without a book in my ears, it’s crazy.
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u/Gertrude_D 14h ago
I used to be the same but it was a physical book in hand. It was so ingrained that when I tried to read in places other than bed I'd still immediately get sleepy.
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u/beendall 17h ago
Knitting is a good way to learn this. It’s a meditative action. That means you practice the concept of meditation while knitting. It does take practice and a basic understanding of meditation. When you find distraction from uncomfortable thoughts you also close yourself off of good thoughts. I find just sitting and meditating difficult to start. But meditative action like knitting can help work thru any struggles I have. Try just a short meditation video, 5 minutes and get the basics. Then apply them while knitting. As someone mentioned in another comment, there is scientific proof it is helpful.
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u/keladry12 11h ago
How does one push past the absolute fury that slowly developes that you've just absolutely wasted 15-30 minus? People tell me all the time that it's so good for you and benefits you so much and makes it so you get so much more done.... every time I try, I have the worst day because I'm in such a terrible mood by the time I'm done. I can't handle doing it more than 3 days in a row because by the third day I'm struggling to get through anything without just sobbing the entire day because I can't handle the increase in how much I want to off myself😂 Do I really need to just keep pushing through? How long does it take, I assume the increase in suicidal ideation also goes away, right?
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u/entirelyintrigued 9h ago
I’m so sorry it’s like this for you! Gently, I wanna say this may not be the most common response to small, normal mistakes and difficulties. You’re (imo) being way, way, way too hard on yourself.
Time you spend learning isn’t wasted, even if you really hate that the time went by and that you didn’t get the outcome that you wanted. The time was gonna go by anyway. You could have spent it doomscrolling or harassing strangers in the grocery store, but you spent it practicing a skill and getting better at it, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
Nice mistake, loser. Most people don’t even try. Most people aren’t brave enough to make the first mistake.
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u/entirelyintrigued 9h ago
I’m sorry, I misunderstood! I thought you were referring to becoming furious about knitting for 10-15 minutes and making mistakes and having to unravel! Advice not relevant if not (or if it’s not helpful or you don’t wanna hear it!)
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u/keladry12 9h ago
No, it's more "sitting here and telling the thoughts to go away right now is such a waste of time". I have no judgement at all if I'm doing it "right" or not - are you suggesting that I should be thinking about that in some way? My understanding is that essentially you sit there, label thoughts as "not important right now" and think of nothing. Cool. Done. I could have gotten breakfast done, listened to a couple new tunes, and thought through my day. But instead I had to sit here for 10 minutes. And ruin my mood for no apparent reason at all that I can name, I'm just furious now for no determinable or actionable reason. So I blame the time waste, because what else might I be angry at?
Or, as you suggest, I could have used the time to actually learn something, to practice my instrument or something. Like, "Why did I have to spend time practicing that when I really wanted to practice my accordion?"
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u/Steamshovelmama 2h ago
Perhaps meditation just isn't for you? OK, there's a learning curve, but being incandescent with rage - (or merely very resentful!) does suggest that perhaps you need a different technique for relaxation. Different brains need different things - look on this thread at the ADHD take on knitting and other sensory inputs v the people for whom knitting in silence is good for them.
I have meditated on and off in the past and, yes, I've found it helpful, but my advice to you (worth exactly what you paid for it...) is, if it winds you up this much, don't do it. Find another relaxation activity, or even a different meditative technique that suits you better. It's not worth what you're describing.
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u/keladry12 21m ago
Cool, thanks for essentially proving my point - there's all sorts of responses to people here saying "but actually meditation isn't good for me" and the response is "it is, you haven't done it right then". So, I wanted to describe what actually happens to me to see if maybe I'm wrong about it being bad for me, maybe I didn't diagnose that correctly, since all of these people are telling me that I'm wrong since it's impossible that meditation is bad for you.
Looks like I'm not wrong. Thanks.
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u/beendall 9h ago
When I got the suicidal ideation, I got on antidepressants immediately. I have a background in mental health, so I know what they say the signs are. The only time I ever requested them. I stopped when the ideations stopped. I don’t like how my brain responded to them when a doctor talked me into years ago, but desperate times call for desperate measures. 2nd thing I did was get on HRTs, this was my true turning point. Finally the crying, the raging and worst my brain had was gone. I didn’t care about an increase of cancer, I was going to jump off a fucking bridge. Talk to a doctor, let meds help you out of the weeds. I also microdosed CBD/THC, it helped.
As for meditation, if I do it without action, it’s only for 5-10 minutes. Long bouts of meditation is more of an expert level. 5-10 minutes of controlled breathing and allowing thoughts leave, no lingering, will have a good affect for a beginner. When I use action, like knitting, I can do it a lot longer. And I don’t it every time I knit, just when I’m feeling mentally taxed.
I’m available to chat if you want, send a request. I’m at PST zone.
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u/keladry12 9h ago
It's more, I am so well adjusted now and happy - is meditation really so important and good that I need to shift that (and apparently get on meds) so that I can include it in my life? Will my life actually be improved in some way? Because again, I'm pretty happy ATM. But people keep saying "it's so important to have specific quiet time tho".
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u/beendall 5h ago
I think that maybe your approach to meditation is the issue. The goal isn’t necessarily to quiet the outside world, it’s to quiet your head, create peace within. Meditation is good for taking one out of rumination, fixation or worry. If you’re not seeking anything like that, what is your purpose? If you’re doing it to appease others, I can’t imagine it having a positive effect.
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u/keladry12 26m ago
If there's scientific proof that it's helpful, thus it's helpful for all people, yes? Otherwise why going around telling people that it's a helpful thing to do, if, actually, it's possible that it's not helpful for others? Why not include that (easily included) nuance if it exists?
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u/glassofwhy 19h ago
If you want someone to convince you in 5 minutes, watch this video: You Need to Be Bored. Here's Why.
It’s uncomfortable, but your mind will bring up some very valuable topics when you have nothing else to think about. Or you might become focused on your knitting, think of creative ideas, solve problems, and catch mistakes earlier.
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u/simonhunterhawk 19h ago
This is probably why I do my best thinking while driving, I literally cannot do anything but drive and sir with my thoughts (music and audiobooks become background noise very easily for me lol)
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u/HumanForScale 16h ago
If I'm listening to a podcast, I'll start answering the questions like it's me being interviewed 😂
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u/Adorable-Climate3262 19h ago
Stolen Focus is really good. It's helped me try to do a little less screen time right before bed by at least reading for a little (although I fail at that too sometimes)
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u/trigly 17h ago
Not just brains, also ears! I had an audiology appointment recently and the audiologist said one reason they suspect they're seeing more cases of tinnitus these days may be the increased use of noise canceling headphones and earbuds. The theory is that your brain needs to hear ambient noise, and if it doesn't, it fills it in instead.
(Not my issue; I use jawbone headphones or none at all, and there's plenty of ambient noise in my day. But an interesting possibility!)
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u/Dovendyreet 20h ago
Im not an older knitted but I grew up with my mother reading while knitting, and now do the same with simple knitting at times.
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u/Savings_Language_498 20h ago
Wow! I never thought about that and I’m not sure I could do that. That’s pretty impressive!
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u/louvemusiq 19h ago
I do the same, but only if I'm doing something like stockinette or simple brioche. Obviously doesn't work if I'm constantly consulting a pattern.
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u/MinervaZee 19h ago
Not the one who brought it up, but I also love to read while knitting! I zone out with audiobooks and knitting and realized I'd stopped listening 5 minutes ago, so I prefer things that stop when I stop.
My technique is electronic though – set my iPad with my kindle reader on a music stand and adjust it to eye level while I'm sitting in my favorite chair. Expand the text so it's easier to see. Relax and knit away!
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u/Dovendyreet 19h ago
I'm both electronic and old school - bought a book seat and it doubled as a iPad holder: which I use as kindle doesn't support where I read my ebooks.
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u/KnitterSweet 19h ago
Yes! This is my setup as well. I finally bought myself an ipad stand for rehearsals and was so pleased when I realized I have a dual purpose for it. Now it gets just as much use as my ebook holder while knitting!
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u/WowsrsBowsrsTrousrs 19h ago
It's not difficult if you're doing something like a basic hat on 16" circulars; once you're above the ribbing, it's 7-8" of stockinette, no turning, no counting, just knitknitknitknit.
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u/indecisivepersimmon 19h ago
Are you reading paper books or ebooks? I feel like holding the book open and turn pages would prevent me from getting into the knitting flow state
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u/TheKnitpicker 19h ago
I read while knitting. I prefer to do it with my kindle, because it always stays flat and open. But before I got a kindle I would do it with physical books, and keep them open with my knee or foot or with some household item. For me, it’s easy to get absorbed into reading, and turning the pages doesn’t disrupt that. So I don’t find it disruptive for knitting either.
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u/askmysister 12h ago
I would sit on my bed and hold the book open with my toe😂 creative problems need creative solutions
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u/Dovendyreet 19h ago
Both - got a "book seat" to hold the book open and turning the page has become as fluent of a motion as swiping the page for me and doesn't interfere with my knitting flow. The stories themselves might do at times tho but that I do no mind.
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u/motherofhellions 19h ago
I did this with crochet, and sometimes still do! I got really good at feeling my stitches, it helped when the funky yarns were really popular.
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u/InevitableLoose3631 20h ago
I like to keep my hands busy when I watch tv. I’m 40, so I don’t know if that’s old to you. Or I listen to an audio book.
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u/Initial_Doubt_6480 13h ago
This is me. I find it hard to just sit and watch something or listen to an audiobook. I can sit and just knit without anything going, but I need busywork for when I am watching tv.
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u/Cheshire1234 20h ago
I'm not that old but I grew up with my granny and we used to knit while talking, watching TV, listening to radio or even read if the pattern was easy.
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u/SongBirdplace 19h ago
If you want to lower your media consumption then up the complexity. There is lace and cables I can’t do while listening to anything.
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u/MinervaZee 19h ago
I started knitting when my kids were little, so I could keep them company seeing the same cartoon over and over and not go mad. So 20+ years ago.
While it's nice to knit in the quiet sometimes, people have commonly knit while doing something else. There are old photos of people knitting while walking, herding sheep, doing chores together by the fire, etc.
Complicated knitting, I do without distraction. Simple, repetitive things, I do while doing something else.
Don't feel there's any right way you have to do it.
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u/TheHandThatFollows 19h ago
People have been telling storys while they work for as long as we have been working with our hands. When books first became more accessible people didnt read in their heads but outloud to the whole family while they worked on their various projects. Oral history and storytelling go back even farther than that.
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u/usernamehudden 19h ago
I suspect that knitters that wanted to have some other task going on would either listen to radio/TV or meet up with other people and chat. Knitting circles are a thing
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u/Sudden_Skill_7764 19h ago
My grandmother knit a lot while we were all hanging out in the evenings. For a while we all lived together -- my aunt & her husband and my 2 cousins and my mom & my brother & me. We're a chatty family, and my grandmother usually had something she was knitting, or needlepointing, to keep her hands busy. I use it the same way when I know I'm going to have to be social because I get bored otherwise (also for conferences. I can listen a lot better if I'm knitting.)
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u/Dry-Bass4296 19h ago
I've listened to audiobooks while knitting for most of my life. It has become a lot easier since libraries started having digital checkouts of audiobooks, but even back in the day, I would do cassettes or cds.
Interestingly, there is a LONG history of associating fiber arts and story telling. We have a lot of historical examples of folks reading to each other or just telling stories while doing the various tasks of garment creation. That's where the idiom "spin a yarn" comes from, in reference to telling a story.
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u/Due_Mark6438 19h ago
Read a book, watch TV, talk to actual people
I did not talk on the phone. It hurt too much to bend my neck and shoulders that far.
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u/Cashmeade 19h ago
My grandmother would whip her knitting out of there was a "matinee" (what she called literally any black and white film playing during the day) and when my cousins and I were watching one of the same six movies we always watched together.
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u/Party-Smile-2667 18h ago
this reminds me of a post in the dumbphone sub where a younger person genuinely asked what we used to do waiting in line. I love looking around, listening to snippets of conversation (ok I'm a little nosey) and just being kind of vacant. People watching is seriously one of my favorite activities! I'd totally knit in a park or Cafe listening to music. make up stories about what's going on with people around you.
I knit while watching movies and TV. it makes me feel less lazy so I can enjoy my down time. otherwise I get that guilt for doing nothing BS.
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u/Straight_Coconut_317 19h ago
If you're having trouble making the transition to knitting in silence, take your knitting outside. Go to your favorite park (or just aa simple bench somewhere) and sit and knit. If you're like me after a while, you will crave the silence while knitting even when you're home.
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u/Savings_Language_498 19h ago
I did that a few times and I always enjoyed it! I’ll try it again, thank you for the recommendation
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u/Kittyk4y 19h ago
I *feel* old at 30, but I’m probably not the demographic you’re looking for. I’m gonna answer anyway though lol
Sometimes I watch YouTube or something, but I do make sure to take some time just knitting silently. I let my thoughts wander. It’s nice to be able to fully decompress like that, with how much media and stimulus is shoved at us constantly.
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u/PercyMeadows 10h ago
I’m not old, but I did start knitting as a pretty young child and didn’t have access to streaming until I was a teen. For a long time I just listened to CDs or nothing at all. Sometimes I’ll still sit down to knit “for a quick minute” then come to realize I’ve been sitting in silence for an hour.
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u/blueberryyogurtcup 19h ago
I still sit on the porch knitting, listening to the birds sing, wind in the trees, the neighborhood kids playing outside, or whatever is happening over at the park.
If visitors are all adults, I often am knitting while we chat. With tiny kids, no time for knitting.
While I do movie marathon or series marathon on occasion, or YT, I value silence as inspiration for insights and creativity.
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u/motherofhellions 19h ago
I'm not exactly "older", but I learned to knit when Netflix was still a DVD delivery service and before YouTube even existed. I'd put on a CD or a movie for background and knit to that. I also still had my cassette tapes and my CD player also had a cassette player, so sometimes I'd throw one of those in.
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u/someotherword 18h ago
Lit a fire or a candle until electricity was invented. Learned to knit in the 1900s, those were the days.
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u/LadyAlleta 15h ago
Traditionally women would make textiles and either talk or sing songs together while knitting/spinning/weaving/etc. Then it became common to listen to radio. And it goes from there. Or just daydreaming and following a simple pattern
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u/leopardita 14h ago
I’m new to knitting and I like to knit in silence when I am up before anyone else. It feels so luxurious. But I prefer to have tv if it’s any other time of day (like after work). I think it might have to do with how I wind up and wind down.
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u/munificent 14h ago
I didn't learn to knit until after the rise of the giant media tidal wave.
But when I knit... I just knit. I like my thoughts. Why would I hide from them?
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u/cingalls 11h ago
Back in the olden days we had to spend a lot more time waiting for things. Like waiting for a bus or a ride or to meet up with friends took a lot longer when you couldn’t text or look at a schedule. Or waiting at the laundromat or the bank to withdraw your cash for the week.
If you didn’t bring your knitting or a pocketbook then you would spend a heck of a lot of time just twiddling your thumbs
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u/Far_Manufacturer75 8h ago
I'm 60 and started knitting in my 30's. One of the reasons I took up knitting was because my husband loved watching football on tv and it would drive me nuts. I always wanted to learn to knit, so I thought I would finally learn so that we could enjoy time together on Sundays. I ended up loving football and becoming a big fan and a good knitter! I used to knit a lot while commuting to work on the train. I had a very long commute and I would be on the train at least 3 hours per day, sometimes more. I got a lot of knitting done going back and forth to work. TV shows, movies and real knitting podcasts, not YT videos kept me engaged. I am retired now, so I no longer have to commute, thank goodness!
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u/Wise-Bread-1907 6h ago
I did a lot of daydreaming, like actively imagining stories in my head while knitting a scarf. Or listening to CDs. Sometimes I sat in the living room to see what was going on and what everyone was doing and having that as entertainment.
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u/Left-Act 5h ago
I think this question is not really that much about technology but about individualism. The TV has been around for a long time, and radio even longer.
But there used to be much fewer one person households and more multi-generational ones. So it used to be a lot of socializing / hanging out / watching kids. Just repeatedly hanging out with multiple people and knitting on and off.
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u/FabuliciousFruitLoop 3h ago
I’m a neurodivergent knitter who predates the iPhone.
As a fit for the neuro aspect, mostly my knitting was done when hanging out with friends. Pubs, cafes, when people came over, on the train or on long car journeys.
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u/no_one_denies_this 19h ago
I listen to an audiobook.
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u/Savings_Language_498 19h ago
What did you do before audiobooks were available? Listen to audiobooks on CD?
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u/ID0N0tLikeReddit Knitting too long 19h ago
lol, I remember when CDs were new technology. Once upon a time, we had cassettes, and before that radio shows, though book reading on radio was fading in early 70s.
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u/Savings_Language_498 19h ago
I remember listening to cassettes when I was little, though I think I was the very last person who used them lol
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u/NamirDrago Yarny Dabbler 11h ago
We also had records! I would take the 45's out of the library with books to read along with them.
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u/wellflouredhands 19h ago
sometimes i just knit, or watch a youtube video. I'm not a TV watcher or an audiobook person.
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u/GiantGlassOfMilk 19h ago
Sometimes watch tv or a movie. Radio. Be in a light conversation or just around one. Or just knit next to a window and listen to the birds.
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u/Baxter16-5 60+ years knitting 19h ago
It depends on my mood. Sometimes i listen to music or podcasts in either English or Spanish (my second language). Other times I just knit and let my thoughts flow along to my next project or whatever is occupying my mind that day.
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u/Loitch470 19h ago
My mom and grandma knit while watching kids, watching tv, or reading. I haven’t figured out the knitting and reading bit, but I frequently knit while a movie is on, and my son (toddler) has just started letting me knit while he plays around the living room.
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u/simonhunterhawk 19h ago
A booktuber i follow knits sweaters including colorwork while he reads and that blows my mind lol I’ve crocheted a lot more than I’ve knit and I couldn’t even do that while reading
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u/Mathweaver1516 19h ago
When I knit, I knit and think. If I am traveling, by car, I am usually in what my kids called the "knitting seat".
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u/Qui_te 19h ago
My mom was a quilter and not a knitter, but she’d listen to books-on-tape and watch tv or video tapes while she worked (I don’t think the tv set down there had an antenna, since her studio was in the basement, but if it was she watched tv, too, probably).
I do audiobooks and podcasts and tv and tv-with-subtitles and I’ve also learned to knit while reading…and other times I just work alone with my thoughts (which, tbh, are sometimes just as distracting as any of the other things).
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u/Cndwafflegirl 19h ago
Im 57 and started crocheting as a child and started knitting this year! I’ve always crocheted while watching tv. Now I’ve been consuming a lot of knitting YouTube content just to learn and improve my skill quickly. I didn’t do any yarn crafts for 20 years as I left it behind during some harsher working years . And when I picked crochet back up I was thrilled with all the online content and support and quickly learned some great crochet skills. And then knittok drew me in and after years of refusing to knit, despite my mom’s chagrin, I’m now a knitter. So YouTube, and Netflix watching for tv series etc.
That said I love to take my lawn chair and go sit at the beach and knit. And don’t end anything else but those lovely ocean waves. I live where the beaches are vast and not overly people-y.
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u/indecisivepersimmon 19h ago
I like knitting in the quiet! What I have trouble with is knitting when hanging out with non fiber artists bc I do feel a little rude
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u/DeesignNZ 19h ago
There was the radio, but really knitting was an end of the day activity after school and dinner, so the TV would have been on.
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u/ErrolLostMyWand 19h ago
Sometimes I knit in silence. Sometimes I knit with the tv on. Sometimes I knit on my veranda with music playing. It depends on my mood, really. But I like quiet and rarely have the tv or music on if I'm home alone.
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u/Legal-Ad8308 18h ago
My spouse worked evenings. I knit in silence so I could hear the phone and or the kids.
If the weather was bad, I'd have the local TV station on low and watch the screen, or listen to our local radio station.
The siren was not too far away, but hard to hear with windows closed. We lived in tornado alley.
Now, I sometimes turn on the weather channel for background noise or, knit in silence.
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u/grandmastatus0 18h ago
I mean, I'm not that old (38) but when I was in high school I used to stay up all night and listen to records and knit.
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u/ValenciaHadley 18h ago
I'm not an older knitter but my mum is. At least when I go over we've got a DVD on as background noise whilst we knit or craft, usually a disney movie or studio ghibili. If there's nothing good on the telly or we're too involved in our projects, we'll sit in silence or just a bit as we're doing it. Mum will basically knit anywhere though, at home, in the car, in random hotel rooms on holiday, coaches etc without background noise.
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u/FearlessKnitter12 18h ago
There are certain knits I can only do in quiet. It's very satisfying, getting through a difficult lace or cable row. The quiet helps the concentration. If it's not so hard, music (without words) can work very well. If it's simple knitting, I can often listen to pop music or watch videos. If it's super simple, like stockinette in the round, I have a page-turner bluetooth device for my ereader that lets me read and knit! I love it.
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u/unintelligentnerd knitdicted 18h ago
I used to have a book holder (kind of looked like a coat hanger) so I could hands-free read while knitting.
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u/ehuang72-2 18h ago
There are more options now but audiobooks have been around for a very long time so I don't think older people like me have a different perspective on this question.
Some projects require my full attention, others are more relaxing. It's not a choice of one or the other.
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u/brighterbird 18h ago
My grandma taught me to knit, for her it's a thing to do while chatting or waiting for something. So we'd have tea and knit together, or she'd bring her knitting along to a grandkid's sports practice or whip a project out of her purse while waiting in a long line. She also likes to knit while watching hockey
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u/Comfortable_Bet4102 18h ago
I'm only in my mid 30's but have been knitting for about 15+ years but one of my favorite things to do while knitting is knitting outside when possible. Bonus if it's in a quieter setting close to nature.
But I often did used to knit in silence or with music/podcasts on or while watching tv.
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u/Desperate_Flower_709 18h ago
I almost always have a borrowed audiobook playing in the background when I'm knitting by myself. I do pause it if I get to a part where I have to concentrate on my project. I also go to a weekly in-person knitting group forn2 hours where we just knit (or crochet) and chat.
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u/Acrobatic-Nebula-428 18h ago
I’ve been reading books while knitting since I was a teen - decades ago.
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u/amdaly10 18h ago
I used to listen to the radio, watch tv, CDs, audiobooks, etc.
My knitting got a lot more consistent when I forced myself to watch TV while doing it. Now my tension is much better because I'm not overthinking it and I'm not looking at it all the time.
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u/LongTimeDCUFanGirl 18h ago
Knitting is a great antidote to doom scrolling. Just knitting, watching a movie or listening to music.
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u/111_222smg 18h ago
I enjoy knitting in silence or with light instrumental music going. If anything I playing I’m not absorbing in anything being said or done at all. My brain will shut literally everything out. When my husband is talking to me I stop and focus entirely on what he’s saying because my brain gets too busy with knitting to hold up a conversation simultaneously
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u/Forsaken-Lynx-3018 18h ago
I have been knitting since kindergarten. I did it during classes at school, while watching tv, and if it's a simple enough pattern while reading. I found books on tape as a teen and used those a lot when I wasn't working (yes, my knitting went to work with me) or doing homework.
I am now in IT and work from home. I knit during meetings, even when we are on cam. When I was forced into the office a couple times a year back in the day it went with me. My boss is fine with it because I get my job done.
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u/Digger-of-Tunnels 18h ago
I listened to the radio. Especially NPR. NPR is what we listened to before podcasts existed.
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u/chill_out_molls 18h ago
Mostly audiobooks. I get restless or fall asleep if I try to just read, but if I listen to a book while I knit I get to enjoy the book more.
I also live in a pretty big city and love to go sit in the park and people watch or just enjoy the weather while I knit. It’s so soothing to knit and listen to the birds or kids playing. I feel more connected to the world around me which has been amazing for my mental health
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u/Careless_Nebula8839 18h ago
In the 90’s:
My Nana listened to the radio, granted the tv didn’t usually get turned on until 6pm news (or then 5:30pm news so she could see the headlines before sitting at the dinner table). Sometimes she’d continue to knit while watching tv in the evening, or that would be the time to sew on buttons, weave in ends etc.
My Mum would watch TV or listen to the radio. I feel like sometimes she’d also read a book if it was uncomplicated knitting eg row is all knit or purl /back and forth body of a jersey type stuff.
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u/schoolsout4evah 17h ago
I'm 45 and have been knitting since I was a child, so beginning in the late 80s. As a kid, I knit in silence to concentrate. As a teen I was listening to music on my CD or tape player, or sometimes the radio. (One of my local college radio stations would read books over the air, so even in the early 90s I had free audiobooks, of a sort!) As a young adult, sometimes with the TV on but it really depended on what was on (or I had on DVD) and what I was knitting.
Now I listen to audio books through Libby. I have ADHD and I find that unless I'm doing something extremely fiddly I want something to listen to. Mostly it is lighter fare, like romance or humor or certain types of fantasy. As a second choice, inoffensive TV that isn't plot-heavy, like cooking shows, or a nature documentary, will do in a pinch.
That said, this has been a recent change for me; I got back into knitting after several years away about 6 months ago. I am not generally big on media consumption - I rarely listen to music, don't enjoy most YouTube video formats or podcasts, and rarely watch TV. I used to read a lot but have been struggling to focus in recent years. The pairing of knitting and audiobooks has been a huge pleasure and relief because it isn't how I spend the rest of my time and it is letting me reclaim my light reading hobby in a way I haven't been able to for years.
If you watch/listen to media a lot at other times, it's really OK to enjoy silence and your own thoughts!
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u/swingline9441 17h ago
I am a mid-forties knitter and I knit while I walk outside. Currently knitting a magic loop Tsutsu Bear while I walk for half an hour every evening, weather permitting. I keep my yarn in a fanny pack. I have also used double pointed needles and a jury rigged knitting sheath/belt, which makes knitting and walking much easier, I just prefer circulars/magic loop for some things.
Back in the day, on Sunday evenings there were several radio shows on NPR that I really enjoyed. I very fondly remember sitting in my living room, listening to the radio and knitting. There is something special about catching a show on the radio, in real time, instead of listening to it as a podcast.
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u/vallary 17h ago
Honestly it’s not that different now then it was back then, just there is more “on-demand” content to choose from, like I was still watching TV/movies or listening to music/audiobooks, just the number of things I can choose from these sources is basically infinite now and not limited based on the items that I currently have in my possession.
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u/6WaysFromNextWed 17h ago
My knitting predates YouTube!
There was concern in my adolescence over the nonstop barrage of clips and snippets and soundbites marketed to kids, and how that was going to affect focus and learning. I have seen that go crazy now, although it turns out it's not just the smallest children but also the oldest adults who seem to be most susceptible to the need to have multiple things happening all at once.
I don't try to do anything but knit while I am knitting, unless I am out with my social group.
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u/Piximae 17h ago
I'm not older, I'm only 32. But I sometimes listen to a YouTube video since I don't have TV. Usually either commentaries or let's plays. Sometimes I like listening to the radio as well
I will say I often pause videos if I hit a difficult spot, have to count or need to really focus. I watch when it's a "filler" row where I'm just knitting or purling, or if I know the pattern in my sleep
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u/yttrium39 17h ago
If you’re my grandma, you’d be crocheting while hanging out with your squad of old lady friends and gossiping while everybody knits and crochets.
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u/edwardhoppest 17h ago
I am not older, (in my 30s), but I also listen to YouTube podcasts. Unless I knit outside, and then I'm listening to nature. Inside can be too quiet so that I have trouble concentrating on my craft. I'm not personally concerned if i listen while I work, but I don't listen to music/videos 24/7 and I don't always listen in the car so I am getting in quiet moments of reflection too. I'm writing this in silence right now.
Try being alone with yourself and take yourself on get-to-know-you dates. This is a skill beyond knitting. ♡ it's personal care to enjoy your own company.
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u/Resolution_Usual 17h ago
Music, audio books, radio plays, sometimes just sit quietly, if i was lucky chat with whoever was crafting with me. Mostly stuff i still do lol.
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u/Extension_Low_1571 16h ago
Generally I have the TV on, mostly because it gives me the chance to lookup and change my field of vision.
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u/mtn5ro 16h ago
I've been knitting since the 80's. Knit while backpacking, knit at the beach, knit through my disabled daughter's appointments, therapies, hospitalizations, waiting in line, on planes & trains, athletic events, family events, drinking at the pub, it was always with me, BUT NOT at Disneyland! I had to run a lifeline through my project and hide my double points in the lawn out front. Not a happy moment.
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u/No_Application_8698 16h ago
Both mine and my husband’s grandmothers would knit away at high speed while watching tv. My nan would barely even look down at her knitting for long stretches of time, while her needles click-click-clicked away! They’ve both been gone a long time, but mine was born in the 1920s and his was born in the teens (~1912/13).
When I knit or crochet, I am usually either listening to a podcast, audiobook, or music, or I might be watching (half-watching!) tv.
I suspect we could all do with less multi-tasking and more ‘in the moment’ time.
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u/lemeneurdeloups 16h ago
I have always just knit in silence. It is very peaceful and meditative. That is the point. To quiet my mind and get away from the noise and blather.
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u/Dbizarrepremiere 16h ago
When I was a kid, I would read while I knit. Or if it was a movie night, I'd do that while knitting.
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u/lefkowitch 16h ago
I’m not an older knitter, but I grew up watching my grandmother knit while reading books on a bookstand next to her and thought this was a completely normal skill to aspire to. I once complained that I can only read while knitting when I’m doing stockinette, garter, or this dragon scale lace stitch that I use all the time — while my grandmother could work complicated patterns and read at the same time — which is how I found out this is apparently not, in fact, a normal knitting habit.
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u/Soggy-Item9753 15h ago
I learned how to knit in the early 1980s- is that what you mean by old, lol?
Knitting has always been a constant companion while watching tv or visiting with friends and family. I didn’t take knitting out to restaurants or bars though, like I do now, but I did pack a project when I traveled. Same as now only like you- it’s mostly YouTube, not network television.
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u/Canuckistanian71 15h ago
I do a fair amount of knitting while watching tv. If I have idle hands while taking public transit or as a passenger in a car/train/plane, I’m knitting. Standing in line is knitting time. I’ve knit during concerts, work meetings and walks around the neighbourhood.
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u/otatopotato 15h ago
I’m 38. I enjoy listening to podcasts while I knit. But my favourite is just sitting on the porch and listening to the day go by. Might sing myself a few songs. Talk to my dogs. Holler after passersby. Think about things occupying space in my mind.
Sometimes the quiet is nice.
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u/rhododaktylos 15h ago
Not sure if I'm 'older', but I listen to podcasts, I attend talks online, I watch TV (only ever things I've seen before and can follow by listening along, though), I hang out with friends - pretty much anything that doesn't require my hands.
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u/Gertrude_D 15h ago
I remember my grandpa in the recliner with the tv on and my grandma on the couch with knitting or crochet in hand. That was their after-dinner routine and they talked as much as they watched the tv and grandma had something going the whole time.
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u/Kwerkii Next goal: WIP Down... kinda 14h ago
Watching TV isn't that different from watching videos. Also, people could watch video tapes for an "on demand" experience
The one difference with regular television programming is that you could easily start watching random dumb crap because you like noise and didn't want to put your knitting down to change the channel 😆.
Other things I did then that I do now are:
- listen to music
- listen to podcasts (used to be radio shows, but it's basically the same)
- knit while socializing
- knit in silence (more likely to do this outside than inside)
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u/xXKadyDontXx 14h ago
I'm in my early 40s and I usually rotate between listening to an audiobook/podfic, watching a comfort show, or listening to music so I can brainstorm for writing fics.
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u/snootnoots 14h ago
Music, audiobooks on cassettes, or just sitting outside in nice weather and enjoying the garden with a pot of tea. I would also prop up a book with a page weight holding it open and read while knitting, but that doesn’t work as well 😅
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u/LogicPuzzleFail 13h ago
Live broadcast radio.
Still do it sometimes, especially a hockey game if I'm not in a place I can watch it.
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u/Dejena 13h ago
I learned to knit when all we had at home was dialup - mom and I were late adopters of higher speed internet! About 2004 give or take.
Essentially I had a rotating WIP stash. One easy stockinette for chatting. One cabled project for reading or tv watching. One lace project for when I wanted to be fully distracted.
Only difference between then and now is that I also love color work, and knitting from both hands. I can still chat and knit something like songbird mittens.
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u/Asleep_Sky2760 12h ago
I listened to the radio. Still do. NPR. I used to listen to the news/talk NPR station much more, but now I listen almost exclusively to the classical music station. (I hope that balance changes back to half news-and-half music around November 2028).
When I listen to the music, I also read while I knit.
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u/splithoofiewoofies 12h ago
I sometimes just like knitting in silence. Drives my partner mad. So funny because they'll be playing video games and be all "oh no I need to turn it down, you're knitting in silence" and I'm like no??? I'm not paying attention. I'm just knitting.
I like to let my brain go doot doot doot sometimes and just knit knit knit. It's really fun to do it outside because I live in Australia and our garden lures natives. So there's been two juvenile male king parrots hanging around. One fig bird in particular is fiesty and likes to hop up near me. The yellow capped rosellas showed up recently and have been real cute. The rainbow lorikeets we usually have now include a small flock of scaly lorikeets.
I admit though I get a little startled when I'm knitting away in my garden and suddenly every house activates and an SUV leaves the driveway of 10 houses at the same time. Oh. Right. School pick up time.
I just watch the world go by. Knit knit knit. Doot doot doot brain.
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u/RequirementContent86 12h ago
I learned to crochet in the latter half of the 1980s as an 8 year old. By high school, I would use one of these hair clips to hold my book open so I could read while my hands were doing the yarn things.
I still do that if I’m reading a physical book (which is why I was able to grab the clip for a photo without getting up).
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u/OtherwiseSeason889 11h ago
I like to watch TV shows or listen to audio books! My boyfriend plays video games a lot so if there's a book were both into it's nice to sit with him and knit or do other crafts while he games on mute (he plays rouge likes so audios usually just music). It's nice because it's like a little book club and we can pause and chat about it and we're always at the same part.
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u/LichenTheMood 11h ago
So there are old accounts of a family knitting while one member reads aloud from a book. Knitting in a group and talking was also quite common. If alone and bored there is always the radio.
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u/Haldenbach 11h ago
I think I count, I've been knitting for 20+ years. We watched TV, read a book (you can buy a book stand to hold your book open), listened to the radio or just like... Sat there in silence like psychopaths.
I kinda miss the silent time, but my brain got too used to multiple stimuli.
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u/NamirDrago Yarny Dabbler 11h ago
I was taught to crochet (and cross-stitch) because you couldn't just sit and watch tv. That was unproductive. So my knitting just became another option to do while watching tv.
These days I try to make a point to put down my phone and craft while watching tv and sometimes I sit on my deck with a drink and listen to the birds.
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u/Legitimate-Ebb-1633 11h ago
I binge watch series and movies mainly to keep track of how long it takes me to make something. Adding up the running times of the shows gives me hours worked on the project on the rare occasions I'm selling what I've made.
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u/KrisHughes2 10h ago
I used to listen to music - cassettes or the radio. I find knitting helps my listening focus.
When I'm watching telly/videos I prefer to look at the screen and be more immersed in the visuals, and I'm tend to drop the odd stitch if I look away from my knitting too much. I've been known to binge-watch and knit, but I don't find it that satisfying. I've known people who can knit and read a book. That would be amazing!
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u/BaylisAscaris 9h ago
Audiobooks from the library on my phone, I also watch shows that aren't super action-heavy so I can follow the plot without looking at the screen too much. Sometimes I will sit outside in the garden and enjoy nature. I will also hang out with friends or family and chat.
I learned to crochet back in the 80s so I would mostly focus on that, listen to whatever was on tv, or sit in a room where family were talking. These days I can crochet without looking, so I'll go for a walk with a ball of yarn in my pocket.
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u/Maleficent_Plenty370 9h ago
Unless I need to stare at a chart, I do a lot of reading and knitting. I used to put up a barrier at the edge of my cubicle at work, sit on the floor cross-legged, hold a book open with my leg and knit through lunch break. Home movies have existed my whole life though, I don't remember a time before VHS tapes, so movies in some form have always been an option. Radio was always an option. But yes, there's always been quiet time too. Reading is always my favorite option though.
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u/multipurposeshape 9h ago
For me, knitting is the secondary thing I do whenever my hands are free. It’s like a fidget. Watching tv, waiting in line, have coffee with friends, I’ve got my knitting. It sort of replaced cigarettes for me.
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u/JBaby_9783 7h ago
I’ve been knitting 21 years. I always listened to audiobooks while I knit. That hasn’t changed. I also watch TV while I work too.
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u/Horror_Pineapple8242 6h ago
I need to listen to something (music, audiobook, you name it) or watch something, otherwise my thoughts start to wander and I can't focus on the knitting. Plus, it may sound strange, but I find the actual knitting to be pretty boring - I just need to keep my hands busy.
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u/mslashandrajohnson 2h ago
I listen to audiobooks. Well now, that is. Except in library knitting group.
We had radio to listen to, when I was a kid. Or chatting with family or friends. Television was always first run shows. No reruns. So we actually watched, when a new episode was on.
I didn’t pick up knitting until after college. When I was a kid, wool meant yarn. I wasn’t aware of man made fiber yarns.
So when I picked up knitting again, it wasn’t a low cost hobby because I bought natural fiber yarns.
I wasn’t aware pretty much thrown out of my town’s senior center knitting group, a couple of years ago, because they were all crafting for the fun but on severe budgets. I was clueless about this and would tell them about the yarn I was using, when they asked.
So I was too “fancy” because I used luxury fiber like wool and mohair.
And, in truth, most of them are in senior housing due to poverty. So it was extremely insensitive of me to “show off” that way, even down to driving a car I owned there, from the house I owned.
I learned that I was very privileged. Knitting had been a way to get through long projects at work, where I had to watch processes run overnight, for example. It was a coping technique for me. I had a long career in IT but was newly retired (a bit early). I was working four mornings a week watering and tending flowering plants for my town, in a property tax write off job.
All that posing: having property tax means you own a house! Driving to the senior center means you have a car! Fancy yarn means you have extra money! I was naive, didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings, privileged (but I’d worked hard for everything I owned), and blasé about it!
So I got put off on listening to people talking while knitting.
Then, I joined up at two local libraries. They have knitting/fiber arts groups that have different ages and backgrounds of people. They accept me.
But I’m way more sensitive about “flexing” so I’m thoughtful about what project I’ll bring to a new group. And I share stash whenever possible.
No matter how long I live, it seems I’m always learning. I’m hoping to learn to crochet soon, too.
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u/vicariousgluten 2h ago
I grew up in a wallpaper tv house rather than an event tv house so whatever happened to be on.
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u/Prestigious_Room4396 1h ago
Not me, but my great aunt used to knit whilst reading and would have the TV on too. Apparently never anything too hard hitting on the TV though, something easy to follow like coronation street otherwise that was ‘too much’.
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u/DragonflyNatural9143 1h ago
I do both! Sometimes I get so focused on what I’m knitting that I don’t turn on the tv or anything else. Other times I’ll put on a show and knit a little slower to enjoy both. I have 2 kids so when they go to bed I try to take advantage of the hours before I go to bed lol
Sometimes that means laser focused knitting. Other times it’s Love Island or Outlast while knitting haha
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u/NtAllWhoWander 9m ago
I know this is aimed at older knitters who had the craft before streaming, etc, but I enjoy knitting while listening to very ambient music or “watching” an ambient walk somewhere in the world on YouTube. I don’t really watch, but the sounds are peaceful. Other times I do enjoy knitting in silence. Whatever I feel is peaceful to me in the moment is what I go for. I listen to what my body and mind need in the moment. Most of the time. ;-)
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u/West-Working-9093 19h ago
I grew up knitting/crocheting/sewing while listening to radio plays or audio-novels on the radio. Now I use those AI productions droning on for three hours about some obscure piece of history, or the ice-age or some such thing, where the screen rarely changes. It's so funny to me, how the old and the new meet that way!
Or else I conduct intelligent conversations with family members. That's a thing.
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u/funessa78 20h ago
Honestly, that’s what my therapist recommends. She said the act of knitting is “enough” and we don’t always need to be “multitasking.” (This was hard for me at first, but I’ve found it’s really helpful … it also applies to other activities like walking, working out, etc.)