getting sick of this...

[deird1]

Because I'm currently all enthusiastic about crocheting, I've been lurking in a whole lot of knitting/crochet discussions. And I keep seeing people talk about doing yarn-crafts during uni lectures.

There is a large contingent of people out there who think it is appalling to knit during lectures. Their reasoning is basically:
1) You need to pay attention to the lecture.
2) You can't pay attention if you're also knitting.

There's also a slightly smaller group, who think that:
1) Sure, you might be able to knit and pay attention at the same time.
2) But it looks ruder, so you should put your knitting down - thereby both paying attention and looking like you're paying attention.

I AM SO SICK OF THIS. BECAUSE SERIOUSLY.

*sighs*



Dear anti-craft people,

Strange as it may seem, my options are not
a) pay attention while knitting
b) pay attention while gazing rapturously at my lecturer's every utterance

Instead, I'll be doing one of the following:
a) pay attention while knitting
b) stare blankly at the lecturer while my brain drifts off to lala land and starts planning the colonization of Alpha Centauri

I can either pay attention, OR look like I'm paying attention. I can't do both! Stop assuming that I can!

Sincerely,
a distractable person.

Comments

[redsixwing]

Augh. Yes.

For me it is doodling, with either a pencil or pen. Am I looking down, and involved in some intricate bit of shading? Then I am focusing really hard.

Am I watching you with a polite and interested smile?

I'm probably debating what kind of dinosaur would make the best pet.

[deird1]

Heh. Definitely.

And it's so hard to explain to other people...

[fenchurch]

That's exactly what happens with me... I almost *have* to doodle during lectures, just to do something to occupy the bit of my brain that would otherwise take over and go for a joyride.

[lliira]

That is me completely. Unless I'm writing down notes at that moment, I'm doodling. If I can't doodle while listening to a lecture, my brain runs off to other worlds. My high school civics teacher said it showed I had an analytical mind -- though I have no idea if that's true. Or what he even meant.

[next_to_normal]

In my experience, looking like your paying attention is more important than actually paying attention. Which is kind of a problem if, you know, you actually wanted to LEARN something...

[velvetwhip]

People quite frankly need to mind their own darn business anyway. After all, if they are worrying about what YOU are doing, it's clear they aren't paying attention to the lecturer, are they?


Gabrielle

[verity]

THIS.

[jillofalltrades]

Ugh. Agreed.

Once got told off - heckled, even - by a lecturer when I was sitting in the front row knitting. 'Cause duh, I clearly am so ready to ignore your class that I'm sitting in the front row. Please don't be so boring I have to find a physical activity to stay awake. I walked out. I suspect having had the entire theatre's attention drawn to me already that it may have made a point.

[1c2k3p4p5c.livejournal.com]

For a period at work, I utilized a tapestry to maintain my focus while the computer was (oh so slowly) generating graphs of bird calls. Nothing else worked. I understand women knitted in church during the war and here is someone else who does it

http://chaosvortex.blogspot.com.au/2007/03/knitting-in-church.html