Knit In Public Bingo

Knit In Public Bingo Just a handful of the things people have said to me or my friends. My favorite comment that didn’t make the cut was “My grandma taught me to crochet.” I’ve had two or three guys tell me that when I was working on a knitting project in a bar. Have you heard any of these before?


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51 responses to “Knit In Public Bingo”

  1. I ALWAYS get “Is that knit or crochet?” And sometimes people just assume it’s crochet or even something random like weaving. As in, “Look at that lady weaving!” Your bingo is so funny! I need to employ it next time I’m KIP!

  2. Someone asked me to make me a pair of baby booties because they saw me knitting. When I said no, I was called un-enterprising for not wanting to sell her something.

    1. Col

      Wow that’s a response. Learn to knit yourself people! And stop busting the chops of the people who are!

  3. I have gotten the majority of those (so tempted to print it off and mark them right now to see how many!). I do, however, try to sell knitting on Etsy/at markets…And although everyone says it would sell well, they don’t want to pay reasonable (eg minimum wage for skilled labour) price. So it’s difficult. haha

    Katie =^..^=

    1. I sooo agree with you! I knit dolls and everyone wants one when I post them on FB, or show them the dolls. Then when I tell them a price (which I think is reasonable for all the work that goes into the doll) all of a sudden it’s too much. They just wanted one for free! FREE!

  4. Points went to the guy who asked my friend (we were knitting a bar) if the pattern was “knit one, drink two?” I thought that was clever since we both put our needles down to have a gulp of beer.

  5. Oh, I also love it when I’m knitting away on a sock for me (I wear a women’s US 9 so my socks are pretty big) and people ask if it’s for a baby. This is usually after the heel turn so it’s looking like an adult sock.

    Or the adult sized sweater that *must* be for a baby. Um, no. I’m not birthing a baby who fits into a 38″ sweater. Furthermore knitting does NOT equal pregnant.

    1. I was just going to pipe up with the baby thing, too! Everyone always thinks what I’m knitting is for a baby. Um, nope, this is an adult-sized sweater!

  6. I always get “my grandmother used to knit socks/sweaters for me, definitely the best/warmest socks/sweater ever” or “I used to knit for my children when they were little but then they grew up and I stopped, maybe when there are grandchildren”

  7. Haha, I get always comments from elderly women who are glad that there are still people who knit πŸ™‚ This Bingo is awesome!

  8. Constance

    I actually get quite a few of these. The phrases I get most often are:
    1. You should sell your stuff on Etsy.
    2. You could make a ton of money.
    3. Would you make me a ___ ?
    4. What are you knitting ___ ?
    5. I don’t knit but, I can crochet.
    6. How much would you charge for a ___ ?

    I really don’t like the idea of creating stuff for profit so, I never get into that. It just comes off as a bit too stressful and I feel like it would take the fun out of.

    Now, when it comes to people asking me to teach them to knit, I am up for that. I believe in the “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” philosophy. Knitting wise it would be “Give a man a sweater you keep him warm for a day. Teach a man to knit, you keep him warm for a lifetime.” LOL

    1. Tracey Johnson

      Love your “teach a man to knit….”! Wonderful philosophy πŸ™‚

  9. While sat waiting for hours for children at gymnastics/swimming/football etc… I get “oh I would love to knit but I don’t have time, I have 2 children you see”…. Do they not see that I too have children and while they have been sat there doing nothing but gossiping for an hour… I have knit a few rows ( slow knitter but it all adds up). ?? πŸ™‚

    Bingo hilarious might print it and carry it with me πŸ˜‰

  10. This is great! A lot of these apply to sewing, too. Even though sewing doesn’t usually happen in public, once they find out you made the dress (or whatever) you’re wearing, the comments come flying in!

  11. karen

    Hi! Loved vanessa’s comment on the bar “pick up”- very cute and catherine, you rock my world ! How many times are we kip when others comment that they would love to knit, too-but they don’t have the time, etc.. well, while watching that soccer game, riding the subway , et al- get out your needles!

  12. The one I get a lot that stumps me is “how long does it take you to make a ____?”
    Like, in hours? Elapsed time after casting on? I don’t actually know.

  13. I’ve heard most of these. My family all say, “I don’t have the patience for that.” I tried teaching both my daughters to knit and that is the response I got. πŸ™‚

  14. I was knitting the other day right before a practical exam (it stops me stressing, lol) and I got “Knitting is so sexy” from a 17 year old girl. Everyone in the room stared at her like she’d dropped down from another planet.

    And I’m curious to know how long it actually does take me to knit a full sweater – I keep meaning to time myself one day, but I always forget when I’m starting a new project.

  15. I’ve had all these before as well… Plus, I’ve had the “uh… that’s pretty loud!” hahah. Before I moved to only knitting in public on bamboo needles!

    But I have to ask – when you knit in public, are you surprised that people have reactions? I mean… Would you prefer if no one said anything? Just curious. It rarely bothers me when I get comments like these, because, I figure, hey if I just suddenly started doing yoga (another of my pastimes) in a bar/waiting room/class, people would probably look askance at that too!

  16. ha, I love this, it’s SO true! although I do recall one time on the subway an older lady telling me I was doing it wrong- I’m thrower, turns out she was a picker.

  17. Megan

    This is fun! I’ve heard many of these while KIP. As a mom and pretty fervent lactavist, I want to create a nursing in public BINGO! That would be fun too.

  18. This is the most true thing I have ever seen.

  19. Sharon

    When i was knitting on my holiday for the OAL one of the campers said to me oh your knitting that’s Hilarious. Strangest comment I have ever gotten.

    1. Jane Susanna ENNIS

      Yes……why is it funny?

  20. irene

    hi,
    nice….i never knitted in public, just never thought of it, until recently when i had to go to the hospital with my mum…(3times for 3 hours each) and i thought ‘well lets cast on a beret’ …
    1 lady actually asked if i have too much time on my hands and maybe i should DO something….. (my husband and i have 2 company’s and i work fulltime next to being a mum and trying to get laundry and cooking done), i was totally flabbergasted but…i stayed polite…hahahahaha

    (apart from that, sitting in a hospital for 3 hours….well knitting is DOING something or should i have offered her an operation performed by me???? (i am a bookkeeper/PA/secretary and all other things that come up in our office…)…don’t think she would survive me operating on her or extracting blood or anything like that…:-)

    but since that, i am taking my knitting into the car (people actually wave at me) and to other places i know where i will be for more than half an hour…just to see how people react..and get little projects done πŸ™‚

    1. Peggy

      Irene, I love you! “Actually doing something!” My worst time was when I spent 4hrs. in the hospital waiting for my father-in-law- & I forgot my knitting!! Longest 4hrs. of my life.

    2. Merle Isaacs

      Hi Irene
      You have ever right to take your knitting wherever and whenever you want to. I have never knitted in public, people tend to stare at you and ask you all kinds of silly questions. I was asked to teach a couple of people how to knit, but i am not good at showing someone how to knit. I taught my daughter to knit and she’s making a knee blanket of all the odd wool in the house. Keep knitting Irene.

  21. Scully

    The one I get the most is ‘K1, P1?’ and I desperately want to say….’Not everything I knit is in rib!’ Again, I always get told to sell stuff but when I explain that a lot of designs are copyrighted so you can’t sell what you make, or then say how much it cost to make a simple baby cardigan, then they soon lose interest.
    Generally tho, most of the times I’ve knitted in public which is a lot, I get really nice positive comments. It’s a great icebreaker β™₯

  22. Weirdly (or maybe not so weirdly), 90% of the women start by asking me who I am knitting for, and 90% of the men by asking me whether I’m knitting them a sweater! Stop being so clichΓ©, people! πŸ˜€

  23. Candace

    Brilliant. All so true! My fave is the bit about “selling those on Etsy…”

  24. Funny, the Dutch always tend to be rather rude, but I’ve never heard the “boring” one or the “rude” phrase. I’d have to replace them with an old Dutch child’s rhyme “insteken, omslaan, doorhalen, af laten gaan”, the four knitting steps we were taught, I’m not sure how to translate those.
    I think I’m also using a few of those myself btw, when I see someone else knitting (I should have brought my own) πŸ™‚

  25. I love it! I should print this out! Some of it applies to my sewing too! Haha

  26. I’m also a tatter and we get some of the same types of comments esp. confusing tatting with crochet. The comment that really annoys me: “I thought tatting was a dead art.” (Do I look dead to you?) Also, since from all I’ve been told, it seems EVERYONE’s grandmother tatted, there must be millions of pieces of tatting squirreled away somewhere ready to flood the world with knotted lace.

  27. The comment that really bugs me every time? When they say with a sigh, “I wish I had time to knit. Maybe when I retire.” As if I have nothing of importance to do, but their life is so full of Big Responsibilities and Important Tasks, they don’t have time to waste on frivolities like knitting.

    Thanks for an awesome bingo game!

  28. This is so fun. Definitely nodding in agreement!

  29. The weirdest comment I ever had was when I was crocheting on the train and a man accused me of carrying illegal weapons… 0_0

  30. Cris Creations

    I’ve been a serious knitter since my mid teens (actually learned around age 5 or so). When I was in my mid-20’s, my beloved stepfather jokingly asked “So what will you do when you get to be a little old lady?” My answer: “Knit!” That was more than 30 years ago and I am still knitting. It goes everywhere with me.

  31. stephenie

    I am thrilled with this bingo. I read through it and I think I’ve only NOT heard 1 of these! I remember being on the ‘el and listening to a guy behind me brag to his (assumed) girlfriend that I was “crocheting since I see my grandmother do it all the time”. I restrained myself from turning around and informing him that it was not crocheting, it was knitting.

    When I get asked to knit something for someone, I give an honest quote for the cost of the yarn, then my usual professional minimum of @20/hour which is still far less than I make in my real job. I tell them how many hours it will take me to do the project. I never hear back from them again. πŸ™‚

    1. Jane Susanna ENNIS

      Oh yes, that is what annoys me the most……my prices are listed very clearly, and I am NOT going to reduce them.

  32. The one that really irks me is…”you must have a lot of free time.” hahahahaha. as if πŸ˜‰

  33. midj

    LOVE THIS! When anyone asks me to make them something I tell them what I sold a baby sweater for ($350) and they are astounded. Then I tell them I will teach them for free and they just laugh and walk away. Thanks for the Bingo card, I will be printing it out and the group I knit with will have fun marking off their card.

  34. Annie Seven

    This is great, as is the Christmas Bingo card. I was in a waiting area at the doctor’s last week working on a sweater. This older woman came over and asked me what I was working on and said she really liked the yarn — it had bits of sequins in it and gold thread – it’s a sweater for New Year’s Eve. I gave her the label from the yarn, told her where I purchased it. She was so pleased, said she was going to get some to make a beret! Love those moments. Applies to whether I knit or crochet in public.

  35. Elizabeth

    Love the knitting Bingo. Have heard them all – mostly while knitting in airports. As a child we used to play sermon bingo with list of words which may have been used. Made us listen but not to shout Bingo!

  36. Rochelle

    People ask me who all my socks are for, and I tell them “Myself. All my socks are for myself.” One woman was just shocked, maybe imagining I’m a selfish person.

    1. Kathy

      My daughter think I am selfish too, that I should knit more socks for other people and fewer for me, (I do knit some as gifts, but I’m getting more selfish) but I don’t like to let them go, I like to knit complicated socks, and I don’t think other people always appreciate them.

  37. Rochelle

    ”You must have a lot of free time” irks me. I knit in places where everyone else is playing games or doing what-not on their smart-phones.

  38. Jane Susanna ENNIS

    My grandmother used to knit during the war. …

  39. Kathy

    I just asked some of these yesterday, knitting socks while waiting for someone in surgery. The woman was completely shocked. You can knit socks? Stunned when I showed her the ones on my feet. How did she think people got socks before they bought them at the store?

  40. Mathieu Arnold

    And then, imagine being a guy knitting. You can add all those sexist things like “Knitting is a girl thing”…

    1. You could probably write a full bingo card just with those kinds of sexist comments!

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