Replying to Dear Abby

Sheila asked this morning what our thoughts on this are:

ABBY: Is it rude or inconsiderate for a person to knit, crochet or piece a quilt while attending a meeting or other gathering? -- CURIOUS IN THE SUNBELT

DEAR CURIOUS: Although I may get some argument about this, I do think it's rude. When someone is attending a meeting or a social gathering, it is considered good manners to give the speaker or other attendees your full attention. And while I expect to hear from readers who say they can "multi-task," to do so sends the wrong message.

Here is what I think:

Dear Abby,
How does one politely tell an advice columnist that an answer provided was incorrect?

Knitting, crocheting, or quilting at a meeting or gathering is not considered rude IF the person to do the hand stitching inquired -- prior to doing so -- if they may?  Most of these hand stitchers will bring "simple" work with them so they won't cause distraction or break their concentration of listening to the speaker.

How effective is knitting, crocheting, or quilting while at a meeting or gathering? Based upon schools teaching crochet and knitting to grades 3-5, and allowing those kids to create stitches while being taught history, social studies, and math, it is very effective. The kids are able to sit quietly in their chairs for greater lengths of time while they absorb more of the lesson being taught -- and as a bonus, their math scores are going up. (Math is a huge part of the fiber arts!)

So, a better answer would have been: Would you rather an attendee be productive by quietly knitting, crocheting, or quilting with permission, or would you rather that attendee spend their time at the meeting/gathering text messaging or reading their personal emails?

(To be fair, you stuck the word "social" in your reply.  Yes, it would be wrong to knit, crochet or quilt at a Wedding, Funeral, or some other function of equal importance.)

~Considerate Crocheter in Connecticut