s/o--WHY is crocheting during a sermon or lecture judged so harshly by some?

[AndyJoy]

Oh, but it MAKES you hear better. I was amazed at how this works. Something complex, like counting stitches, etc, no, but just rote finger movement and the EYEs trained upon it make my ears MAGICALLY alert. So, any who think they are being shunned are being ignorant.

 

One can explain how it trains the ears to the voice. If the person still doesn't believe it, they are calling me a liar, and I would then truly shun them. What fool does not know that people deeply resent being called liars.

 

I spent years being harassed by teachers and classmates because I doodle in class. I don't usually take notes--I remember what I see and hear very well, but I need to be doing something with my hands so that my brain is focused on the teacher. I had silly putty, rubber bands, and a Chinese jump rope that I wrapped and unwrapped around my hand taken away from me in elementary school until I discovered that I could draw more discretely. My mom was one of my few teachers who understood. She did draw the line and limit me to 4 colored pencils though when I got a bit ambitious with my 48-pack. Yeah, she probably had a point about it being a bit distracting to others :D.

 

I think I'm going to start sketching during sermons so I can focus--I'm not good enough at knitting to do it without being a distraction. I'm usually tired from having a 2-year-old and pregnancy fatigue, so if I sit still that long without using my hands I struggle to stay awake. If I draw, I can listen and remember without trouble.

[elegantlion]

I don't see it as irreverent. I have a house full of fidgety people. My ds and dh absolutely absorb more if they are moving. I remember ds watching a movie for school. He was like 8. He moved the entire time, never sat down. I had reminded him that we would have question time afterward. He answered 24 out of 25 questions correctly. That was when I knew I had a little dh on my hands.

 

I am prone to distraction. I scribble all over sermon notes. If you were crocheting near me, I'd spend my time watching you, more out of distraction than judgement.

 

When we were in church I tried not to sit near people I knew would distract me. Of course, dh would fall asleep, so I'd spend my time poking him. So while I wouldn't sit by you in church, I wouldn't care if you were crocheting.

 

I'd rather had knitters in a service than coughing people, but that's a whole other discussion.

[lllll]

..

[QueenCat]

Just how long are your sermons??? It's sounding like they're way longer than the 15 minutes or so that I'm used to?

 

Ours are 15-20 minutes, which is typical in every church I've ever attended. Service is an hour to an hour and 15 minutes long, depending on whether or not we have communion that Sunday.

[elegantlion]

My dh has to be doing something with his hands while listening, too. He usually grabs whatever's handy and starts twisting it or taking it apart - paper clips, rubber bands, pens, pencils, a deck of cards (solitaire), anything. When he sits down beside me at my 'desk', I quietly put away anything he could 'play with' before he gets hold of it. :lol:

 

I without noticing demolished a set of tiny post it notes. It was totally unconscious. I put them in a drawer after that. .

 

I normally have "toys" on my desk. I have a toy jeep and a plastic dragon usually engaged in some battle.

[joannqn]

I'd rather had knitters in a service than coughing people, but that's a whole other discussion.

 

 

Yeah, can we also remove people who sing too loud, sing off key, clap too loud, clap off beat, clap in really odd ways, dance/move too much, hold their hands up in funky ways, kick the seat, tap their legs, cough, etc? 'Cause all that distracts me to no end.

 

On a similar note...

 

Our last church had a deaf ministry, which I joined. I got to the point where I could be taught the songs for the coming week and be the music interpreter. It was through that ministry that I discovered I could worship without distraction if I was also signing. It feels more worshipful because my full attention is on the song and signs, not on everything listed in my paragraph above (moving hands = focus). Unfortunately, I'm now forgetting most of it. I hope to someday be able to take classes and become fluent in ASL, not necessarily to interpret, but to worship again.

 

Knitting and crocheting would do the same for the sermon.

[lllll]

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[AndyJoy]

My dh has to be doing something with his hands while listening, too. He usually grabs whatever's handy and starts twisting it or taking it apart - paper clips, rubber bands, pens, pencils, a deck of cards (solitaire), anything. When he sits down beside me at my 'desk', I quietly put away anything he could 'play with' before he gets hold of it. :lol:

 

My mom once absentmindedly opened 4 packs of stickers that I got for my 11th birthday while talking on the phone! My sister and I stood across the room snickering as she did it. We were debating whether she'd start sticking them on things :lol:. She was shocked when we pointed it out to her after she hung up!

[AndyJoy]

Ours are 15-20 minutes, which is typical in every church I've ever attended. Service is an hour to an hour and 15 minutes long, depending on whether or not we have communion that Sunday.

 

Our sermons are 35-45 minutes long! Every other church I attended the sermons were 30 minutes long.

[5kidsforME]

OTOH, if somebody was constantly moving her hands at the periphery of my vision, this would be extremely distracting and would make it impossible for me to focus on the sermon.

Anybody doing these things should make sure to sit in the back.

 

This. I have no problem with someone crocheting during church but please sit in the back. People can say, oh just don't look at them but the truth is, is that it is very distracting for some. Some people already struggle with ADD, that would just make it all the harder.

[Colleen in NS]

Yeah, can we also remove people who sing too loud, sing off key, clap too loud, clap off beat, clap in really odd ways, dance/move too much, hold their hands up in funky ways, kick the seat, tap their legs, cough, etc? 'Cause all that distracts me to no end.

 

 

:lol::lol::lol:

 

Some of the examples in this thread reminded me of a guy in our church who sits and draws pencil-sketches. He *is* very distracted (his mind is always going), and I guess it helps him to draw while listening. His sketches are beautiful. But I only noticed it recently. It's not like he sets up an easel with a big canvas - he just sketches in a small notebook on his lap. But he's a man who is very involved in the church and has been for many years - I believe he's probably hearing everything and worshipping God at the same time. But again, our church doesn't seem to mind this type of thing. I know other churches would look down on it.

[Teachin'Mine]

I don't know who you are asking, but ours are 45 min. - 1 hour.

 

I was asking everyone who has enough time to break out the crocheting during the sermon. :lol: Now it makes more sense. :) 45 minutes to an hour would be a long time to sit and be attentive without some kind of an aid.

 

Caitlin is right - I'm used to the Catholic Mass which has much shorter sermons, although some have been a bit longer than 15 minutes. With the timing of Masses close together, it would cause traffic jams in the parking lot if the priest gave a much longer sermon as that Mass would be letting out while others were arriving for the next. :tongue_smilie:

 

Strider a 3 to 4 hour long service?!!! Definitely time to break out the crocheting hooks!!! I don't blame you for sneaking out for a snack. Now I know when all the beautiful blankets, baby outfits, etc. are made for the crafts fairs. ;)

[Teachin'Mine]

Ours are 15-20 minutes, which is typical in every church I've ever attended. Service is an hour to an hour and 15 minutes long, depending on whether or not we have communion that Sunday.

 

Cathie that's ours too, and the Mass is anywhere from 45 minutes to about an hour with Communion every Sunday. I've never seen anyone knitting or crocheting, but the youngest children may have a quiet, or sometimes not so quiet, toy or two. Have you ever seen anyone knitting or crocheting during the service?

[Rosy]

For me the ENTIRE church service... The singing, the prayer, and the sermon... Is an act of worship and should be treated as such. YMMV.

 

Exactly.

[gardenmom5]

Yeah, can we also remove people who sing too loud, sing off key, . . . . .

 

we have an older man (late 70's) in our congregation who loves to sing, and sings in the choir as well. (anyone who wants to sing in choir is welcome). He is a baritone, loud, and VERY off-key. He always makes me smile. His singing may make me cringe on occassion, but it also makes me think of the man he is. a real salt of the earth type. He's a good, kind, and generous man and the world could use alot more like him.

[Cindy in the NH Woods]

Sure beats Angry Birds.... ;)

[Photo Ninja]

Isn't church more about the relationship between the person (knitter, crocheter, sketcher...) and God than about other attendees wanting specific behavior they deem correct? It is not like the sketcher or knitter is drawing attention to herself and away from the speaker. She is certainly not preventing anyone else from listening to the sermon. I prefer the crocheter/sketcher come to church and listen to and enjoy the sermon than stay away from church because she is criticized for knitting while listening.

[scrapbookbuzz]

I have to admit that, before I read your post about physical and attentive issues, I thought, "Well, how could you not know it was rude??" So forgive me as I instantly judged. I'm not being facetious, that's pretty much what I thought. However, I do understand having to "occupy" that part of your brain that tends to get distracted. If you're going to knit or crochet, I agree with a previous poster who said to:

 

1) Inform the pastor of the method behind your madness (as a courtesy) and

2) Sit in the back or corner where it is the least distracting to those around you.

[Colleen in NS]

I was asking everyone who has enough time to break out the crocheting during the sermon. :lol:

 

Now I know when all the beautiful blankets' date=' baby outfits, etc. are made for the crafts fairs. ;)[/quote']

 

:lol::lol: You got it! And yup, I just sold some of my items at a craft fair yesterday....a craft fair organized by my fellow crafty friend in the church, in the church building, with the blessing of the church leadership! :lol:

[Hikin' Mama]

FWIW, I don't think it's irreverant. IMO, reverance resides in your heart and only God can see that anyway.

[TravelingChris]

I don't have any problems with crocheting, knitting, doodling, etc. as long as there is no noise. It helps my add children pay attention. It didn't help me- I have a problem with most long sermons. At one church we were members, the minister put up powerpoint slides with words left out and we had the same sermon outline in our bulletins. That really helped me pay attention. In the church we are now members, the sermons are shorter than in the one I had such a hard time paying attention. Also, I open the Bible and follow along or read more. I am one who remembers more by writing notes and so is dh. But the bulletin here has no place for notes. I should remember and get some papers we both could use.

 

What are things that really distract me- noises like crying babies, coughing, children chattering, kids dropping toys or having noisy toys. Some of that is inevitable and I know it is my problem. Fortunately for me, all the people with crying babies go to earlier service or take advantage of the nursery. It was only at my last church where there were people who both didn't want to use the nursery or to go to the fellowship hall where we would have simulcast service for families with littles or overflow traffic.

[Laurie4b]

I've never been to a church with sermons under 30 minutes.

[RanchGirl]

I don't think it's irreverent, and I don't think our pastors are supposed to be revered anyway. They are supposed to teach out of the Bible. So to me it's the same as crocheting during a college course... perfectly fine as long as it is not distracting others.

 

Now if you were crocheting during worship, that would be different IMO.

[Cindyg]

Today as I came out of church, I saw someone knitting in the foyer -- a place where she could sit comfortably and still hear the sermon. I thought of this thread.