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Consider Knitting

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Re: Consider Knitting

#41

Post by benchly »

bonki wrote: post #2

I like crotcheting (tried it again for the first time since childhood during Covid). My main problem is that, unless you have already mastered it and can do it in your sleep, I have to fully concentrate on it to not fuck things up, which means I can't do something else at the same time, e.g. listen to an audiobook. And because I'm so slow it takes too much time for me to not think that it's a waste of time because I…

If I may ask, do you suffer from anxiety and depression?

I do. As part of that whole package, I find it exceedingly difficult to focus on more than one thing at a time. As much as I would love to sit and code a bit while watching tv or listening to an audio book, I simply cannot do it. I've tried many times and find it impossible to focus on my project while my brain is more interested in the easy attention economy of the television.

Conversely, my wife is very talented in the fiber arts. She seems to be able to sew, crochet and knit while watching tv without any effort at all, paying attention to both whatever show we have on and what she's doing. Granted, she's been at it for well over a decade so there's some learned adaptation there, but as far back as I can remember she has never had the same problem I do. She also does not suffer from anxiety and depression on the level that I do.

I've been wondering if there's a correlation for awhile now. Interesting that this popped up on HN and pulled me out of lurk mode.

Re: Consider Knitting

#42

Post by somewhereoutth »

Knitting was a hipster thing in London (and elsewhere most likely) for about 6 months back in the dark days of peak hipsterism (2000-2010?). It takes rather a lot of time and effort, so I guess they got bored of it pretty quick.

Re: Consider Knitting

#43

Post by contrarian1234 »

benchly wrote: post #41
bonki wrote: post #2

I like crotcheting (tried it again for the first time since childhood during Covid). My main problem is that, unless you have already mastered it and can do it in your sleep, I have to fully concentrate on it to not fuck things up, which means I can't do something else at the same time, e.g. listen to an audiobook. And because I'm so slow it takes too much time for me to not think that it's a waste of time because I…

If I may ask, do you suffer from anxiety and depression? I do. As part of that whole package, I find it exceedingly difficult to focus on more than one thing at a time. As much as I would love to sit and code a bit while watching tv or listening to an audio book, I simply cannot do it. I've tried many times and find it impossible to focus on my project while my brain is more interested in the easy attention economy o…

Has nothing to do with anxiety or depression

Multitasking is just a "personality trait".. and predominantly women are more able to multitask than men. You should simply ask around and see the correlations. Some of the happiest people I know can't multitask at all

Re: Consider Knitting

#44

Post by d--b »

As an engineer you might also create your very own punch-card programmable Jacquard loom.

It kind of defeats the meditation thing though :-)

Re: Consider Knitting

#45

Post by bonki »

benchly wrote: post #41
bonki wrote: post #2

I like crotcheting (tried it again for the first time since childhood during Covid). My main problem is that, unless you have already mastered it and can do it in your sleep, I have to fully concentrate on it to not fuck things up, which means I can't do something else at the same time, e.g. listen to an audiobook. And because I'm so slow it takes too much time for me to not think that it's a waste of time because I…

If I may ask, do you suffer from anxiety and depression? I do. As part of that whole package, I find it exceedingly difficult to focus on more than one thing at a time. As much as I would love to sit and code a bit while watching tv or listening to an audio book, I simply cannot do it. I've tried many times and find it impossible to focus on my project while my brain is more interested in the easy attention economy o…

I do, but I'm not convinced there is correlation. In front of the computer I can easily multitask and I can just as easily sit for 10 hours straight and code with focus. Outside the digital realm I find it harder to multitask - if I talk to someone on the phone and try to do something at the same time I immediately lose focus on the conversation, I drift away and no longer know what the other person is talking about. I've been wondering if the difference is that there is external input which I can't anticipate - if I do multiple things on the the computer by myself all state exists in my head and it's just a matter of random read access. On the other hand, I also find it hard to cook and go back to the computer for "just one second", every other time I immediately forget that there is food on the stove. I'd say that my attention span has suffered since Covid and I find it generally harder to keep focus, for example when watching TV, but if the focus is there I can still hold it for a very long time, e.g. when programming.

Re: Consider Knitting

#46

Post by voidUpdate »

In the same vein, I've been enjoying making plushies recently, when my body allows me to. You end up with something you made yourself, even if it sometimes looks a bit skrunkly, and they're great gifts (for my friend group anyway, which mostly consists of trans girls that need more plushies in their lives)

Re: Consider Knitting

#47

Post by bonki »

contrarian1234 wrote: post #43
benchly wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I may ask, do you suffer from anxiety and depression? I do. As part of that whole package, I find it exceedingly difficult to focus on more than one thing at a time. As much as I would love to sit and code a bit while watching tv or listening to an audio book, I simply cannot do it. I've tried many times and find it impossible to focus on my project while my brain is more interested in the easy attention economy o…

Has nothing to do with anxiety or depression Multitasking is just a "personality trait".. and predominantly women are more able to multitask than men. You should simply ask around and see the correlations. Some of the happiest people I know can't multitask at all

I don't want this to sound derogatory but my experience is that simpler minds are generally happier in life, and I'd guess that this often (not always) comes with an inability to multitask, so I believe you are right. I had a friend in school (great dude, very grounded and happy person) who couldn't eat ice cream and walk at the same time (I swear I'm not making this up).

Re: Consider Knitting

#48

Post by treszkai »

jvanderbot wrote: post #40

I find woodworking fun for basically all the same reasons. Plus there's still the math of adding up things to predict cut layouts, and you end up with a new shelf or box or table. I'm not sure I would use anything I knitted.

I also found woodworking recently as a software engineer and it's incredibly rewarding. Both the tactile feeling of the activity, the idea of building something that _exists_ in physical form and exists in your or a loved one's home, and the pride that you feel about a finished product and having overcome challenges and learned something.

Unlike knitting, I love its usefulness. There are so only many use cases for knitwear, but furniture, man, everyone needs furniture. And being in a home that I built by my two hands is infinite joy.

The three aspects where it falls short to knitting: - It can't be done mindlessly. It would be unsafe and you'd make costly mistakes that you can't undo by pulling on the yarn. - It's more expensive. The materials are a bit more pricy (compared to hours spent on working them), but the machines certainly are. - You are confined to space and time. Whether it's your garage or wood shop where you have machines and can make noise and dust, or it's your living room where you exclusively use hand tools – you surely can't do it in your car while waiting for the kids, or at the university, or on the public transport. Whittling small objects is the one exception.

But yes, woodworking is awesome.

Re: Consider Knitting

#49

Post by bonki »

jvanderbot wrote: post #40

I find woodworking fun for basically all the same reasons. Plus there's still the math of adding up things to predict cut layouts, and you end up with a new shelf or box or table. I'm not sure I would use anything I knitted.

I find woodworking extremely alluring. I'd love to do woodworking, but that requires space for an environment which I don't have. I like to think that in a parallel universe I build guitars and restore old wooden furniture.

Re: Consider Knitting

#50

Post by zavec »

voidUpdate wrote: post #46

In the same vein, I've been enjoying making plushies recently, when my body allows me to. You end up with something you made yourself, even if it sometimes looks a bit skrunkly, and they're great gifts (for my friend group anyway, which mostly consists of trans girls that need more plushies in their lives)

I can't believe I never thought of trying to crochet a blahaj until just now
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