An audience that’s knitting listens better. Should we all do some needlework during lectures?
Knitting is all the rage. More and more students are crocheting, embroidering and doing all sorts of handicrafts: out of activism, as a protest against the fashion industry, or to take a break from that addictive phone. It’s also said to be good for your concentration. Why aren’t we all knitting in the lecture theatre?
It started with a tote bag, but now Merle Doeswijk (20), a student of interdisciplinary social sciences, is crocheting entire paintings. In the corridor of the J/K building, she quickly finishes off her row before the lecture begins. She crochets because she enjoys it and to clear her head. “And it also tests your patience, because finishing something takes quite a long time.”
Former UvA student Sophia Wintermans (26) noticed that she can listen to music better whilst knitting. Partly for this reason, she founded the craft platform Knits and Notes, through which she organises gatherings where people can knit to music in cafés, cinemas and at festivals such as the ADE dance festival and the Paradiso music venue. “We also organise talks and have noticed that an audience knitting listens much better. You can then let the speaker speak for much longer.”
Former UvA student Sophia Wintermans (26) noticed that she can listen to music better whilst knitting. Partly for this reason, she founded the craft platform Knits and Notes, through which she organises gatherings where people can knit to music in cafés, cinemas and at festivals such as the ADE dance festival and the Paradiso music venue. “We also organise talks and have noticed that an audience knitting listens much better. You can then let the speaker speak for much longer.”If the headlines are to be believed, young people have once again taken up handicrafts en masse. Knitting, crocheting and embroidery are trendy, and the activity is also said to improve concentration. Who is knitting, and what motivates students to pick up their needles? And – if there are so many benefits – why aren’t we all knitting en masse in the lecture theatre?
Knitting is sexy
According to Sophia, a new generation of knitters has emerged in recent years. “Knitting has long since ceased to be just for grandmothers. Queer people, feminists and activists are also picking up their knitting needles.”
Crafting is also said to be a reaction against the polluting fashion industry. And that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Top models such as Kendall Jenner have already posed in knitted bikinis, and the nude calendar Knits and Tits created by Sophia Wintermans has also been a hit. “Knitting and being sexy go very well together.”
Other students knit out of activism. The feminist action group Dolle Mina’s, for example, crafts against violence, thereby tying in with the global campaign Stitches Against Violence.
Research also shows that performing a motor skill, such as knitting or crocheting, can help you stay more engaged in a lecture. “Provided that skill is automatic,” adds Richard Ridderinkhof, UvA-professor of motor skills and ageing. “In the gym, for example, you can easily listen to a podcast, unless you have to operate a machine. That will work just fine for knitting and crocheting too.”
For Merle, crocheting is also a way to relax and “take your mind off things for a while”. She started crocheting two years ago because a friend was doing it, and she hasn’t stopped since. She crochets everywhere – on the train, at home on the sofa, and at university between lectures. Just not during lectures. “That feels disrespectful because it looks as though you’re not paying attention. Although I do think I could listen better.”
Hooked
Sophia would sometimes dare to bring her knitting along to the fashion minor’s lectures. “I noticed I could listen to things better when I was knitting or crocheting,” says Sophia. “It really helps with your attention span, provided you know the pattern well.”
There are two mechanisms in the brain that play a role in increasing concentration, explains Ridderinkhof. The first mechanism is arousal, a physical state of alertness triggered by hormones such as noradrenaline and dopamine. These substances are released after a brisk walk, whilst knitting, or when a speaker raises their voice. Ridderinkhof: “Arousal could explain why you manage to keep your attention on the lecture whilst knitting. But if the lecture is very boring, it’s usually not enough.”
Ridderinkhof finds it more plausible that knitting switches off your default mode network. This is the network in the brain that is active when you are “doing nothing”, whilst daydreaming, worrying or going through your shopping list. “By performing a concrete activity such as knitting or doing a circuit at the gym, you switch off the default mode network and other networks become active. Your attention network and your executive functions network start to work, which are important for taking in information and linking it to the hooks you already have.”
Exercise bike
Knitting could therefore genuinely help you pay better attention during a lecture. But Ridderinkhof feels that granting knitting a special exemption in the lecture theatre is going a bit too far. “The evidence isn’t strong enough for that. There are only a few small studies that demonstrate this – not even specifically for knitting – and some contradict each other.”
Moreover, there are significant individual differences, Ridderinkhof continues. “It may be that knitting works well for you but not for me. I myself knitted a jumper in the lecture theatre back in 1982, but that certainly didn’t help me pay attention. But suppose you have ADHD; then this might just give you the nudge you need to increase arousal and temper the default mode network. And that might apply to more people.”
Ridderinkhof can only encourage people doing other things in the lecture theatre to help them stay focused. “It may be that people knitting distract fellow students, but students on their phones or laptops in the lecture theatre are just as distracting, if not more so. If I were to recommend something myself, I’d say: buy a bike trainer to put under your desk. That also provides motor activity with the associated mental benefits and it burns calories too.”
