A Lawyer's Epic Response To 'Go Take Up Knitting'
It turns out it's not just women who should 'stick to the knitting.'
Feminine characteristics and activities that are associated with being a woman are often used as insults. Lawyers are taught there’s no room for “feelings,” to dismiss having emotions as a sign of weakness, and to look down upon genuine emotional connection, vulnerability, and emotional intelligence. We tend to overvalue traits perceived as masculine, such as dominance, aggressiveness, and reduced empathy (read: being a jerk).
Women’s hobbies aren’t immune from this trend. The phrase “go take up knitting” is often used as a dismissive comment to shut down women who dare to step up, be seen, and voice their opinions. Vanity Fair recently suggested Hillary Clinton should resolve to “take up knitting.” In September 2017, Toronto’s deputy mayor complained that the outgoing city planner, a woman, should “stick to the knitting.”
This rhetoric minimizes and dismisses these hobbies, but it turns out they have real benefits. Lauren Rad, a lawyer in Ventura, CA, posted a fascinating history of knitting and the many perks of the hobby on Twitter.
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
According to this New York Times article, knitting is beneficial for your mental health and well-being.
Lauren, who learned to knit as a 1L at Harvard Law School just as final exams approached, says knitting is the ultimate hobby for lawyers. “It helped me through school, some hard winters, the bar exam, and all the way through practice to the present.”
Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
Fortunately, research supports this. Here’s an overview of the many benefits of knitting.
1. Knitting helps cope with stress and depression. We all know that lawyers suffer from a very high rate of stress, anxiety, and depression. In one study, out of more than 3,500 respondents to a 2013 survey of knitters, 81.5 percent of respondents reported an increase in happiness after a knitting session. Some therapists have reported using knitting as part of a successful addiction treatment program because it substitutes a helpful activity for a harmful one. If you are stressed out, struggling with depression, or coping with substance abuse, knitting can often be part of an effective treatment plan.
2. Knitting has been linked to better memory and brain functioning over time. As the U.S. population continues to age, more and more lawyers will be working into their 70s, 80s, and even their 90s. Knitting is one way to help keep our brains sharp in all stages of professional life. In 2011, the Mayo Clinic studied 1,321 older adults and found that those who did cognitive activities (like knitting) had a 30%-50% lower chance of developing mild cognitive impairment than did peers who watched TV or read magazines in their spare time. Knitting also requires using basic math and spatial thinking, which many lawyers don’t get to use much in their work lives.
3. Knitting combats loneliness. A recent Harvard Business Review article makes the case that loneliness is linked to high rates of burnout in the workplace. Lawyering can be a lonely profession. Knitting, on the other hand, is a social activity. One of the best ways to learn how to knit is to learn in person from other knitters.
4. Knitting addresses perfectionism. Lawyers are notorious perfectionists. Learning to knit, making mistakes while knitting, and fixing those mistakes is a way to learn that mistakes in other areas of life are usually fixable, too.
Sponsored
Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
5. Knitting has an easy learning curve. Lawyers are no strangers to steep learning curves, but that doesn’t mean we want one in our downtime, too. The basics can be taught in an evening. The barrier to entry for a beginning knitter is very low.
Several lawyers and law students have responded to the Twitter discussion expressing an interest in learning to knit. Learning in person from a friend is always a good idea, but if you don’t have somebody who can teach you, there are lots of great resources online. Ravelry is the go-to destination for all things fiber-arts related. You can watch video tutorials and ask questions over at knittinghelp.com, or look up your local yarn store using Knitmap to find out about live classes and get help selecting the perfect yarn and needles for your project. If you’re looking to make friends with other knitters on Instagram, be sure to check out #knitstagram, #knitting_inspiration, and #iloveknitting.
If you are a lawyer and either want to learn to knit or want to join a community of lawyers who are into knitting, crocheting, and other fiber arts, join us in Legally Stitching!