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Sketcher
Gabber Extraordinaire
597 Posts |
 Posted - 09/13/2006 : 2:33:18 PM
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I'm way too busy to knit at work (public library). But someone came in and had a little bit of a knitting mess on their hands. Since I didn't have any other patrons asking for help or needing to be checked out - I went ahead and showed how to fix the problem. It didn't take very long. The director came out as we were finishing up and gave me the hairy eyeball. Honestly, he sits and reads the paper & checks his stock listings in the office. At least I was helping a patron. Reference work, right? Small town - never hurts to be helpful so also Public Relations. He hasn't said anything yet. And maybe he won't. Or if he does, it'll be on my evaluation.
So, just wondering. Any stories out there? |
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galleylama
Seriously Hooked
753 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2006 : 2:42:31 PM
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Hmmm...all the time, especially when I am working nights and have to stay awake to watch over things. I also end up teaching alot of my fellow co-workers how to knit at night.
It is easier to be forgiven than to receive permission. |
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Calamintha
Permanent Resident
USA
2886 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2006 : 3:23:10 PM
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Oh, that's too bad. I used to work in a college library and I never knitted or anything like that while I was on duty but it sure seems like what you were doing was work related because you were helping a patron.
My supervisor was like yours--she had a million ways to goof off but if anyone else did something she didn't approve of, even if it was work related, they got chewed out. She used to get on my case if she saw me using the internet even if what I was doing was work related but she gave another person permission to bring a portable TV set in to watch while he was on duty. Go figure.
If I were you I would check with the Personnel Office about evaluations. Where I worked supervisors were only allowed to mark people down on evaluations if they have spoken to the person about the problem and the problem persisted. My supervisor got in trouble one time for not giving verbal warnings first.
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~bananaKnits~
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
516 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2006 : 3:25:15 PM
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quote:
It is easier to be forgiven than to receive permission.
Here, here! I've always lived by that rule! The minute I heard it I liked it.
Yes I have been caught knitting on the job, when I got up from my desk and a trail of yarn followed me.
Happy Knitting,
Never reinvent the wheel, it's been done! Why bother? Just put your own spin on it! -Ana Petrova
http://bananaknits.blogspot.com/
and my sock blog: http://bananasocks.blogspot.com/
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LindaR
New Pal
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2006 : 4:05:49 PM
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I'm lucky enough to get to knit at my job. I work in a gift shop/boat tours at a little known national park. Now that school is open most tourists are not traveling and it is very slow so lots of knitting gets done. I usually shove it under the counter when anyone comes in or set it on my chair, I've met alot of very nice women who knit, when I get caught at it, and a few men who tell me their mom's knit. Even my boss comes in to see what I'm making next. I love this job, great views of the bay and knitting and I get paid for this. lol
Linda |
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eclair
Chatty Knitter
New Zealand
320 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2006 : 9:27:31 PM
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I have it written into my job description. Knitting is allowed. Especially when I am cross. I am also entitled to halt work and talk about knitting whenever I identify one of my customers as another knitter. I am positively encouraged to show them knitting websites and online shops.
In our business, the more the customers use their computers, the better it is for business! And the knitters and spinners turn out to be very avid websurfers! In fact, I can't think of a single one who, once they have been shown the light, hasn't demanded an upgrade to broadband after getting hooked on "Yarn Porn" (that's what DH calls it - he says I'm a pusher. I prefer 'enabler')
Knitting is definitely good for business. And somedays it's the only thing that stops me from locking all my technicians in the stock cupboard and leaving them there. |
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Isis Rising
Chatty Knitter
320 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2006 : 9:41:50 PM
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I work at a call center, and knitting is okay. As long as I'm taking care of my customers, no one cares. Our on-site training department will actually tell me to go get my knitting, because if I sit in a training class without it-- I go right to sleep.
It's such a dream to be able to knit while talking to my difficult customers. They are yelling and screaming, and each knit or purl stitch keeps me calm as well as focused on the task at hand. I find I actually listen to everything people are saying when I'm knitting.
http://isisrising.typepad.com/ |
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spindledreams
Warming Up
87 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2006 : 9:48:11 PM
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ROFL not just knitting but also spinning and weaving. 
I work in a Truck Stop on the 10 pm to 6 am shift. We are supposed to clean and do other things like that if there are no customers but you can only clean so much..
The only comment made so far was when I was working on items DURING BREAK and it was made to my co worker not me! At that point I only worked on my crafts during breaks or lunch.
Recently I have decided that if others could read at the fuel desk I could do my simple knitting there. I am careful not to do anything too involved as I need to be ready to drop it and help someone immediatly. So far no comment but I am waiting.
I have found that the "crafty stuff" is a great opener for a conversation. A few nights ago I was helping a co worker learn to knit and one of the truckers stopped to help her also! Turned out he knits and drop spindles when not driving. I have also had them ask me to demo drop spindling to a new co driver or a wife or kids that are traveling with them. There are also many what are you doing? My grandma used to crochet or knit or spin or make quilts etc. The interesting thing is the number of truckers that not only remember me doing crafty things but what I was making and ask how it is going! I will have to start a photo album for them of my finished projects.
dorothy from windy wyoming
They say that when the wind reaches 75 mph in the south they give it a name and call it a Hurricane. When it reaches 75 mph here we call it a mite windy. |
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Sabrina Fair
Seriously Hooked
United Kingdom
639 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 01:43:23 AM
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Yep and I got repremanded too. I only did it because my mother was dying of cancer at the time and knitting calmed me. I was waiting for work on the computer to process and couldn't continue anything util it was done. Retrospectively I should have been on sick leave.
On the other hand at the same time all my other collegues (male) were down the boozer getting tanked up for Friday afternoon. In that culture (newspaper) drinking was perfectly acceptable.
Needless to say after some time I lost that job. This was when my first child was born. I returned to work to find my male replacement in my seat with my work. Finally the company lost the equivalent of 2 years of my salary after I took them to court for sex discrimination.
As to knitting in a public library - rock on.
Our local library has a lady who everyone knows and refers to as - 'The Polish Lady' She has lived here for years but thats her country of origin. She does everything non-standard but is the epitome of what ie required in a local library. My son runs in to talk to her every time we go, she chats to all the old folks who come in and havn't seen anyone all day, she lets my dyslexic non to fond of books daughter check her own books out on the computer, recently she gets loads of fresh arrrived for work Poles using her as a point of contact I could go on and on. All this she does looking over her shoulder to make sure no one is going to object and get her into trouble. She is brilliant, one of the people you meet who is truely good.
Hope you don't get into trouble. Is it better to raise the matter and clear the air?
Sabrina
Sabrina fair,
Listen where thou art sitting
Under the glassy, cool, translucent wave,
In twisted braids of lilies knitting
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sabrina_fair1/album?.dir=/7ab3 |
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Bernadette
Warming Up
USA
61 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 02:08:24 AM
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Hi!
I don't have a "knitting at work" story to relate but I just wanted to say that I think what you did was great, and as long as you were not neglecting another patron I don't see why your boss would make a point of putting the incident on your evaluation. Maybe he was just surprised and that's why he gave you the hairy eyeball.
If you work in a public library, then you're a public servant and you were simply serving a member of that public, and very graciously it seems to me.
I get so exasperated when I go to my own public library as no one ever seems anxious to help me, and I'm even asking book related questions! :)
Best regards,
Bernadette |
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MarieSM
New Pal
USA
16 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 03:35:10 AM
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I also work at a call center, most days from my home, and am allowed to knit
Recently there was a problem and at the last minute I had to drive to the office
When my manager arrived she exclaimed "Marie, what are you doing?" Surprised I said "Nothing" and She said "I know, you're not knitting. I've never seen you not knitting"
Thanks for bringing up the subject, helps me appreciate my job |
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gwtreece
Permanent Resident
USA
7254 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 05:00:32 AM
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Wow, Totally impressed by how many people get to knit at work. I think I need a new job.
Wanda
My Blog
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PBELKNAP
Permanent Resident
USA
1127 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 05:27:22 AM
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Thankfully I haven't been caught[:00]. I often bring in WIPs when I have to work overtime on weekends and I'm just going to be sitting there waiting for jobs to run. One time, I used my boss' manager's table to measure out a sweater I was working on...
PAM |
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KnittAR
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
575 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 05:27:42 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by LindaR
I'm lucky enough to get to knit at my job. I work in a gift shop/boat tours at a little known national park. Now that school is open most tourists are not traveling and it is very slow so lots of knitting gets done. I usually shove it under the counter when anyone comes in or set it on my chair, I've met alot of very nice women who knit, when I get caught at it, and a few men who tell me their mom's knit. Even my boss comes in to see what I'm making next. I love this job, great views of the bay and knitting and I get paid for this. lol
Linda
Hey, Linda, are they hiring?
I'm a SAHM, but while I was helping out at my MIL's dry cleaners a few weeks ago, I would shove my sock under the counter whenever a customer came in. One lady came in and said "What are you knitting?" We stood there and talked about our knitting while my hubby did all of the work. hehehe
Sketcher, as for the library thing: one of the librarian's at our local library always asks about my knitting and tells me what she has on the needles. I would think any special help you give a patron would keep them coming back. One of the great things about small towns is that personal connection. Print out all of these positive comments about librarians giving personal help to take with you if you get in any trouble!
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take....But by the moments that take our breath away."
Later....AR
Come visit my blog
or my shop |
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KBerry
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
486 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 05:34:47 AM
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I'm one of the lucky ones too. I get to knit at work, as long as we aren't busy or that I'm neglecting my work. Some of the techs play solitaire on the computer, so I atleast feel like I'm being "productive".
Kristin
I'm only as strong as the coffee I drink, the hairspray that I use, and the friends that I have! |
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pattiw
Chatty Knitter
USA
199 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 05:59:02 AM
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This is not work related, but some of your stories remind me of years ago when I brought my knitting to my child's school band concert. It was a plain sock on bamboo needles - small, quiet, no thinking knitting. It was in my purse. After the lights were dimmed, I took it out and started knitting. No one noticed. My husband and mother had a fit about it! They thought it was an inappropriate place to knit - that I wasn't paying attention to the band, it was rude, etc. I couldn't convince them that I could pay more attention to the music while I knit than if I was just struggling to stay awake in a dark room with soothing music at the end of a long day.
Patti
I'm not always perfect, but I am always me. |
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Zari
Chatty Knitter
133 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 06:00:23 AM
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| I used to have a great secretarial job for a humanities research center, and during the summer when things had died down and inbetween conventions, I was able to knit for hours a day :) That was the best job I've ever had. |
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kcholm
Chatty Knitter
USA
104 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 06:17:23 AM
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I was an editor for a legal publisher in New York in the 80s/early 90s. When I was finished with my books I would offer to help other editors, which got me a boatload of photocopying. I got tired of that and started bringing in my knitting--an Alice Starmore fair isle vest from Vogue Knitting. I was too young to know that it was too hard for me!
I would close my office door and sit with my back to the door knitting in a high-backed chair. If someone knocked I would toss my knitting into a box under my desk. I kept a marked up manuscript in front of me so it looked like I was working. No one ever noticed that it was the same manuscript page all day! The only problem was if I had to get up and go with someone and the yarn was tangled around my ankles. With 17 balls of yarn that was easy to do if I wasn't careful!
There was an informal craft competition at work that year and naturally I entered my vest since a large part of it was completed on company time! It came in second. I still have it and wear it occasionally even though I never got around to sewing down the steeks.
After the vest was finished I took a break from knitting on the job. I brought in fine-tip markers, colored pencils, and an Exacto knife and made tiny little "present boxes" cut from manila file folders. They were to go under a small ceramic light-up Christmas tree my mother gave me. I drew "wrapping paper" on the boxes and used correction tape to make "ribbon." I still have them too! |
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ShannonM
Gabber Extraordinaire
352 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 06:43:23 AM
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Ummmm. I knit at work. I can knit and read at the same time and I don't think my boss minds, although it has never come up. My office door is shut most of the time because of a noisy hallway, and usually people knock before opening, so it's never been an issue.
Shannon
my blog:
http://yarnandchocolate.blogspot.com/ |
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cshardie
New Pal
3 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 07:18:09 AM
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| When I work I'm a baker so I can't knit on the job (hands are already busy) but I've knit during breaks when I really needed to get a present finished. It's not something I'd do often because I don't get much done. Breaks were short and everyone kept interupting me asking what I was doing! |
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reddy2knit
New Pal
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2006 : 07:45:36 AM
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| What a timely topic. I run a copy center for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for a state university. My job is either feast or famine so I've been knitting during the slow times when the work is done. My boss just came to me this week and told me no more knitting and no more solitare on the computer. Everyone is in and out of my office so I work in a fish bowl. During those times when I have no work I am supposed to do things that make me "look busy." Does typing on knitters forums count? |
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ever caught knitting on the job?
