You can get "shotgunner" earmuff style ear protection like people use on gun ranges. I have a couple pairs at home and I can grab one when I need to use the blender or other power tools, or other noise situation. If you want to go simpler and cheaper you could also just try some noise cancelling earplugs although I tend to like the earmuffs better. It's something you can do to protect yourself even if others won't cooperate.
I feel like the point isn't that it MUST have been used for knitting (even if it could have been), but that we should be open to more possibilities before defaulting to a religious explanation.
You can get "shotgunner" earmuff style ear protection like people use on gun ranges. I have a couple pairs at home and I can grab one when I need to use the blender or other power tools, or other noise situation. If you want to go simpler and cheaper you could also just try some noise cancelling earplugs although I tend to like the earmuffs better. It's something you can do to protect yourself even if others won't cooperate.
My high school teacher called it that!
I feel like the point isn't that it MUST have been used for knitting (even if it could have been), but that we should be open to more possibilities before defaulting to a religious explanation.