"Well, I can at least understand that part," she replies. After all, isn't knitting all about dexterity? If you're not nimble about it, you're going to be constantly hitting yourself with the knitting needles or miss the material you're using. It'd just be a huge pain.

It's just the mental benefits that are a bit harder to understand. But maybe it's since Alice's own mind is such a mess.

".. And I guess we do have far too much time where we are locked inside of this cramped train with little to do."

So people might need an outlet - even if it's knitting.