stick to one's knitting

• attend to one's knitting, ’tend to one’s knitting, tend to one's knitting, keep to one's knitting

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stick to one's knitting (third-person singular simple present sticks to one's knitting, present participle sticking to one's knitting, simple past and past participle stuck to one's knitting)

1. (idiomatic) To concentrate on one's own tasks, affairs, area of expertise, etc., especially in order to avoid distraction, embarrassment, or other needless problems.
   • 1935 October 27, “Helene Mayer to be in Olympics: Woman Fencing Champion Accepts Invitation”, in New York Times, retrieved 1 October 2013:

     [A]s sportsmen I think that we should stick to our knitting and not allow economic or social conditions to interfere with the Olympic Games.

   • 1975 Nov. 21, "Puritans Denied Drumstick" (editorial), Spokane Daily Chronicle, p. 4 (retrieved 1 Oct 2013):

     Researchers should stick to their knitting, finding cancer cures and discovering new shades of lipstick, and refrain from debunking history.

   • 2001 July 15, Chris Taylor, “E-Grocers Check Out”, in Time, retrieved 1 October 2013:

     "We stuck to our knitting and stayed in one market rather than going for growth," he says.

• The alternative forms attend to one's knitting, ’tend to one’s knitting, and tend to one's knitting are still used, but appear to have been more common in earlier usage, as in:

• This expression may be received as sexist, especially if directed to a woman and if the pursuit she is apparently being admonished to leave alone is one traditionally reserved to men.

• mind one's own business
• stay in one's lane
• paddle one's own canoe

• let the cobbler stick to his last
• ultracrepidarianism