Cookie exchange, Christmas Party and TV - part 2

As I promised yesterday here now comes the story of how cookies, knitting and TV go together at a Christmas party.

First of all let me thank Svetlana, the nice lady who owns Mouliné Yarns and prepared a buffet to die for (well, almost). So here's a big Thank you!

I arrived a bit earlier than 7 p.m. but I had needs to attend to: a new 4 mm circ and I wanted some yarn - you know how it is, and because I thought I could help Svetlana a bit (best intentions, got distracted during everything I started, was not good help) I got my needles but never came to the yarn part because there was a journalist with a TV camera (I cannot remember his name, so sorry!) strolling around the shop, interviewing people...see, the CBC show "Culture shock" called our LYSO and asked if they could do a feature about the "new popularity of knitting" (or similar to that), she agreed and the date was set. I understand that there are a lot more people who knit than even five years ago, what I don't really understand is why. And that's what I got asked later by him, amongst other things. How confusing, especially when he holds a camera and you don't know if it's turned on or not.

Back to his question. It seems that the other interviewees in another large Canadian city insisted that a certain book started this new interest in knitting. I won't say which one, but I couldn't disagree more. One book cannot start a hype about knitting, it may augment it, that's it. You may have figured that I don't especially like this book, but I am entitled to my own taste and to say so. (Oh, BTW, anything you will read is MY opinion, so if yours differs please don't get upset but inform me of yours in the comment section.)

I remember reading somewhere something about how knitting was picked up more and more after 9/11 because people had to cope with what happened and one effect seemed to be that they were "going back to basics". Knitting has been around for a long time, I can see how one would describe it at a basic thing. And, the repetition of the movement can be calming and your mind can wander while creating something new. This is one reason I kind of understand.

Yesterday I said that another reason for the popularity of knitting might also be that a lot of celebrities claim to knit, or even "get caught" knitting. Ah, well, I never was one of the people who needed/wanted to do something because somebody famous was doing it, but then there are the easily impressed masses who want to do what their favourite actor/actress seemingly does, too. I have been knitting since I was five - knitting for me is more like the need to eat and sleep, and when it's overdone it can have similar bad effects. I only can try to understand what knitting is for people who take it on because it's hip to do so. Compliment to those who find a true pleasure in the craft, stay with it and go on to projects like sweaters, hats or socks after their initial garter-stitch-scarf-in-a-novelty-yarn - of course with written instructions.

The friendly journalist was asking me about blogs, too. If blogs contributed to the popularity of knitting. At this I stumbled a bit because I don't think that people who accidentally discover a knitting blog will start knitting, I rather think they will start blogging because it's such an easy medium to let one self and what one does be known. There are about 600 knitting bloggers in North America (V. whispered that fact to me) - I repeated this loudly and almost instantly felt a bit bad because knitting isn't only popular in North America, but in Europe, Australia even Asia, too. And a pretty number of the blogs listed in rings created by American bloggers are from other continents - so it makes me wonder if a blog can be attributed to a country, I mean, it's the internet and they are "out there". These 600 mentioned blogs might be the ones written in English, but there a lots more in other languages. This had to be said because before I started blogging I considered doing it in either English or German, I went for English because I figured more people would be able to understand it and threrefor: read it.

Let it be known that I don't mind the popularity of knitting. I mind the hype about it. I can't go on and on about the scarf someone wore in one or the other movie, I won't write to anyone to find out what yarn was used and I won't go gaga about any actress who knits in a film, I note it and find it amusing. It makes me happy that knitting is (once again) considered worth doing, and that one can do it in public without being considered hopelessly old-fashioned.

For now I don't know when the feature about knitting will be broadcasted, I figure some time early next year. I am keen on seeing what they have done with bits and pieces of the interviews and once I find out the airing date I will let you know.


On to things that are lighter to digest: cookies!
We also had our cookie-exchange, my first one but I hope to repeat it.

Here goes the loot:


Black and white cookies (chocolate and almond) from Véronik
Gingerbread men from Svetlana
Snickerdoodles (love the name! and they came in a pretty tin box, too) from Deawn
Pecan Macaroons (I think) from Margaret
Orange Nut Biscotti from Lee Ann

Once I have tried them all I will let you know that they tasted as deliciously as they look...

I mentioned the buffet Svetlana put up, didn't I? Buffets are great, you go and pick what you want - repeatedly so. The bad thing about buffets and me is: I can't seem to grasp the amount of food I am really eating because you get to eat tiny sandwiches and filled things and then you feel really full and say to yourself: but I only tried this and this and this and you realize that it was indeed a lot.

Oh, one thing I have to mention that was not buffetstyle but homemade by Reina (I hope I spell the name correctly): FLAN. It was heavenly. You know, I like (ahem, love) food, but I rarely attribute adjectives like this to any prepared dish, I have to do so with Reina's FLAN. FLAN because it deserves to be shouted, it was soo delicious...ok, will stop now.

I say everyone who was there had a great time - the journalist could be spotted even among the camera shy people (right, Jo?) after he was done with his work and I say there's hardly anything better than a X-mas party in a yarn store with friends, good food and yarn to fondle, buy, knit...

To all the people who were there and feel that I omitted something important, go on, tell me and I will make sure to mention it on my next post.