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Agence France-Presse

Armed with yarn, needles and hooks, dexterous film-goers flock to a cinema in Vienna every month to combine their favourite hobbies: knitting and moviegoing.
With many having turned to time-honoured crafts like crochet and knitting during the Covid-19 pandemic, a growing number of enthusiasts are looking to connect with the Austrian capital’s craft community in real life.
Vienna’s Votiv Kino has become the latest cinema in Europe to offer craft cinema nights, a trend trailblazed by Nordic countries.
“We saw that it exists in the US, in Denmark, in Finland, in Germany,” said avid knitter Luisa Palmer, who initiated the knitting nights at the Votiv Kino with a colleague.

Since the launch event in December, the monthly knitting nights have sold out, drawing almost 180 visitors each time.
With the lights only slightly dimmed while The Devil Wears Prada was showing on Sunday, the cinema-goers got crafty.
“It is a bit ‘grannycore’, but I find it very calming and pleasant. Why not let out your inner granny?” Alexander Koch, 28, quipped while crocheting away.
Kaja Vospernik, a 23-year-old fashion student, who is knitting a jumper, said that she was excited about “meeting new people, who have the same interests”.
“I really enjoy knitting while watching movies or listening to podcasts, so of course the cinema is a great place for that,” Vospernik said.


The movie seemed to take a back seat as passionate knitters and crocheters – some of whom were donning their handmade knitwear – kept chatting and working away.
“A lot of people started knitting and crocheting during the pandemic and out of necessity, only did it at home alone. That’s why a lot of people now want to do it with others,” 32-year-old Palmer said.
In an increasingly digital world with many hunched over computers at work, people enjoy “creating something with their own hands you can later even wear,” said Palmer.
“Cosy films that you have already seen” are best suited for knitting, Palmer added.
And Vienna’s “diverse” crafting community, which is “open to all age groups”, has meanwhile grown to an estimated 1,000 people, Judith Hasloewer, who co-initiated the event at the cinema, said.

“You can just sit in the theatre and knit and keep to yourself, but if you feel like company, you’ll definitely find it here,” she said.
Crafting your own garment allows you to “connect to reality, as it slows you down” while it also symbolises a bold statement against “fast fashion”, Hasloewer, 27, said.
According to Votiv Kino spokeswoman Lisa Stolze, knitting nights are the latest addition to their special shows – which include cinema breakfasts and screenings for parents and their babies – that are designed to “appeal to the different interests of our audience”.


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Crocheting, knitting at the cinema takes off in Austria’s Vienna to sold-out audiences

A man knits during a showing of The Devil Wears Prada at the Votive Cinema in Vienna, Austria. These sold-out crafty film showings happen once a month. Photo: AFP

Visitors knitting at the Votive Cinema in Vienna, Austria. Since the launch event in December, the monthly knitting nights have sold out, drawing almost 180 visitors each time. Photo: AFP

Women in the cafeteria before the start of the movie. Photo: AFP

Women knit during The Devil Wears Prada at the Votive Cinema. Photo: AFP

Initiators of Cinema Knitting, or “Stricken Im Kino”, Luisa Palmer (left) and Judith Hasloewer at the Votive Cinema. Photo: AFP

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Travel & Leisure

Fashion & Beauty

In Vienna, a cinema hosts a crowd of crafty enthusiasts who knit, crochet and chat away while a film plays on the big screen


In Vienna, a cinema hosts a crowd of crafty enthusiasts who knit, crochet and chat away while a film plays on the big screen.


Austria

Offbeat