this weekend, i had so much fun. and i had fun with lady friends. and seeing as that's part of what life is about, i felt compelled to write about my recent experience with crafting with lady friends.
i think it all started when my dear friend helen and i decided to have craft themed hangouts. we were both so desperate to do so many things, that we figured if we motivated one another, and combined those things with our social hangouts, we would start checking things off the list. a double whammy that we were totally into. we did some lino cutting and stamping, and some card making, and then it dwindled (though speak of crochet hangouts were definitely on the horizon). we did hang and bead last night... and even with only two of us, we managed great things.
then, i taught some beading classes at the store i worked at, and it got me thinking - how could i manage to get a group of girlfriends into the same room, beading with me? so i reached out to some ladies about sitting down with me, and doing a workshop on making some jewels. they obliged, and we spent a thursday evening with great food from the lovely erica, and making some good ass stuff. i taught beading technique, and everyone buckled down - after some practice runs - and spent some time creating things to take home... necklaces and bracelets.
we then brainstormed about other things to do. other things we could teach one another. talk of canning, and photos. talk of cooking, and making lettery things. it was warm and fuzzy all over.
then, the lovely erin posted a photo of knitting on instagram, and posed the question, 'i really want to start a knitting club... ladies?!' we all jumped at it.
and so, she planned. a sunday for ahead, a facebook invite (so we all had all the details), a nice party room at her sisters place, and a list of things to bring. specifically, yarn, needles, and anything in mind that we wanted to have accomplished. and so, the planning began. we all got amped, and prepped our things (i wrote it in my planner - in PEN). then, on sunday, we knitted.
here's the dope thing about lady friend crafty gatherings - you can be sucky at whatever it is that the theme of the party is.... but that doesn't mean you aren't still hanging out with a group of ladies who you can enjoy the time with.
so, we all arrived, with our knitting needles, and yarn of all shapes and sizes. we gorged ourselves on gumballs and sour keys, poured some coffee and baileys or sangria, and we got down to business. erin led everyone in casting on, and then the most common knit, and we all got down to business - i helped nina (a new friend), with ribbing, as she was looking to make some socks for a traditional yugoslavian folk outfit for a thesis project she was working on (ERIN GREEN: here's your shoutout.... i taught someone how to knit ribbing, because of YOU!). the majority of people worked on headbands, because for beginners it's a straightforward design, and totally manageable for a day's work. some people started work on sweaters (those people are crazy ambitious), and i worked on a couple of projects, to feel accomplished.
erin also had the lovely ali and nikki bring in their vintage goods, from rigorous mess vintage (their brainchild). it was a perfect mesh with the day, and a few people left with new goodies to take home. shopping, AND crafting? perfection. it was day of new things: new friends, new lessons, new experiences. for some new goodies (those who finished their knitting, or walked away with something from RM vintage), and some new moments of laughter. it was wonderful - all of it.
lessons learned:
1. invite a dope ass group of lady friends. clearly the key element. without the right mix of ladies, all else is lost. friends, friends of friends, people who you think will mesh well. generally speaking, my advice is to lean towards those who can get along with everyone, and who can chat all day long to a brick wall if you let them (this is the characteristic that gets me so many invites).
2. always have food. and drinks help too. when we beaded, we had food from erica, who spoiled us rotten with her canned things - relishes, dips, yummy deliciousness in a jar. she made homemade chips and we grilled some bread. and the wine and beer was a'flowin'. for knitting, erin brought in nostalgic gumballs and sourkeys. and cupcakes. all ladies love themselves some cupcakes. dips and nibblies, and sweet things. she also had some sangria and coffee with baileys - which is generally what i imagine older ladies who knit, regal themselves in regularly.
3. have 1 person who knows what they're doing, for every 4 or 5 people who don't. things noted at beading night - if there had been only one more person there who didn't know how to bead, it would have been too many. erin had back up knitters, and everywhere you looked, you saw ladies helping other ladies. this always makes me smile, but specifically also ensures that no lady goes sitting alone with no idea what to do.
4. music. everyone loves music. the thing about making stuff, is that you have those moments of intense concentration, where no one is saying a word, and everyone is focusing so intently on fixing their jump rings together, and making sure they don't drop a stitch. it's always nice to have a little adele playing on the record player for those moments of silence. otherwise, people can feel uncomfortable. plus hey, music makes it feel like a party. and that's what it's supposed to be, right?
5. a great room. when i organized beading, the one thing i was a bit stuck on was where to have it. my apartment is barely large enough for me, and i didn't know of many friends who would be available to host this type of thing. the lovely erica offered her house - and it was perfect for our group (about 6 people total). totally cozy and intimate. when erin received her responses, it was clear she needed a bigger room. she used her sister tara's party room (which, BTW, i want as my APT). it was huge, had a kitchen, and had tons of seating for everyone. it was perfect... without this room, the day would not have felt like a party... it was the ideal venue, and a much needed ingredient in future lady days.
6. prepare people for what they are in for. explain what it is you'll be doing, and what is needed. explain what the day/night will look like (i.e. will you have food, drinks, room to sit?), and what people will need to provide themselves. when i did my beading night, there was a cost involved to the ladies who came (as i can't imagine the anguish it would have caused to set them free on a bead store alone... poor things), but with erin's knitting madness, everyone could just go get their own supplies, and bring with. knowing all of this ahead of time helps with not only preparing people's expectations, but also easing those people's minds who may get nervous about being around people they don't know.
7. and, of course, the vital ingredient - a great project. let's talk DIY. the project should be something that does not require professional level skill to complete, can be taught, and finished quickly (i.e. knitting and beading works, perhaps building a shelving unit with power tools, and varnish would not be ideal fr a 3-4 hour project). it's also nice to be able to do something that you can do while chatting - otherwise, lady day turns into 'i could be doing this at home alone, since i can't talk to anyone anyways' day. sort of defeats the purpose. and, of course, as we all know, pinterest is a great place to find DIY projects. things like stamping, shaking, cutting, colouring and painting - all great choices.
therefore, the formula, as determined by us ('cause we're experts, ya know): dope ass lady friends + good food (and boozey drinks if you like) + experts galore + amazing music (preferably on a record player) + a great (and suitable) locale + totally great project = perfection in lady day form.
lady days. every lady should have them.
i think it all started when my dear friend helen and i decided to have craft themed hangouts. we were both so desperate to do so many things, that we figured if we motivated one another, and combined those things with our social hangouts, we would start checking things off the list. a double whammy that we were totally into. we did some lino cutting and stamping, and some card making, and then it dwindled (though speak of crochet hangouts were definitely on the horizon). we did hang and bead last night... and even with only two of us, we managed great things.
then, i taught some beading classes at the store i worked at, and it got me thinking - how could i manage to get a group of girlfriends into the same room, beading with me? so i reached out to some ladies about sitting down with me, and doing a workshop on making some jewels. they obliged, and we spent a thursday evening with great food from the lovely erica, and making some good ass stuff. i taught beading technique, and everyone buckled down - after some practice runs - and spent some time creating things to take home... necklaces and bracelets.
food - glorious food; the end results
we then brainstormed about other things to do. other things we could teach one another. talk of canning, and photos. talk of cooking, and making lettery things. it was warm and fuzzy all over.
then, the lovely erin posted a photo of knitting on instagram, and posed the question, 'i really want to start a knitting club... ladies?!' we all jumped at it.
knitting proposition (from erin's instagram); knittaz in pariz sign
and so, she planned. a sunday for ahead, a facebook invite (so we all had all the details), a nice party room at her sisters place, and a list of things to bring. specifically, yarn, needles, and anything in mind that we wanted to have accomplished. and so, the planning began. we all got amped, and prepped our things (i wrote it in my planner - in PEN). then, on sunday, we knitted.
here's the dope thing about lady friend crafty gatherings - you can be sucky at whatever it is that the theme of the party is.... but that doesn't mean you aren't still hanging out with a group of ladies who you can enjoy the time with.
so, we all arrived, with our knitting needles, and yarn of all shapes and sizes. we gorged ourselves on gumballs and sour keys, poured some coffee and baileys or sangria, and we got down to business. erin led everyone in casting on, and then the most common knit, and we all got down to business - i helped nina (a new friend), with ribbing, as she was looking to make some socks for a traditional yugoslavian folk outfit for a thesis project she was working on (ERIN GREEN: here's your shoutout.... i taught someone how to knit ribbing, because of YOU!). the majority of people worked on headbands, because for beginners it's a straightforward design, and totally manageable for a day's work. some people started work on sweaters (those people are crazy ambitious), and i worked on a couple of projects, to feel accomplished.
knits and coffees (from nicole's instagram); ladies knitting hard
erin also had the lovely ali and nikki bring in their vintage goods, from rigorous mess vintage (their brainchild). it was a perfect mesh with the day, and a few people left with new goodies to take home. shopping, AND crafting? perfection. it was day of new things: new friends, new lessons, new experiences. for some new goodies (those who finished their knitting, or walked away with something from RM vintage), and some new moments of laughter. it was wonderful - all of it.
this may be as far as tara got.... she's going to teach sock monkeys next time haha (from tara's instagram)
lessons learned:
1. invite a dope ass group of lady friends. clearly the key element. without the right mix of ladies, all else is lost. friends, friends of friends, people who you think will mesh well. generally speaking, my advice is to lean towards those who can get along with everyone, and who can chat all day long to a brick wall if you let them (this is the characteristic that gets me so many invites).
2. always have food. and drinks help too. when we beaded, we had food from erica, who spoiled us rotten with her canned things - relishes, dips, yummy deliciousness in a jar. she made homemade chips and we grilled some bread. and the wine and beer was a'flowin'. for knitting, erin brought in nostalgic gumballs and sourkeys. and cupcakes. all ladies love themselves some cupcakes. dips and nibblies, and sweet things. she also had some sangria and coffee with baileys - which is generally what i imagine older ladies who knit, regal themselves in regularly.
3. have 1 person who knows what they're doing, for every 4 or 5 people who don't. things noted at beading night - if there had been only one more person there who didn't know how to bead, it would have been too many. erin had back up knitters, and everywhere you looked, you saw ladies helping other ladies. this always makes me smile, but specifically also ensures that no lady goes sitting alone with no idea what to do.
ladies helping ladies (photo from cindy's instagram)
4. music. everyone loves music. the thing about making stuff, is that you have those moments of intense concentration, where no one is saying a word, and everyone is focusing so intently on fixing their jump rings together, and making sure they don't drop a stitch. it's always nice to have a little adele playing on the record player for those moments of silence. otherwise, people can feel uncomfortable. plus hey, music makes it feel like a party. and that's what it's supposed to be, right?
5. a great room. when i organized beading, the one thing i was a bit stuck on was where to have it. my apartment is barely large enough for me, and i didn't know of many friends who would be available to host this type of thing. the lovely erica offered her house - and it was perfect for our group (about 6 people total). totally cozy and intimate. when erin received her responses, it was clear she needed a bigger room. she used her sister tara's party room (which, BTW, i want as my APT). it was huge, had a kitchen, and had tons of seating for everyone. it was perfect... without this room, the day would not have felt like a party... it was the ideal venue, and a much needed ingredient in future lady days.
6. prepare people for what they are in for. explain what it is you'll be doing, and what is needed. explain what the day/night will look like (i.e. will you have food, drinks, room to sit?), and what people will need to provide themselves. when i did my beading night, there was a cost involved to the ladies who came (as i can't imagine the anguish it would have caused to set them free on a bead store alone... poor things), but with erin's knitting madness, everyone could just go get their own supplies, and bring with. knowing all of this ahead of time helps with not only preparing people's expectations, but also easing those people's minds who may get nervous about being around people they don't know.
7. and, of course, the vital ingredient - a great project. let's talk DIY. the project should be something that does not require professional level skill to complete, can be taught, and finished quickly (i.e. knitting and beading works, perhaps building a shelving unit with power tools, and varnish would not be ideal fr a 3-4 hour project). it's also nice to be able to do something that you can do while chatting - otherwise, lady day turns into 'i could be doing this at home alone, since i can't talk to anyone anyways' day. sort of defeats the purpose. and, of course, as we all know, pinterest is a great place to find DIY projects. things like stamping, shaking, cutting, colouring and painting - all great choices.
music + yarn + knittaz (photo from cindy)
therefore, the formula, as determined by us ('cause we're experts, ya know): dope ass lady friends + good food (and boozey drinks if you like) + experts galore + amazing music (preferably on a record player) + a great (and suitable) locale + totally great project = perfection in lady day form.
it was a great day. though these types of things leave so so much to chance, when you follow a formula for greatness, and you have only wonderful people in your life, there is only good to come from it.
there's something so nourishing about friendships... and something about a bunch'o'ladies in a room together, working with their hands, that builds so much warmth and companionship. something so strong about women building those friendships.
and, only really knowing erin, nicole, and tara really well, i still came out of it having had some conversations that were fantastic, conversations where connections were made. it resulted in a totally rad event coming down the pipeline with at least 3 of those ladies. it left me feeling like any person in a city should organize, or participate in something like this at least once every couple of months.... whether to meet people, or to spend some quality time with the people whose time you value. it's all worth it.
see how happy we all are? it's 'cause we're knittaz in pariz (photo from erin)
lady days. every lady should have them.