I was recently invited to a friend’s house for “Craft Night.” I remember RSVP’ing and then, just hours before, I re-read the text to see what we would be doing. I was puzzled because there was no directed craft or project listed. “What on earth were we doing?” I texted privately to get a better understanding and was told to bring my own project. This felt so odd in my otherwise micromanaged and structured world. Grabbing supplies for a jewelry Christmas tree project I was working on and tossing it all into a box, I also grabbed a bottle of Chardonnay and off I went.
My friend has a downstairs room somewhat akin to a garage, but it’s been transformed into a large craft room. She had long tables set up with power cords for glue guns, boxes for beads, fittings, paints, and just about anything else you could want. As the ladies filed in, some had their own crafts, and some did not. Even the food was unstructured. Gone were the curated nosh boards. There was pasta upstairs, or some brought snacks to share. Some had wine; some didn’t drink. It was all so very new to me.
But somehow we all managed to get started on our own endeavors within minutes, and as we settled into our creative flow, we also progressed into the most fun and relaxed conversations.
This made me think of the term, “knitting circle,” which most commonly refers to a social gathering where people knit together, share advice, and socialize. I don’t think any of us will ever actually knit, but we did share, craft, and socialize. Hours passed, and we made great progress on our crafts. We shared feedback (all positive) on our crafty endeavors, and I left the evening feeling fulfilled. My heart was full, and my ears may have been filled with a little “tea” (gossip).
It was not only fun and relaxed, but it made me feel connected to my community. Some of these women were extremely artistic, and some were clearly struggling to get started. However, everyone left smiling and proud of their efforts, and the night of conversation lifted us.
I am over structured “wine and paint” nights and over-led flower-arranging displays. I do, however, welcome the loose feel of Craft Night and the return of the “knitting circle.”
