5 Reasons to Find A Crafting Group Today

The wrap I was wearing my first night at the Nebraska Knit & Crochet Guild.

For 24 years, I was a solitary crochet & knitter. Not only was I always working alone, but I didn’t even know very many other crafters. My mom knits a bit, but mostly I knew people who WANTED to knit or crochet but never did get around to it. now I can tell you, I had no idea what I was missing.

When I moved from Kentucky to Omaha in July, I was looking for ways to meet people in my new city. This is tough to do. So I went out to Meetup.com and did a search for groups in Omaha to see what I could find. I found the Nebraska Knit & Crochet Guild. It took me a few months to get around to going to my first meeting. Partly I was busy unpacking, but mostly I was nervous. I’m a pretty strong introvert (although not shy about talking to people) and I’ve never found making friends to be easy. I made a million excuses about how I didn’t have time, might not have anything in common with the group, etc. But when I eventually did go, it was like coming home.

I walked in the door wearing a crocheted wrap I had recently finished. I saw some women sitting around knitting and asked if I was in the right place. The people in the group were so nice and they made me feel right at home. They complimented me on the wrap, which is something anyone might do, but what made the experience great was that they also asked me all about it – what kind of yarn had I used, where was the pattern from, who designed it, etc. They admired the stitches and the color choices. And I, of course, did the same for all their handmade items. And I realized at that moment that they were filling a hole I hadn’t even realized was in my life: someone to really appreciate the handcrafted items I had put so many hours and so much effort into making! Wow! That really was invaluable in a way that someone who’s never made something from scratch can probably appreciate.

Since that day, I have found many other reasons to be part of a crafting group and I wanted to share them with you.

1. We share each others’ triumphs and joys in crafting.Crafters can appreciate the work of other crafters in a way that non-crafters never could. They GET how much work you put into the project, how cool the pattern is, and how awesome (and probably expensive) that yarn you selected is.
2. We share resources. When I get a new book, I bring it by so others can check it out and see if they might want to buy it (and they do the same). We each have our own tools and are happy to share where we found them, where is the best place to buy yarn, etc.
3. We share knowledge. When I made my Nebraska Winter Hat & ScarfI wasn’t really happy with how the scarf edge was coming out. But one of the ladies in the group showed me how to slip the first stitch on the scarf of every row. Wow did that look better – thanks Karen! When I made my poncho and it turned out to be a bit too big, they suggested a draw string. If I have a crafting problem, there is always someone there who has a solution.
4. We have become great friends. Conversation is easy when you 1) have at least one topic in common you can always fall back on and 2) have something to do with your hands. Why do you think so many friends meet over meals? If there was a lull in the conversation, we just all concentrate on our projects for a while. It takes so much of the pressure off of talking to strangers.
5. We have lots of fun!

If you aren’t part of a crafting group today, I encourage you to join one. Use meetup to find one in your area or start one yourself. And let me know if the comments what your experience with crafting in a group has been like.

Happy crafting!