Craft Night Is The New Book Club And We Are HERE FOR IT

Here’s what’s great about book clubs: connecting with friends, enjoying some snacks and wine, getting out of the house, and witty banter. But here’s what’s not: reading a book you don’t enjoy, delicate discussions about capital “I” issues, and finding time to actually read the book. These days we’re lucky if we can finish a long Facebook post, much less books. And if we do read books, it’s going to be some fun escapist fluff, which will NOT please the Franzen reader in your book club.

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So it’s time to ditch the book club model and try something new. It turns out there’s a great new way to embrace the love of getting together with your friends to connect (and drink wine and have snacks, obviously — let’s focus on the important things here), books not required.

It’s all about Craft Night.

That’s right: Craft Night is the new book club, and it is the BEST. All the benefits and none of the hassle. Yep, get together with your mom squad, unleash your creativity, and take home something you made. That’s called CRUSHING IT.

And it’s a cinch to make Craft Night happen. Pick a date, choose a couple of projects, get some supplies together, and start making! Or if you want to keep it really simple, choose the project based on supplies you already have. If you’ve got a reasonably well-stocked pantry, getting everyone together to decorate cupcakes is cheap and easy. Also, that means there will be cupcakes to eat. BONUS.

Another option is to craft for a cause, such as making a quilt for a child in the hospital or a disabled veteran. You can craft, spend time with friends, and also (literally) wrap someone in love and warmth. It doesn’t get better than that!

When you launch Craft Night, start slow. Choose easy projects so no one is transported back to second-grade feelings of inadequacy if they can’t get theirs to look like everyone else’s. And try not to be a Tracy Flick-style taskmaster. Focus on process, not product. The goal is to have fun getting creative together. If the conversation takes a turn toward the uncomfortable, redirect. Remind everyone to make crafts, not war!

These days, most of our work isn’t concrete or something you can hold or point to as an accomplishment (well, we can all hug our laptops, but it’s not quite the same thing). Crafting is how you can get back in touch with your creative self while also making something concrete and real that you can touch and hold. There’s a sense of community in group craft projects beyond just that of spending time with friends; it’s also a way to tap into the deep history of women creating and building something together. Plus, it’s also super fun. And there’s the previously mentioned wine and snacks.

Ready to start planning your get-together? The new Craftsy Unlimited subscription is the place to start. Craftsy has every single thing you need to get started. Get inspired! Browse around to see what looks fun. Your subscription gives you access to every Craftsy class, plus new and exclusive video tutorials weekly — and you can try it free for 7 days!

So ditch the books and pick up the hooks! Get it? Crochet hooks? (Sorry.)

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