Categories: Local & Entertainment; DIY & Crafts

Getting Crafty in New York City

By aliciak
updated 5 months ago

You may not equate New York with "crafty hot spot," but it's a city full of us creative types, trying to support ourselves without selling out to the man and making some cool shit at the same time. Come get your craft on with me!

The Handmade Movement

DIY, handmade, craft, guerilla knitting, subversive cross-stitch…this is not your Grandma’s afghan-making! There has been a handmade-dare I say it-revolution of late, reinventing crafty pastimes that, at one time, were relegated to kids and older folks. But now, crocheting hats, sewing skirts, making fabric lampshades, and tie-dying curtains are all cool! Let’s see where New York fits into all of this…

Etsy Inc

325 Gold Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

The mother of all handmade goods websites is headquartered in Brooklyn. Etsy! I’ve been an Etsy seller for two years, hawking my crochet creations like the apple above.

Etsy Labs has Monday Craft Nights, classes, workshops, parties, and lots of other crafty events.

The mother of all handmade goods websites is headquartered in Brooklyn. Etsy! I’ve been an Etsy seller for two years, hawking my crochet creations like the apple above.

Etsy Labs has Monday Craft Nights, classes, workshops, parties, and lots of other crafty events.

Freddy's Bar

485 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Diorama night at Freddy’s! Yeah, dioramas as in representing the Indians meeting the pilgrims in a shoebox, 4th grade style.

There are also monthly knitting nights, but at Freddy’s anything goes on any given night, so don’t be embarrassed to craft whenever you please.

Diorama night at Freddy’s! Yeah, dioramas as in representing the Indians meeting the pilgrims in a shoebox, 4th grade style.

There are also monthly knitting nights, but at Freddy’s anything goes on any given night, so don’t be embarrassed to craft whenever you please.

Bluestockings Radical Books

172 Allen Street, New York, NY 10002

They call it “Dyke Knitting Circle” and someone there will even teach you how to, er, use those sticks and balls.

The Lucky Cat

245 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Now a nationwide event, Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School is a burlesque-figure sketch fest, pictured below. It originated at Brooklyn’s very own The Lucky Cat.

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Project

No, I didn’t make up that title. That is the name of a traveling exhibit that is currently on view at the World Financial Center. Twin sisters Margaret and Christine Wertheim aim to raise awareness about the dwindling reefs by means of thousands of crochet footage. Coral, jellyfish, and sand dollars abound in this stunning show.

Sadly, it’s all behind glass. Not that I would have touched the crochet cuteness, but it would have been more interesting to really see all the different textures and circle around them. Okay, I may have touched one!

Craft Shops

There are a few times every now and again when you question if New York really does have everything. One of those times is when you want to visit a gigantic, fluorescent chain craft store, such as Michael’s, Joann Fabrics, or A.C. Moore, and realize there are two Michael’s and they are hours away by train or entirely inaccessible without a car.

But maybe it’s for the better? Patronize the little shops instead, even though a ball of yarn or yard of fabric will cost you an arm and a leg.

Pearl

308 Canal Street, New York, NY 10013

Pearl is as close as Manhattan comes to having a Michael’s-like store, calling itself the world’s largest discount art supplier. Six floors!

A craft annex is located across the street, but last time I went there, a lot of the crafty stuff was getting replaced by gallons of paint, akin to Home Depot.

Pearl is as close as Manhattan comes to having a Michael’s-like store, calling itself the world’s largest discount art supplier. Six floors!

A craft annex is located across the street, but last time I went there, a lot of the crafty stuff was getting replaced by gallons of paint, akin to Home Depot.