u/No_Top3338

I spent way too much time digging through class schedules, community calendars, and studio websites, so I figured I'd share the highlights.

If you've been saying "I need a hobby," here's what's on offer this summer. This directory covers the following hobbies:

• Pottery/ceramics
• Woodworking/carving
• Jewelry making/Silversmithing
• Sewing/crocheting/knitting
• Quilting
• Watercoloring/figure drawing
• Making collages/mosaics/stained glass
• Glass fusing/flameworking
• Zine making
• Darkroom photography
• Fiction writing
• Memoir writing
• Creative writing
• Pole dancing
• Tango and other dance courses
• Yoga
• Archery
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Shuffleboard
• Pétanque
• Roller dance
• Hockey
• Disc golf
• Surfing
• Kayaking
• Canoeing
• Guitar
• Violin
• Ukulele
• DJing
• Mushroom identification
• Plant identification
• Breathwork
• Craniosacral therapy
• Plus lots of recurring craft nights and open studios.

The full guide includes prices, neighborhoods, and start dates (there are 70+ listings across Brooklyn).

Hope many of you find it helpful or inspiring!

If I missed any great classes or recurring meetups, I'd love to add them for the next edition.

I'm putting together a list of bars/venues that host a weekly (or at least semi-regular) open craft night for this hobby-centric newsletter, and before I drive myself crazy looking at the calendars of every venue out there, hoping crowdsourcing here might help!

(Note: I have no affiliation with any of these businesses, paid or otherwise)

Do you know of any others to add to this list? Thanks in advance!!

So far I have:

• Still Life Cafe (Gowanus) · Thu & Sat · from $18
• Acorn Craft Shop (Crown Heights) · Fri · $10
• Cleo’s Yarn Shop (Bushwick) · Fri & Sat & Sun · $15
• NYC Resistor (Downtown Brooklyn) · Mon & Thu · Free
• CraftNook at Hericot Vert (Williamsburg) · Wed-Sun · From $18
• Happy Medium (Greenpoint & Chinatown) · Daily · From $28
• Recess Grove (Williamsburg) · Wed & Fri · Free
• Nook (Bushwick) · Mon (Club Night) · Free

I'm working on the next edition of our Brooklyn Hobby Guide and particularly interested in featuring any courses that are happening outside (either in Prospect Park or surrounding areas) for our July/August issue.

If you are leading (or know of) any hobby-related courses, workshops, events etc happening over the next couple of months, please reply here or feel free to fill out this form.

(For context: the June Hobby Guide was received by >4,800 locals, so it's a good way to get the word out to a hobby-curious crowd).

Writing, sewing, watercoloring, kayaking, candle making, knitting and more in this week's roundup. And happening tonight in Williamsburg:

• 📣 Newsreel’s News and Brews #0: Covering the Environment When the Data Disappears · Crystal Lake · 6:30pm · $15 The very first in a monthly, phone-free series. A journalist reads their best story aloud, and takes questions on how they reported it.
• 🧪 The Chemistry and Material Science of Soap · Location Provided Upon Registration · 6:30pm · $37 (same day tickets available!)

Then this weekly roundup of nearby hobby classes, workshops and other happenings might be of interest!

Sharing as an FYI (I'm totally unaffiliated, but I have signed up for the workshop myself!) for folks who live nearby that this Intro to Garment Sewing Workshop only has 4 spots left.

Sat Jun 6 · 11:00am · Brooklyn Craft Company, Greenpoint · $165

An intensive one-day workshop where you sew a complete woven tee shirt from a commercial pattern. Learn body measurement, pattern reading, garment assembly, ribbing, and hemming. Leave with a finished custom-made garment. Basic machine-sewing skills required.

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Other hobby related courses in June (like a Beekeeping Basics course hosted by Brooklyn Botanic Gardens one month from now) are shared in this Brooklyn Hobby Guide!

Sharing as an FYI (I'm totally unaffiliated, but I have signed up for the workshop myself!) for folks that live nearby that this 2-Day Learn to Knit workshop starts next week and only has 4 spots left.

Starting Tue Jun 2 · 6:00 pm · Woolyn, Cobble Hill · $100

A two-session intro covering knit and purl stitches, casting on and off, basic stitch patterns, fixing simple mistakes, and how to choose yarn. By the end you’ll be equipped to make a cowl or scarf independently.

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Other hobby related courses in June (like a Beekeeping Basics course hosted by Brooklyn Botanic Gardens one month from now) are shared in this Brooklyn Hobby Guide!

Sharing as an FYI for folks that live nearby that this Urban Beekeeping Basics course is almost full!

Sat Jun 27 · 10:30 am · Brooklyn Botanic Gardens · $75 ($68 members)

A half-day class covering bee biology, hive care tools and techniques, pest management, and the particular considerations of keeping bees in an urban environment, with live hive observation.

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Other hobby related courses in June (like a Canoe Camp hosted by Gowanus Dredgers that kicks off this Saturday) are shared in this Brooklyn Hobby Guide!

I've gotten some great input from Bushwick redditors in the past, so please let me know if you have any hobby happenings (dj classes, mahjong workshops, pickleball clinics etc) coming up that I can include in next month's roundup!

I tend to only include experiences that will really help someone dive into a new hobby and gain enough skill/community to feel equipped to keep going, but you know of shorter experiences (less than 2 hours), I can still include those in the weekly emails.

https://ooonyc.substack.com/p/june-hobby-guide-brooklyn-edition

Thanks in advance 😄

For anyone who has been thinking about picking up a new hobby, thought I'd share this free roundup on behalf of all the local businesses (note: this is an independent curation, no businesses have paid to be featured here):

https://ooonyc.substack.com/p/may-hobby-guide-brooklyn-edition