My friend Mark and I have accidentally turned October into a “try new crafts” month.

October 2025: “So You Think You Can Craft”

Last year, we joined the Crafty Queers Club for “So You Think You Can Craft,” a fun competition at Silverwood Park.

When we entered the room, we were given a paper bag with a secret thing in it. Some tables along the walls held a variety of crafty tools and items—hot glue guns, stickers, watercolor paper, yarn, fabric, all sorts of stuff.

We were told we needed to create something you’d find in the drag queen host’s grandmother’s house, and then the timer started. We had a half an hour (I think) to make something.

Mark and I tore open the bag to find our secret thing mandatory craft item was pipe cleaners.

After a brief chat, we decided to make a pumpkin. We grabbed some yarn and paper and a sheet of foil origami paper. Unfortunately, the yarn was a bit tangled, so we had to spend time fixing it, which was stressful!

We created a pumpkin as best we could, and I think we both realized we could never be on one of those crafting competition shows. And hey, we got an honorable mention, which was pretty exciting!

October 2026: Stained Glass 101

This year, Mark messaged me to ask if I was interested in taking a stained glass class at Twin Cities Maker, a makerspace that he’s a member of.

It was a two-night class, and it was really fun. We got to choose a simple design and we learned the basics of creating a stained glass piece. The instructor was super friendly and knowledgeable, which I always appreciate.

I did choose textured glass for every piece, and whew, that made grinding the edges a bit difficult. (There’s a joke that “X is really Y.” Woodworking is really sanding, sewing is really ironing and pressing, knitting is really weaving in ends. Based on all of the knowledge I gained in my Stained Glass 101 class, I think stained glass making is really grinding class. Ha!)

I haven’t soldered anything in decades, and it took some practice to get used to the movement. It somehow felt like melting something backwards.

It was a fun class, and I can see how I’d easily get obsessed over smoothing the solder over and over until it was perfect.

I guess we’ll see what next October brings!