Crafting Resources

Yarn Classes

Online: A lot of knitting and crochet instruction is available for free on You Tube. A few technique classes are available for free on Craftsy and Creative Bug, or you can pay per course, or set up a monthly subscription.

In person: As one of Michaels' previous Yarn Instructors, I'm available in the North Plainfield/Watchung New Jersey area for private classes on topics in knitting and crochet. E-mail me and let me know if you need help with your current project, want to learn a new stitch or a new technique, or even just learn how to knit or crochet.
In other areas: contact your local independent yarn shop; they often offer one-on-one instruction or small yarn classes.
For an experience closer to Michaels' old Yarn Night, more advanced knitters and crocheters may want to take part in one or more local Ravelry group meetups, or check Nextdoor or Meetup.com for events near you.

Cricut and Electronic Cutters

Online: Cricut offers a lot of instructive Design Space videos on You Tube; you can get to them either from there or through Design Space. You might also want to subscribe to Cricut's "Teach Me Tuesday" newsletter.
Specialty ideas can be found from bloggers and from vendors of adhesive and heat-transfer vinyls such as Expressions Vinyl and Craftybase; you can also sign up for Bluprint and Creative Bug classes.

In person: I believe in the benefit of groups of users supporting each other. Unfortunately, COVID-19 restrictions make in-person meetings ill-considered or illegal, I'm not averse to starting up a virtual group on Nextdoor, or adding in a Home Cutting SIG to my local computer user group. While I'm a Cricut Design Space user myself, any such group would be open to users of Silhouette, Brother, and other home electronic cutters as well.
Again, please e-mail me or post a message on Nextdoor to let me know what days and times would be best for you.
In other areas of the country, please check Nextdoor or Meetup.com for events near you.

Other Crafts and Instruction

Food Craft (Cake Decorating)

Michaels ceased providing Wilton-certified and -provided cake decorating instruction as of April, 2018, and "trend" project classes at the end of calendar 2018.

Online: A lot of information is available on YouTube and on Wilton's web site. Both Craftsy and Creative Bug offer everything from basic baking classes to specialty decorating topics.

In person: Check your neighborhood crafting store or cake-decorating-supply store.

Jewelry Craft

Bead Night, Michaels' old monthly jewelry-making user group, ceased two or three years ago, and our last "trend" project class was scheduled for the middle of 2018. At Michaels Watchung, there is at least one group of beaders who have occasionally reserved the classroom for jewelry-making.

Online: Check You Tube, Craftsy, and Creative Bug for online jewelry-making how-tos and classes.

Scrapbooking, Journaling, and Paper Crafts

Again, classes in these areas have disappeared from our schedule. You can find a number of ideas and tutorials online.

Fine Arts

Online: Check art supply manufacturers' and art stores' sites for techniques and tutorials.