Started by Jennifer Pirtle, a health and lifestyle journalist, The Make Lounge was born in 2007 when she realized that she "longed for a tactile experience after spending hours working at my computer each day." So she rented a space and began a series of craft workshops, while meeting like-minded crafty folks in a party atmosphere. (My fingers are itching as I write this...when is one coming to the U.S.?!)

There's a full schedule of workshops on their calendar, with titles like 'Crochet Camp,' 'Zippers Clinic,' and 'Knockout Knickers.' It seems to be a little more organized than a typical drop-by-and-hang-out place—for workshops, you register online, classes are intimate (8 people per workshop), and materials are provided. Private events (especially those 'hen parties') are common, and they are even launching a retail shop in September 2009.

With buzzing activity mostly between the hours of 6:30-9:30pm, The Make Lounge seems to fill an after-work niche in an increasingly DIY-oriented community. Perhaps 'happy hour' will now become 'crafty hour'?

From PSFK

Photos by the make lounge