I've never been much of a DIY kinda guy, but I've always been interested in learning how to make things. Now I can't say I would've chosen the workshop I did with my wife recently at this AR Workshop location (more on that in a moment), but choices aside, the experience was awesome and I'd definitely return in the future to make something else (which was the plan). You see, I actually bought a workshop for my wife and I to do as a 2-year anniversary gift. Cotton is apparently the gift type for that marriage year and so I got creative and chose the knitted pumpkin class for us both (I probably would've preferred something involving wood for myself, but it totally worked for what I needed it for). I could tell this was definitely more of a feminine-type class as I was the only guy there, but I never really felt out of place as everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Backtracking for a moment, this workshop location in Patchogue is a storefront I never noticed, just a few shops away from James Joyce. The interior has a ton of crafts and items already made all around the store to show you things that you could do at another class. A lot of local vibes too with Long Island as the theme for many crafts which was cool to see. The wall of tools and paint also showed that there are many different projects of varying difficulty. Though for this specific pumpkin class we really only needed two items: a styrofoam pumpkin and some chunky yarn. There were two long tables covered in a variety of colored yarn rolls with enough for my wife and I to vary our pumpkin colors (we were each allowed to make three). Honestly, I wasn't sure how we'd be making these pumpkins, but the woman in charge of the class (along with her daughter) explained that we'd be doing two different types. They each took charge of one of the long tables and were able to help with keeping us on pace with directions, helping to fix errors (it was nice for the woman to say almost everything is fixable), and giving us support. Once done, there was a table of flowers, feathers, ribbon, and small wood pieces to pep up your pumpkins if you choose to do so (I gave mine a little pizzaz, but kept things simple). The whole class ran about 2 hours which was definitely enough time and we could have even stayed a few minutes longer as we were not being rushed out which was nice. Overall, AR Workshop in Patchogue is definitely a fun time. Their options for crafts and projects seem vast and with a friendly and helpful staff, I'd happily return, which I told my wife she could pick out another class as a part of the anniversary gift (though something without cotton next time around!). Definitely check out AR if you're looking for something a little different, but entirely enjoyable. read more