Calling all cat ladies!
A Greenpoint craft space will be full of female feline fans for “Catlady Craft Night,” an evening of kitty-centric arts activities on Nov. 21. The event’s organizer says the idea cat ladies are lonely weirdos is outmoded, and that people are now embracing the term.
“People used to think of cat ladies as a kind of sad spinster motif, but these days it’s cool to be a cat lady,” said Brett Bara, founder of Brooklyn Craft Company. “I definitely identify as a cat lady. It means that I really love my cat, I think about her a lot, and I’m really drawn to cat-themed things in general. I love to follow cats on Instagram — it’s just fun to think about cats.”
The Saturday night event will bring together cat ladies to create cat-inspired items, like change purses with little ears and whiskers and tote-bags with iron-on cat images. Between kitty crafts, attendees will sip cat-themed cocktails and nibble on cat-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches.
The night will also have adoptable kitties from Brooklyn Animal Action for visitors to pet and snuggle with.
“The most exciting thig is we’re having real live cats,” said Bara. “So the cat ladies can have some real cat interaction while they’re obsessing over cats.”
The Craft Company will provide all of the needed materials and instruction for the activities, but there is one item people might want to bring from home — fur.
“We’re inviting all of our attendees to bring some of their cat’s fur, because all cat ladies know we have plenty of cat fur all over the house,” said Bara. The hair can be incorporated into a felted kitty figure, giving each figure a personal touch.
“At first we planned to just use regular felt. Then we had an ‘ah-ha’ moment and thought ‘Wouldn’t it be funny and fun to incorporate your own cat’s fur into it?’ ” said Bara. She is particularly looking forward to that project, because she has a lot of material to use for it.
“I’ve been saving my cat’s fur for about five years,” she said. “She’s long-haired Persian and her fur is like baby alpaca fur, so I’ve been saving it for a project.”
She paused, contemplating what she had just said.
“I promise I am a normal, cute, socially-adept person,” she added.
Catlady Craft Night at Brooklyn Craft Company [61 Greenpoint Ave. between Franklin and West streets in Greenpoint, (646) 201–4049, www.brook
