Every year, Third Place Commons honors partners who enliven our community. In 2013, we are pleased to recognize the “Commons Creatives,” the clever folks who make things in the space. They knit and crochet, draw and paint, write and perform music. They dance, sing, hook rugs, tie flies, and they make the Commons the lively, welcoming place it is.
If you spend any time at all in the Commons, you are sure to have seen some of our regular Creatives. Our weeks start with Good Knits sessions on first and third Mondays of the month. This is hybrid knitting/book club creates hundreds of warm, wooly accessories each year for charity while they discuss books. A group of illustrators meet regularly on Tuesday afternoons, and attracts artists who work in a variety of media. And if you work during the week, they encourage you to join the fun on the first Saturday Commons Art-In.
On Thursdays, members of the Church of the Holy Stitch convene in the morning, enjoy lunch together, and stitch into the afternoon. These devoted knitters met weekly at Village Yarn and Tea, mourned when the shop closed a few years ago, then packed their knitting bags and moved into the Commons. They warmly welcome new congregants at all skill levels.
For many creative folks, the Commons serves as a home away from home, or an alternate studio for artists who crave companionship and support. Elsa Bouman, a Creative of many talents, notes that she and her family chose Lake Forest Park when they moved from California because of Third Place Commons. Even though she grew up in the area, Katy Scott has found an extended family of kindred spirits in the Commons. A remarkable young knitter who generously helps beginners through their first projects, Katy speaks for all of us when she admits that her life would not be the same without this welcoming space.