PINYC Kids KnitCon

Ebi setting up her station.

KnitCon is a special event at Pinterest. It is an annual 2-day immersion event where you are asked to completely commit to the event (yes, that means cancel all meetings, take no calls and even leave your laptop at home) which is centered around knitting and learning from each other. This year, every single Pinterest employee across the world will meet in SF to participate in KnitCon together (last year, each local market did its own version of it).

In preparation, employees are given an invitation to sign up to teach a special skill or talent. I received that invitation and thought, "Man, I used to have so many cool skills and talents as a kid, but none as an adult." Then in a conversation with my team member Halie in Chicago a few weeks ago, she inspired me to host a Kids KnitCon in NY. And that's how PINYC Kids KnitCon was born.

What a day! We welcomed PINYC Kids Brandon and Bailey Kim, Gryphon and Atticus Smith, James and Margot Macdonald, Julius and Alex Concepcion, Finn Kaplan, Olivia Luv, Hanna and Elle Rowley and my very own Lauren and Elizabeth Kyung! The kids were all stellar and I couldn't have been any prouder of them and the event. Like all things at Pinterest, all you need is an idea, knitters and some execution skills to make GREAT things happen. Here are some event details and pictures to remember this day for the rest of my life!

PINYC Kids KnitCon 2016

Agenda

• 10:30-10:40 - Welcome, kick-off and meet our Little Knitters!
• 10:40-11:00 - Special Session Group 1
• Gryphon Smith
• Brandon Kim
• Lauren Kyung
• James Macdonald
• 11:00-11:20 - Special Session Group 2
• Atticus Smith
• Bailey Kim
• Elizabeth Kyung
• Margot Macdonald
• 11:20-11:30 - Break
• 11:30-11:45 - General Session by Olivia Luv
• 11:45-12:00 - Reconvene in Getty, share our creations and learnings, conclude
• 12:00 - Lunch
• ~12:30 - Optional: Peanuts movie showing in the Library. 

Sessions

1. Gryphon Smith

Session: Voice acting featuring Star Wars characters

2. Atticus Smith

Session: Breakfast plating

3. Brandon Kim

Session: How to build a Lego/Mixels

4. Bailey Kim

Session: Art project (Marbled paper)

5. Lauren Kyung

Session: Box-stitch lanyards

6. Elizabeth Kyung

Session: Drawing with colored pencils (subject will be an owl)

7. James Macdonald

Session: Texas Hold’Em

8. Margot Macdonald

Session: Hip Hop

9. Olivia Luv (olivialuv.com)

General Session: How you can take your talent and passion, and build a business!

*Disclaimer: Pin images were selected for illustrative purposes only. Final output may vary from the images shows. :-)

Pictures!

NYPL

Signing in

Knitting stairs

KnitCon hats bring out the Hip Hop in them.

Introducing themselves

Lauren teaching her class how to make box-stitch lanyards.

Ebi's most favorite activity is playing teacher so this was a dream for her!

Ebi teaching her class how to draw an owl.

Ebi's final product.

PINYC Kids KnitCon participants! Extraordinary job kids!!

Got to the office at 9:30 a.m. and left at 4:30 p.m. Full day!

I told you Lauren...working is hard work!