Hey, I was just throwing this idea out there in my LS chat, and everyone said to post in the forums. I did a quick search, and I didn't see anything exactly like this, so here goes:

What if crafters could form a party and take turns making items? Everyone would work on a single item, with the steps distributed evenly. Items could also be chained for an experience points bonus, just like fighting parties, by completing items before a chain timer runs out. Maybe there could even be crafting skill chains where one member uses a skill, then another member uses a skill, and combined they add some sort of bonus to the process.

Also, the items wouldn't have to be party-exclusive or rare/ex. They could appear in the loot list upon completion. Say you would normally get 12 of something on your own, then you might get less as the result is distributed amongst the party members. However, you would get more experience in exchange through the bonuses. In other words, this concept is designed for leveling--not necessarily crafting for the market. It would also make crafting more social.

A similar concept could be applied to gathering parties as well. A party of gatherers could go out and gather items, with experience points bonuses for chaining gathered items within a time limit. Some form of gathering skill chain bonuses could also be implemented.