I’m one of those people that have more hobbies than time lol. I love to learn new skills! Useful skills that will give me a product to show off when I’m done. Who has time to watch TV and couch surf when you have so many things you want to try out!?!?! But where to get started? That’s the real question… so here is a list of some handy hobbies and places to go to learn how to do them.
Always start by looking at community colleges first for things like vehicle mechanics and pottery classes etc. Not only do they have classes… but it’s a low cost way to use someone else’s expensive equipment (think tools and kilns) without having to shell out a bunch of $ up front!
The next place to look is local guilds. There are weaving guilds, spinning guilds, woodworking guilds etc to name a few. They often give laymen type lessons from one crafty person to a novice for inexpensive (sometime free if you join the guild) prices and often help you pick the right tools for your “trade” before you spend a lot of money trying things out just to find out you don’t like it or don’t have a talent for it. Often they will teach you on their equipment just because of the joy in showing someone else their craft.
If you want to learn to sew… how about asking at a local (small business) sewing shop that sells sewing machines. They often give lessons and let you try out different machines to choose the machine that is the right one for you. When you think about it… taking a few lessons and getting to try out some different equipment before making an expensive purchase only to find out the machine you bought doesn’t do what you want or need… is very economical!
Check out local crafting centers! Many places have craft centers that offer woodworking, pottery etc lessons. Or just a day of fun to get your creative juices going and give something new a try. I’m not talking about the big box store type craft centers (although they often have some neat classes going too). But look downtown for some mom and pop owned types. Maybe even find some non profit type organizations. Trust me they do exist and they are near you if you just look for them!
Don’t stop there! How about scuba diving or sky diving. Golf. Fly fishing. Horses (riding lessons anyone?). Check with sheep shearers and local farriers to learn where to go to learn those skills (and maybe earn a few extra $$ with your new hobby). How about tin smithing? Blacksmithing? Learning to play a musical instrument (ask the local music stores where to go for lessons).
If you are really good at following instructions and have good internet connection… go to YouTube. I guarantee you can find videos to teach yourself how to knit or crochet if you look hard enough. That’s how I taught myself how to knit! Hubby often goes to YouTube to figure out how to fix something in the house or on a vehicle. It’s a wonderful learning tool! Full of ideas.
Once you start learning something new (and if you are like me) you find out about something else that’s related and just HAVE to learn how to do that next!!! Which is why I have 4 different types of weaving looms now. Learning new skills is addictive people! I often have 4-10 projects going at once and switch back and forth between projects to give myself a break so I don’t burn out on any one thing lol. Right now I am weaving a towel, twining a rug, crocheting some lace curtains, knitting a sweater, making some ash lye soap, and since it’s the holidays… don’t forget the candy making! Oh! I also have several sewing project awaiting my attention and lined up in cue not to mention a brand new box of clay to play with! If my hands or back etc start to give me a hard time I just move to the next project that doesn’t require use of that aching body part! I can only crochet or knit for short periods of time because of hand pain issues… so off to weave or sew or something else once I start to ache. Keeping active is super important!
Like I said who has time for TV?!?! Truthfully there isn’t anything good to watch on American TV most of the time anyway! Thank goodness for international TV channels available on RoKU! When I do watch TV nowadays, it’s normally Australian, Canadian, or European channels via roku. No politics and well written plot lines 🙂
And in between all that happy happy joy joy. I have Conestoga Chuck, his sister lil bit, and miss kitty to snuggle, play with and as always work on their training. It may be too cold to go outside for long in this cold Montana weather, but we have plenty to occupy us before it’s time to go out and plant the garden (with some help) this spring!
So stop procrastinating! There are lessons from free to very expensive lol available to anyone who has the gumption to go for it! Even the expensive ones you can sometimes barter work in exchange for lessons (like clean the horse stalls in exchange for riding lessons). You can even find books at the local library on how to do most anything! Imagine that! A place to borrow books for free! What a deal!!!!
Hobbies can be no tech, low tech, high tech. No cost, low cost, high cost. Easy all the way to difficult requiring true skill and artistic ability. I can’t draw a stick figure folks… but yarn is my thing lol. So if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, best look for something other than opera singing lessons lol but the point is to stay active and enjoy what you do. Happy crafting everyone!
Conestoga Chuck 