What new hobby can I take up this winter break?

Crochet is relatively easy to learn, and fun to do (if I could only remember how to do it). Decoupage (sp?), too.

I would start an instrument. In fact, one winter term that’s exactly what I did. I started learning classical guitar. I’d gotten a cheap guitar, and for a year or so, I kept taking lessons.

You could choose from many instruments. I know there are piano instructions on youtube (my daughter uses them to learn many a song), so there are probably lessons for smaller, less expensive instruments.

If you stick at it, you’ll learn something that opens the door for a new set of gatherings. It’s a new way to communicate with people, and it’s also a great thing to do to express yourself. If you don’t like it, you can drop it at the end of the winter break. In fact, it would probably be easy to borrow an instrument during that time. Your cost would be pretty low.

You might want to try this quiz to see what hobbies might fit you best. I should tell you that this quiz is going to want to email you with your results.

good luck~

I highly encourage you to take up knitting or crocheting. Crochet is, as Augustlan pointed out, somewhat easier to learn, but I think knitting can make a better finished product, and is easier to do and more satisfying once you have the technique down. Also, I just found out about this great project which looks like a really good way to make use of your knitting projects! They have some really simple patterns that any beginner could follow (you can also crochet for this organization).

My advice if you learn how to knit: The best way is if you have a friend or family member to teach you, but it’s not necessary (I taught myself). The next best alternative is if you have a friend who is equally ignorant, but wants to learn with you. That’s what I did, and it makes it fun. Otherwise, just put on some good music and settle down for an afternoon of knitting.

Pick up some cheap yarn and a pair of needles. Get yarn that has a simple, smooth texture, nothing that’s overly frilly or fuzzy, because it will be difficult to work with. Also pick up a simple book or pamphlet with “how to knit” instructions, or go online and print some out. There’s also youtube videos that show you the basic stitches.

Now, cast on and start knitting. Remember two important things: the first 2 rows are BY FAR the hardest, so just plow through them and don’t worry if you’re doing it right. If you’re not, you’ll figure it out soon enough, but chances are that you are doing it right, it’s just hard to tell. Secondly, rememer that you DO NOT CARE about how this first knitting sample will turn out. This is crucial. It will not look good. It’s only practice. By the time I had knit about a square foot of material, I was ready to move on to a project that actually did look good! You’ll be able to tell when you’re ready.

Don’t try to follow a pattern, just knit back and forth until you have the technique down. Switch to purling, back to knitting, etc, until you feel comfortable with it. Voila! Now you know how to knit.

I highly recommend quilting. I got myself set up with a really basic sewing machine and a beginner’s quilting kit (though all you really need is the cutting mat, rotary blade, and see-through ruler) and shopped smartly for fabrics (looking through the discount or marked down bins, shopping at thrift stores for fabric can get you some SERIOUS awesome deals). All in all about $100 for equipment, fabric is at your discretion but budget probably $50 minimum for fabric and thread (which is surprisingly expensive). You can start with a simple block design and finish it off to make a wall hanging or a placemat, or work towards a big quilt. I find it so peaceful to do at night, and I’m really looking forward to giving the finished quilt to the lucky recipient!

I do a fair amount of crafting. I’ve done knitting and crochet in the past. In recent times I’ve been drawn towards sewing and quilting, maybe because completing each block is instant gratification compared to plowing on while doing a sweater for instance, and its easier to do mindlessly compared to counting stitches etc. I also am drawn by the prettiness of all the fabrics one can buy, and sewing other things such as tote bags and change purses is also a fun thing to do with the materials.

Oh, and of course, once you’re done a quilt, you can snuggle underneath it with or without someone else! A great thing to have in winter indeed.

Do outdoor activities count as a “hobby”? Because I would highly encourage you to learn a new outdoor skill or activity such as geocaching, skate skiiing, winter biking, etc.

@hannahsugs, I agree completely and very good instruction and advice!

PnL, I learned to knit when I was a child and then didn’t do anymore until about 5 years ago, believe it or not I still remember some things. But then I took a basic class through the adult school and wow, I learned to do all kinds of ‘fancy’ patterns! It was actually really fun and I learned how to read a pattern. I just picked my knitting back up again after 5 yrs of not doing it and it has come back to me again and I am actually working on some unfinished projects I had started back then.

There are two different ways of knitting that I didn’t learn about as a child. But since have and I have switched over to what is called the ‘continental’ style I believe compared to the other way which you ‘throw the yarn’. IT is a lot faster and easier to do so you might try to find a website that teaches that technique and see if you like it better.

I would honestly give knitting a try as it is something you will always be able to pick back up later and do even more. I have actually learned how to knit with 3 or more needles which I never imagined I would be able to do.

Good luck with what ever you do choose to do though!

Painting. It is so relaxing and if you don’t like your finished product you can paint over it and try again. You just need a canvas and some brushes and some acrylic paints.

You could get fabric scraps and make reuseable shopping bags and keep some and give some away. A really great website to get ideas is etsy.com. It’s a site where people sell their homemade goodies.

@ lollipop: Thanks for the tip about continental style! As it turns out, that’s what I do naturally, without ever knowing there was another way to do it. As I said, I taught myself to knit, and I think that means I naturally assumed the needle and yarn positioning that was easiest to work with. I saw someone else knitting “english” style and I couldn’t believe how much harder and slower it looked!

Go to bartending school. It’s quite useful in a lot of aspects of life, and you can make money! Some bartending schools even let you drink what you make, and I would definitely call that fun.

@miasmom,
painting would have been my answer too, but i have a feeling (please correct me if im wrong) that PnL isn’t much of a fan for creation (assumption based on craft comment and scrapbook comment). Where as I agree with you that painting is very relaxing and soothing, it may not be so for others. Trying to paint a masterpeice when you have no artistic ability (subjective and not necessarily directed a PnL) can be frusterating and bothersome.
Like I said, painting would be my answer, but I was just offering some food for thought.

Knitting would be my choice for you. It is inexpensive, easily put away, and very portable. You could start out by making a simple scarf just for the experience and move on from there. It is also something not too many people do these days, judging by folks’ reactions when I knit in public. I even got a couple of acting roles because I could sit and knit.

Interestingly enough, I found “Knitting for Dummies” a very useful book. I used it as a refresher because I learned to knit when I was a kid a very long time ago and hadn’t knitted for a number of years.

Yeah, but that is the beauty of painting…you can do the whole canvas in green and it looks great and is art…no talent required at all. :)

If you’re on a tight budget, knitting and crocheting have another plus. When you do your first square of knitting (or crocheting) that you don’t care about, like hannahsugs says, there will be a point where you feel like you get it now. You don’t have to keep your first awkward piece and call the yarn lost. You can always rip out the needles and re-roll the yarn and reuse it. You can’t do that indefinitely, but you can reuse once or twice.

Learn to pop!
Oh, wait… you said “useful”, didn’t you?

I got nothin’.

Have you ever played Ultimate frisbee?

It’s very inexpensive, fun, and useful. Ok, yes, if you’re in Ohio over winter break it’s going to be cold as hell. Maybe not the best time to start playing Ultimate. But you do have to get exercise, don’t you? If you can brave the cold, here’s a list of pickup games in Ohio.

As far as learning the game, I find people who play Ultimate all over the world are exceedingly nice and friendly to beginners. (Oh, and plenty of Ultimate players I know are doctors!) Pickup games are almost always co-ed, and including women is a big part of the game. Can you tell I love the sport?

Which of the options you’ve heard so far sound appealing?

@akmcq, geocaching sounds amazing! I want to try that!

Geocaching is totally fun, too, but depending on where you are I’d give that a first try in spring and not in winter. “Virtual caches” are a lot of fun.

When you taught yourself to cook, did you include baking as well? If not, I’d definitely recommend learning to bake. There are so many wonderful things you can make, and winter is the best time for home-baked cookies and breads – I love getting up in the morning and making a fresh batch of muffins or scones for breakfast. I rarely have time to do it, but I’d bake every day if I could!

How did you teach yourself to cook? Any books/websites you can recommend? I may try that this winter.

Hellllooo everyone. Sorry for the late reply, I have been reading your suggestions as you write them but wanted to wait till I have enough time to reply to you all. Thank you to all of you for the lovely suggestions. You went above and beyond what I was thinking/expecting and I appreciate that. Lurve to all of you from me! Now, I have made a decision…sort of. Since it’s freezing outside, the sports suggestions are being saved for summer. I have decided to start with knitting and if I really get into that, take it a step further to quilting (somewhere down the line). But since you took the time to write to me, I would like to address you individually (don’t bother reading the whole answer, just the part addressed to you…I know its kinda long):

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augustlan – I actually did learn to crochet long long longgggg ago. Except, I guess I never really learned since I was horrible at it and had to pay a friend to finish it for me :/
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daloon – An instrument is a great idea! I actually am trying to learn the piano already, but I go through on/off periods with that. Sometimes I am just very interested and other times I could care less. I think that’s a major problem with self teaching/pacing and an irregular schedule. Also, the piano is in my aunt’s house who lives 2 hours away from me. So I usually only practice when I go there to visit.
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Sue – I took the quiz. Here are my results:

YOUR RESULT: The Action-Adventure Hobbyist

You are the active adventuress who is always in search of the latest fly-down-the-mountain, hair-on-fire endorphin rush. For you, sports and physical activity are more than just ways to keep fit. From skiing to kayaking you’re all about motion. Though some don’t consider sport a hobby, there are ways to get more involved in sports and adventure by collecting the proper gear, framing pictures, and getting tickets to all the latest events.

Hmmm…I am not sure about this. This is true in some cases but a lot of physical activity I do is dependent on the type of activity. I would love love love to go kayaking but then things like volleyball are probably not my thing. Again, I’ll keep it in mind for summer.
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hannah – your answer had me convinced that I would like to do knitting. So thank you for that! I absolutely love the idea of donating what I knit, and I think it’s going to make me want to do it more because I have a bigger reason to achieve the task than just for myself. I am off to buy needles (tali told me to get size 13, does that sound right to you?) and yarn later today or tomorrow. Can’t wait! I also placed some books on hold in the local library, but can you believe that all of the knitting related books are checked out??????? I was really surprised. There were about 15 or so that I tried to get and they were all checked out or on hold. I guess knitting is more popular than I thought.
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dynamicduo – thank you for the quilting suggestion! I hadn’t even thought of that. The only reason I am going to wait on this one until I’ve tried knitting is because a) knitting is cheaper and it SEEMS easier. Hopefully. Oh and I lurve the idea of instant gratification :)
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akmcg and trustinglife – yes, outdoor activities definitely count! I typically learn an indoor-ish activity over winter and an outdoor one over summer. So I am saving your suggestions for then! I am afraid I would be horrible at ultimate frisbee though Adam. I am willing to give anything a try though.
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lollipop – helllllo. i don’t see you often enough on here :). again, thanks for the knitting tips. I actually recently found out there are 2 styles – continental and throw. And all the vids I had found at that time were over throw. So I am really glad you mentioned that continental is easier, now I can make sure to look specifically for those tutorial videos!
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miasmom and lacerbabe – Painting is a fabulous idea and I am very envious of those who can do it. Lacebabe is right though, I am not so good at my painting and drawing hahha. I’ve always wanted to paint anything on a canvas though. So I’ll have to fulfill that wish sometime in my life. And hey, who knows, maybe it won’t turn out absolutely horrible!
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Tits – Ah. I wish I could do that. There’s really some great $$ in that, perfect way to pay through medical school. But I don’t drink and I have a feeling I wouldn’t fit in right.
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jessturtle – i don’t know much about that at all (reusable shopping bags). I’ll be sure to look into it! Thanks.
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Darwin – Knitting it is :). I also tried searching for knitting books in my local library (see what I wrote to hannahsugs) because of what you said.
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cyndyh – Thanks for mentioning that I can reuse the yarn. And yep, the tight budget was definitely a concern.
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sdeutsch – yep, baking was definitely included. In fact, it’s my favorite part. :). I want to make myself Blackforest cake for my birthday. I really love it and I feel that bakeries near me don’t bake it right. So I am on the hunt for the perfect recipe for it actually!
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shadling21 – I actually have “learned” to pop with my roommates. I think we all just looked like we were having a seizure. Mmmm. not for us perhaps? As for your Q about cooking, allrecipes is the perfect site for all beginners, intermediate and advanced cooks. Check out the recipes with the highest ratings and most reviews, and REMEMBER to read the first few reviews for every recipe you try out. Those reviews are actually the difference between your dish turning out okay to superb. I actually also had to teach myself to chop/cut vegetables, so I did the geekiest thing possible. I looked up images of that online (there are actually pdf files that show this step-by-step!!) and kept my laptop open in the kitchen while I followed the knife strokes :). Good luck and if you have any Qs, I’ll try my best to help you!
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PS – I wonder if I beat the record for longest answer now ;)

PnL, if you are not a great artist, but really want to paint on canvas, I have some suggustions for you (for future breaks?). Buy some cheap canvases at JoAnne’s or any craft store, get a few decent brushes and some cheap foam brushes, and use acrylic craft paint. Paint abstracts or patterns, letters & numbers, or graphic pop-art type things. They are easy and fun to do…even my kids get good results this way. Most of all remember: You can always paint over it if you don’t like it : )

PnL: I think size 13 sounds a bit big to me. Standard (cheap) yarn calls for about a size 8 to 10. 13 would make a very loose, open weave final work, and might be a little awkward to work with (I find thicker needles to be slightly more difficult). If possible, buy your yarn and needles at the same time, the yarn should have a little icon on the label indicating what a good size needle is to use with it. Of course, if you start working on a specific pattern (once you have the basic skills down), you might have to pick up a different size pair of needles, in order to achieve the gauge called for in the patten.

I’m not surprised the library’s knitting books were all checked out! Knitting is increasingly popular these days, and I bet a lot of people are knitting more for the holdiay and school vacation time of year.

On a side note, last night I taught my boyfriend how to knit. It was très cute. He says he wants to start knitting in class (just like I do) to help him pay attention! :-)

Oooh, I love black forest cake. Sorry I don’t have a recipe for you – I’ve never found a recipe or a bakery that’s as good as getting it from a real German restaurant. Do you have any German restaurants near you? Take yourself out for a treat! =)

augustlan – that’s a great idea!
hannah – noted. and hahha i think it’s great that you are teaching your boyfriend how to knit! i wish you could teach me :)
sdeutsch – i think i found a decent recipe :D. don’t really know about the german restaurant though, will have to look out for one.

for all knitters, i thought you would appreciate this adorably packaged gift.

@PnL: After asking a knitting question tonight, I stumbled upon this question you asked (according to fluther) 4 weeks ago (I think I was in the beginning of finals then). I wish I had seen it though! I just learned to knit a few months ago. I taught myself mostly through youtube, and then fellow flutherers taught me a lot as well. Did you take up knitting? How is it going? Update please!

@shadling21, I recommend Alton Brown’s book I’m Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking for teaching yourself how to cook. It’s one of my favorite books.

@hanna – I taught my boyfriend how to knit too!! i made the mistake of giving him something I was in the middle of. He was so afraid to make a mistake!