Crafts

I love learning new things and get lots of fun out of the challenge of trying a new craft. Usually I get really into it for several months, learn all about the different techniques, but I can lose interest when it stops feeling difficult.

Fabric Crafts

Fabric crafts are great. It feels kind of magical to make something out of a bunch of rags or thread. I like making things for other people, especially kids, as I'm a bit too picky with clothes and often end up not liking the end result. Making things by hand always ends up being more expensive than buying it--don't get into this if you want to make or save money--but it's the process and learning experience that makes it worth it.

Knitting

The only experience I have with this is learning from my great-aunt as a kid and making scarves for my teddy bear. It was very satisfying once I stopped dropped or adding extra stitches and the fabric is lovely and light and smooth, but the repetitive motions can cause RSI which is why I'm wary to try it as a much older adult.

Crochet

Very fun and flexible! It's fantastic for making toys or hats because it's so easy to add extra parts and join things together. It's also suited for improvising. When you compare vintage crochet patterns with recent crochet patterns it's striking how much more detail we need nowadays, including exact stitches, methods of joining, making swatch squares beforehand. Vintage crochet patterns assume a higher level of expertise and often give instructions in length and width rather than exact stich number. It assumes you know how to shape fabric yourself through increases and decreases and often just tells you the basic pattern for one stitch and expect you to extrapolate that to the whole fabric.

I have mostly used patterns and crocheted small things. The largest things I've crocheted are two jumpers for a one year old and a four year old.

Nalbinding

I got into this during the pandemic. This is what was used before knitting was invented and basically involves tying knots in yarn using a large needle. The fabric created is thick and cannot unravel. This makes a very sturdy fabric that you can cut and patch up holes but means you cannot undo any mistakes you've made! Nalbinding almost never is made according to a pattern, so you will need to either try the item on frequently, or work to a template.

Rag rugs

This is a great craft for beginners. It doesn't require a high level of skill as any inconsistencies or mistakes blend in perfectly, and it is also made using mostly scrap materials. You probably won't need to buy anything!

Mosaics

Something I got excited about but the messiness with the cement and grouting has put me off actually starting. Turns out making pixel art on the computer is a lot easier than replicating it with mosaics.

Whittling

Getting into the more dangerous area here but it is so satisfying carving bits of wood off a stick. You can just start with a penknife and try to whittle hair sticks like I did, but you're going to eventually need to get a sharpening stone, and a curved knife for carving out bowls or spoons.

Origami

Been doing it on and off since I was a kid but the book Genuine Origami was the thing that made me want to get serious about it. As with all things, turns out Origami runs a lot deeper than simple cranes and stars. Watching a video about the 14 levels of difficulty in Origami and realising you've only got up to level 3 is pretty humbling.

Mutsumi no