To start a hobbies thread....

I started an evening class on Monday - wood and metal work, so I can learn the proper ways of working with wood and metal. Starting by making a coffee table. There's a woodturning lathe there so I'm going to have a go at that too.

I'm always promising myself I'll learn Arabic. I've started several times over the years. I have no connection to the region, but always found it a fascinating language. I'd also love to learn Korean.

Asa continuation of the silversmithing.
I go to a; evening class so I can try techniques without having to buy all the stuff first.

Sorry I forgot to attach to your comment - how did you get into enamelling? I’d love to try it

How did you get into enamelling and was it easy to find someone to teach you?

Yes, I use videos by Peter Chen. I learned the 24-form sequence. He has videos of quite a few different versions of the same 24-form tai chi sequence - a slow, step-by-step one with full instructions, a front-view version, a rear view version etc.

https://youtube.com/@peterchentaichilife?si=H4xLMvvmTfv9QBo1

I couldn't even hold a crochet hook at the start of this year but I started evening classes and now can't believe what I can do. I'd really recommend a course with a good tutor, it makes all the difference having someone there to advise when it (frequently in my case!) goes wrong.

Can you post a link to the YouTube channel you use? Thanks.

There are lots of hobby pages on Facebook that are specific to each hobby. I don’t know
if you’re on Facebook but I use it purely for the hobby pages/groups now.
mI’m on a diamond art one amongst others, it’s nice as you can post a picture of your current project and people comment, you can then comment on other peoples posts.

mums-net is quite hard to use for that purpose I’d imagine

I'm on a lot of groups and forums so sometimes you get a "heads up" but I also keep an eye on the Scotland "Buildings At Risk" register as that's where I'm based. Found a few good spots after scouting that!

I do Tai Chi too! I taught myself a routine from YouTube during lockdown and do it most days. I often do it in the kitchen while I'm waiting for my tea to brew

I love my crafting hobby and I have a large crafting room with one side set up with my cutting machines and everything that goes with it, I also have a heat press and loads of vinyl, I do T.shirts and anything else I fancy. The other side has my 2 knitting machines and linker. I spend most days in there and I love it, my husband calls it my happy place and it certainly is. I don't make anything to sell, it's purely a hobby. I do like to make people's wedding invitations and I make all my own Christmas cards etc, I started my Xmas cards 2 weeks ago and have done loads. I've been doing it for years now. I'm fortunate enough to have retired early (due to ill health but im a lot better now) so I have plenty of time to enjoy it. I also have two lovely cats who have their own chair in there with me!

As well as learning to crochet, I paint. I go to an art group run by MIND every week. It's an essential part of my week and I never miss it. Painting brings me real peace of mind

I have a few hobbies. I love to read, I’ve just finished Other People’s houses by Claire Mackintosh.
ive also just finished a painting I’ve been working on of a canal and houses surrounded by forests
And I enjoy cross-stitch and crosswords

I’ll join; my hobbies have practically taken over my life tbh. I picked them both up a couple of years ago and am now thinking about going part time to accommodate them, especially one in particular.

Ive been doing car photography and getting fairly (ish) good at it I think; I drive all over the country now shooting, and have started doing motorsport photography which is really fun (long weekends standing next to a track waiting for cars to whizz by is apparently the best fun a woman can have 😁).

Love the idea of Tai Chi. When I have early appointments at the Royal Victoria Infirmary here in Newcastle, I pass through the university grounds where there's always people practicing.

Thanks for that info @BakingBreadInRome I had a Google, and there was a chap popped up in the next village to me who does group Pottery lessons at £25 for 2 hours. He also mentions how to avoid exacerbating the clay dust issue. I'm definitely signing up as I have something specific in mind that I want to make, and he posts videos every week of what his pupils have made post-firing.

I'm also into photography and mainly photograph birds at my local nature reseeve. Nature is probably my biggest passion and my Dad is a beekeeper, so I love using the wax for candles and soaps. I've also just perfected balms after about 30 years of trying. I've been making propolis tincture too, which is amazing for all sorts of ailments as it's anti inflammatory, anti fungal and has many other properties.

Perfume is an interesting one. I dabble in aromatherapy as I mainly like to use natural scents.

@letsgotoletterland could you share any links to the socials of the chap who does wild Pottery please. That sounds really interesting.

This thread is amazing for ideas. I used to do a different night class every year to learn a new skill. It tailed off a bit in the past 10 years or so as I'm a single parent to an Autistic child, but I popped into my library today and found that they do a creative writing course that might fit for me.

Typo

Oh this sounds like my crowd!

I...in no particular order, at various times. Needle felt, crochet, paint (acrylic and water colour) chain mail (jewellery mostly), cook, bake (including wedding and novelty cakes), make my own artificial flowers, sew, circus skills (staff and poi spinning), digital art and 3d digital modelling (this is now a small freelance business). I'm also writing a fantasy trilogy, 60k into novel one, want to finish the three book manuscript by the time I'm 40 in less then 2 years.

This sort of thing is fun and great to see and try but firing on a camp fire is unlikely to fully vitrify the clay, which means potential problems especially if you’re going to use for food.

I watch a man on YouTube who makes wild pottery. He finds the clay and sand in the wild, and processes it and makes cups and pots and bowls and fires them on a real camp fire. Absolutely amazing and I imagine our ancestors didn't have kilns; they probably made stuff this way. I will try to find him.
Eco friendly to the next level and Absolutely amazing. Perfect for a history nut as well as a crafty nut!

I love photography but that's tailed off a bit since last August when I learnt to crochet, I'm now on my 6th blanket.
I spend a couple of hours a day doing that while listening to podcasts.

I also love my VR headset, I've always been a gamer but for the last 4 years I've used my headset daily.
It's great for all sorts of things, there's an App on there called Wander which is basically Google maps but it puts you floor level so you feel like you're there.
I've researched holidays and properties on there and often travel the world seeing the sights from the comfort of my settee.

I join a group of adults ranging from 20 - 70 from around the world most evenings and play games, at the moment we're playing a Fortnite style one where you team up, fly down, grab a gun and it's first one to kill the other team, it's great fun.

My hobbies are mostly musical. I sing in a choir and play flute in a concert band and an orchestra. I also walk rescue dogs and am in a book club.

I’ve just started out pen-paling really enjoying it so far.

Now Urbex photography absolutely fascinates me and I own an SLR. I got in to photography years ago but never got very good. How do you find interesting places to photograph?