Suggest me a hobby?

[alwaysbethepigeon]

I need a hobby. Something for myself all I do is cook and clean and manage the housework. I'm going slightly crazy with nothing else to do.

I'm not massively crafty but am open to any suggestions. I can knit but i struggle to find the patience to actually finish anything.

Learn a musical instrument.

I'm late 40s and started playing bass a few years ago. It's something I always wanted to do but never got around to. DH is a guitarist and I've always been in awe of his playing and wished I was musical too, but I thought at my age I was too old to start. He bought me my first bass 3 years ago and I absolutely love playing. I'm so glad I finally took the plunge!

I use YouTube videos/tutorials so learning hasn't cost anything other than the cost of the bass and amp, which were about £250 together. Guitars are even cheaper - you can get a decent beginner's one for about £100.

[quote hennybeans]@OhioOhioOhio I'm crocheting a Missoni inspired blanket at the moment. Just a simple chevron pattern with my own colour choices.[/quote]
That is lovely!

@Fuckinellitsme

Learn a musical instrument.

I'm late 40s and started playing bass a few years ago. It's something I always wanted to do but never got around to. DH is a guitarist and I've always been in awe of his playing and wished I was musical too, but I thought at my age I was too old to start. He bought me my first bass 3 years ago and I absolutely love playing. I'm so glad I finally took the plunge!

I use YouTube videos/tutorials so learning hasn't cost anything other than the cost of the bass and amp, which were about £250 together. Guitars are even cheaper - you can get a decent beginner's one for about £100.

I'd love to learn bass just to play the intro to Mr Brightside! I've always wanted to learn to play piano but it's something I've never done.

@alwaysbethepigeon just do it! Honestly it's so much fun. Great thing about bass is you can be proficient enough to play pretty simple basslines quite quickly - I was playing my first songs within days. Instant gratification

Lots of music shops now have schemes where you can hire instruments for a few months to see if it's for you or not, but if you do buy one and don't get on with it you can usually sell without making too much of a loss. It's definitely a chance worth taking because you'll probably love it and feeling like a rock star in your living room

Have a look at Josh Fosgreen's beginners videos on YouTube to get a feel for it, he's brilliant.

I've just taken up cross stitch and tapestry. Although more to keep me busy in lockdown than a long term thing.

I'd like a hobby which enabled me to make new friends, but that feels like a pipe dream in lockdown!

Ukelele. Reasonably easy to learn, cheap to buy, don’t take up much space.

Learn a language in Duolingo. It’s free, (you can upgrade to paid-for app if you really wanted to), can just do 10 minutes a day but still progress.

Some kind of exercise / stretching challenge - C25K or whatever.

Needle felting pictures. You can buy a kit to start you off, it’s easy to do.
Tapestry. Crewel work, or embroidery.

Patchwork? Making clothes etc?

Crochet is a great choice. Using a "big" stitch you can create cushions and shawls quite fast, and it is very satisfying.

If that doesn't work out try cross stitch. There's not much commitment required - a small, inexpensive kit will tell you quickly if it's for you.

Punch needle. Get a kit from Etsy, I find it really mindful.

Button art

@Saz12

Ukelele. Reasonably easy to learn, cheap to buy, don’t take up much space.

Learn a language in Duolingo. It’s free, (you can upgrade to paid-for app if you really wanted to), can just do 10 minutes a day but still progress.

Some kind of exercise / stretching challenge - C25K or whatever.

Needle felting pictures. You can buy a kit to start you off, it’s easy to do.
Tapestry. Crewel work, or embroidery.

Patchwork? Making clothes etc?

My son has a Ukelele knocking around somewhere! Great idea.

Couch to 5k is another good idea. I did it last summer

@HearMeSnore

Crochet is a great choice. Using a "big" stitch you can create cushions and shawls quite fast, and it is very satisfying.

If that doesn't work out try cross stitch. There's not much commitment required - a small, inexpensive kit will tell you quickly if it's for you.

I'm waiting on my crochet kit to arrive I keep looking out the window for a delivery van 😂 I can't wait to start it. I've never fancied cross stitch. I e watched some YouTube tutorials and found a woman who makes it look so easy

This is a diamond painting I’m halfway through. If you zoom in, you can see it’s lots of tiny coloured crystals. Like an alternative version of cross stitch. Viewed up close, it just looks pixelated, but the effect from a small distance is great. Am finding it very mindful and relaxing.

Thank you for this thread-I need some inspiration too. It's hard to fit much in with the children and then general madness of being at home all the time. I do enjoy reading so I've been forcing myself to find the time each day.

I can knit but i struggle to find the patience to actually finish anything.

What about squares for Woolly Hugs?

Thank you.

I’ve also been doing diamond painting, doesn’t take any great skill, just a shitload of patience but the results are worth it!

Have also been doing my family tree and do dolls houses as well.

I alternate between the 3 depending on wherever my mood takes me.

Diamond paintings look interesting.
I think I could manage some knitted squares as well!

Please shows us the result of your new hobbies

Learn the ukulele.

Duolingo

Join on-line presentations and learn about stuff. I've watched some of the Lucy Worsley ones, the royal society, and historic palaces. Also try on-line festivals: York festival of ideas, Cheltenham Science Festival, How the Light Gets In (philosophy)

@alwaysbethepigeon - I get my diamond paintings from Victoria’s Moon (take care on their site - one part has diamond paintings and the other part is for paint by numbers). I’ve ordered a couple from other suppliers, but I’ve found VM to be the best. Good quality canvas and crystals, and plenty of crystals provided - always have some left over at the end.

They have a huge selection of standard prints to choose from, and they have a large section of buy two get one free which is worth it. There is a range of sizes you can order - I wouldn’t go any smaller than 30x30 as otherwise you lose detail and it can look too pixelated. The tiger above is 40x50.

The crystals are called “drills” and you can choose round or square. Round ones are easier, but square ones give a much better/cleaner finish (but you need to be careful as you place each one so they’re not at an angle, whereas it doesn’t matter with round as you can’t place it the wrong way!).

You can also get favourite photos turned into the canvases. I won’t post images, as they’re private, but I did two as presents for Christmas. One was a friend’s horse and the other was for another friend of her kids. They both LOVED them. Both images were 60x80 so the detail was great and it was great watching them emerge as more crystals were added.

I just remembered last night and thought of you

You said you could knit and someone said that knitted things were ugly (wtv).

What about those octopi (octopuses??) 🐙 for premature babies? That would be a nice thing to do. I think that people can donate them to hospitals so that babies don't pull on their cables and tubes.