Quiet, clutter free hobby

[Clarelita]

I am looking for something to keep me busy on an evening after my children have gone to bed. I hate clutter so it should be an activity/hobby that doesn't require a lot of equipment and as the kids are in bed it shouldn't be too noisy. I don't have a TV or laptop so nothing that would require those.

At the moment I just read all evening but I would like to have an alternative for a bit of variety. Grateful for any suggestions.

Puzzles. I'm addicted to them. I have a puzzle board that I can fold them away on to keep my table free when I'm not doing them.

Not a bad idea. Can you get puzzles from the library or do you end up accumulating a stash of 10-20 puzzles?

Embroidery? You can buy a kit with everything you need in and instructions. Then most of the stuff can be reused if you enjoy it?

I often get mine from a charity shop and then donate in back after I've completed it. I also hate clutter!

Sudoku etc? Can do on phone/ipad - I’m assuming you have one of those as you’re on MN!

Crochet is the best hobby ever but definitely comes with stuff - I have yarn and stitch markers everywhere! But if you’re neater than me and more disciplined at tidying away then it’s a good one. Just make stuff to give away rather than clutter your house up - our local maternity ward takes newborn hats.

Musical instrument? Singing has zero-to-little stuff involved other than your own body.

Macramé

you basically only need the twine.

although there are hoops, rods and beads etc that you can use too for certain projects but everything could easily be stored away in a smallish box including a lot of what you make as it’s all made of twine so takes up very little space when not using it.

Someone I know does really extravagant paint by numbers. I know it sounds childish and a bit crap but they are actually really good, very detailed and definitely not designed for little kids. Even I was mildly impressed by some of ones she's done. Good thing is that they come with everything you need to do one.

Meditation? I find that absorbing to practice and it can be a nice contrast to reading as it's kind of the opposite as you're grounding yourself in the here and now and your own body. I use the Calm app but you don't have to do it in a guided way. Exercise routines can be good like yoga from YouTube. I do a lot of art/craft hobbies but I can't think of one where I'm not fighting to reduce the clutter.

I like crochet and embroidery / cross stitch. You do need some stuff but it can usually be packed away pretty easily, especially if you just buy what you need for one project at a time.

I like listening to an audiobook while I do mine, there's literally nothing more relaxing for me.

Needlepoint or cross stitch. Both ideal for doing while watching TV.

Also knitting but buying yarn tends to go with it as an additional hobby. I've cleared out my DM's monster yarn stash more than once.

Jigsaw puzzles are great if you get them from charity shops. Just complete, donate and get a new one.

Creative writing, Duolingo, online poker?

I am learning two languages on Duolingo and loving it. You can do it on your phone and once you're hooked it opens doors to seeking out further learning, reading/watching films in the language etc...

Reading
adult colouring in books, only books and pens required
crossword
puzzles. My mum was a great puzzler but she wouldn't manage 1000 piece ones in one sitting, she had a side table for them.

I took up crocheting when I was working away and needed a portable hobby. A hook, stitch markers, scissors and some yarn in a small drawstring bag is easy enough to cart about/tidy away.

I don't think my library does them but I get them cheap in charity shops and give them back when I'm done or trade with a friend.

Not having tv or laptop i find hard to get my mind around, and my first suggestion would have been reading but you have that covered, so what do you like to do during day? are you active would something like yoga or meditation be something you'd enjoy, are you creative, like the suggestions here of coloring or writing , maybe journaling or calligraphy , or i have a friend makes jewelry out of wires and beads mostly, she has a box for all her stuff it doesn't take up a lot of space, do you like cooking? or would jars of jam or chutney etc be considered clutter.

Air guitar.

Lego
I make small things I want on display or wall art so it's not all over the house

Another vote for jigsaw puzzles. If you use a portapuzzle or similar, you can easily put it away midway through and get it out again. I pop mine under or behind the sofa.

You could see if your local library has puzzles to borrow, or as people said, buy from charity shops and donate back again. In lockdown my neighbours swapped puzzles with each other so that's a nice idea if you're friendly with your neighbours (one of ours started a WhatsApp group for the street during the first lockdown and it has stuck!)

Knitting, crochet, embroidery or other sewing. Use fine thread/yarn for smaller projects. The hard but is not buy lots of projects!

I've just started calligraphy, you just need a practice book and a pen

I won’t ever buy one from the charity shop again after struggling then realising that someone had removed all the edge pieces!

I buy new sealed ones off eBay.

Paint by numbers. Get some good canvas ones so you can hang them up when finished. No clutter and you can admire you work.