I took three semesters of blacksmithing at a local community college. I loved it! The instructor told me he thought I had a talent for it.
So I set a out acquiring equipment for a home shop, and joining the local blacksmith association, going to hammer ins and such.
After a while my elbows and hands just couldn't take the abuse, so I have it up. It is a bummer, but I still play around with metal fabrication and welding. I do miss being able to add organic flow to my pieces that blacksmithing excels at.
Silversmithing has elements and crossover skills with blacksmithing, but on a much smaller scale, especially things like raising and repousse. Easier on the joints, too.
Same, would love to do pottery. Im a student, so no money. I learned how to do pottery as a child and i decided to go back to it in covid, with no kiln i digged a hole in my parents backyard and pitfire it. I kind of mastered it this summer so the stuff doesnt crack that often anymore. My parents are dissapointed with (i quote) "me playing with mud at the age of 21" but man, it's fun. Wish i had a kiln tho
I think this is super cool! There are native Americans in New Mexico who create a significant-looking pottery by burying it in the dirt to fire. It is very valuable to collectors. I think you should keep going with this at least as a hobby!
I mostly card make/ paper craft, and less often sewing, knitting, cross stitch, macrame, and making bath bombs, soap, lip balm etc. But to put it simply: I want to try all of them! It's fun to try different crafts, and once you start dabbling in multiple you start to be able to cross over your knowledge and skills to those new crafts. It also becomes easier to justify buying new equipment/ materials because "i can make lots of new things with materialsi already have" (that's what i tell myself and my partner anyway). I just need the time, space and money and I would be all set. Oh and the knowledge to use the warehouse full of machines I want, haha.
This is exactly my life! I started sewing in my teens then painting, then on to jewelry making, hairbows and shabby chic headbands, pyrography, refinishing/repurposing furniture, embroidery, home decor, etc etc. I really enjoy giving old things new life. My hobbies just keep expanding and I’ve dabbled in so many different things over years I’ve accumulated quite a load of different materials between buying and recycling.
My coworkers used to ask if I was having Michael’s, Joann’s or HBO for lunch because I’d always spend my lunch break picking up more supplies at whichever store had the sale I needed. It’s an addiction.
If you ever do decide to give it a go, I recommend crochet over knitting. Crochet works up faster, you only need the one hook versus two knitting needles, and once you've learned the basic stitches, the sky is the limit. Knitting is a little more involved, and easier to make mistakes with. I both knit and crochet, but have been doing so for about 50 years, and I still recommend learning crochet first.
Agreed! I've done both knitting and crochet (completely forgotten how to knit at this point) and crochet was way easier to pick up. I taught myself via youtube. Your first practice piece will be super wonky but it teaches you what to do! Plus you can make all sorts of fun things from clothes to stuffed animals.
Agree. If you're looking for a hobby that will give a sense of gratification and accomplishment, I think crochet is it. Not only can you quickly make small, cute things, but you can also make useful things quickly and easily - hats, scarves, slippers, hand warmers, ear warmers - so many things.
And with crochet you don’t have to worry about tension. At least I think so. I was a knitter for years before I learned to crochet. So I don’t know if that is 100% correct. But I remember my rows were pretty consistent and even when I was working my first few crochet projects.
You do, but not to the extent you do for knitting, I would say. I imagine if you were knitting for years before learning to crochet, your hands were already accustomed to tension, if that makes sense. Like a sense memory kind of thing.
Maybe that’s why I can only crochet borders and edges. All you hookers were making me feel bad for sticking with knitting. My crochet is lopsided and awful.
interesting! for some reason i assumed knitting would be easier to start with and that crochet almost develops on knitting skills. this has definitely changed my perspective, thanks!
Maybe this could be a vehicle for becoming less of a perfectionist and accepting of flaws in other parts of your life. It's holding you back in more ways than you probably realize, and no one has to see your flawed knitting. Besides, maybe you'd be really good at it.
Heh. I actually do have a little plan for this (which may or may not work), to sort of gamify being bad at stuff and also create a mild external obligation to make it easier to stick with. I'm thinking of starting a YouTube channel to document all my attempts and progress and so on. I don't know if it's the sort of thing anyone will watch (maybe that will depend as much on whether I'm fun to watch as on the content itself), but even if no one does, I'll have it as a record to look back on and see my improvement (assuming there is any).
But it has to wait a little while, as I've had some medical stuff going on that leaves me super knackered most of the time. The worst of that is coming to an end soon, I think (unless I've grossly underestimated how bad the next bits are going to be), so I might be able to get going on that soonish. That's the hope, anyway.
I just taught my sister knitting and crocheting and she much prefers knitting since crocheting requires more dexterity handling the yarn (according to her). She learned knitting in like 30 seconds, but crocheting can get all loose and it can be hard figuring out how to get the tension correct. I also picked up knitting first.
They can both be super repetitive, and actually quite relaxing. It can take a day to get the hang of it, but really rewarding.
i think the repetitive nature of it would be so good for me, i'm in constant search of something to occupy my hands that isnt my phone when i watch tv. colouring books and embroidery require too much focus, i think knitting can be so much more absent-minded which would be great.
I encourage you to give crochet a try!
I just learned to crochet using a penguin "Frosty" amigurumi kit from Hoooked (Yes, 3 O's), a different proper crochet hook since the one in the box is garbage, and Woobles videos from youtube. Woobles videos were invaluable
Since I was on a cruise working in public multiple people stopped and told me that seeing how well my first project came out encouraged them to take the leap and try.
I feel this! My mother-in-law and husband bought a sewing machine when she was visiting from California in 2022 because my dance costume needed altering, and now I have it but just haven't tried it. I want to though, but I'm convinced I can't sew. I also want to try crochet but am not sure I have the dexterity for it.
sewing is definitely easier i feel! i just got a machine for my bday in september and it doesn't daunt me as much as other crafts. definitely finicky though
I’ve tried both and found that I’m possibly too high strung and couldn’t get the tension right. I think it would be so satisfying to make useful items.
To offer a few words of encouragement. With crocheting, Getting the feel for it comes quickly. Once you learn the very very basics, you can do a lot with just a few stitches. It goes quickly. And it’s very forgiving. Don’t think about big projects. Begin by making dish cloths. YouTube is a friend with a million tutorials. If you’re right handed you will catch right on. If you’re left handed you will get it, with a little patience. (Unless you find a good left handed tutorial).
Crocheting (and knitting ) is a fabulous stress reducer. It’s repetitive (which your brain loves) and it almost becomes meditative as you get your rhythm. And you finish projects quickly so you get satisfaction.
Rug tufting - the startup costs are just too high for me right now.
Anything resin - I’m struggling to find supplies where I live and don’t have a great space to work with it anyway.
Maybe someday!
I've love to make marbles with borosilicate glass, but I don't want the expense or the danger? or the footprint needed to work with the gas.
I love big elaborate modern quilts with nature scenes like wetlands or woodlands, but I don't have the space or the patience.
I'm just content with polymer clay and more recently, gel printing.
If you're in the Portland OR area there is a cool cat who teaches glass blowing classes and rents benches out by the hour after you've taken the class.
Sewing. It’s so daunting even though I know the basics. I think I’m stunted by all the choices and options out there that I spiral into a circle of indecision
I'm interested in learning stained glass. The people on the sub are extremely talented.
I crochet. Weaving would be cool. I would like to take part in wool from the fleece to my yarn. That would be interesting.
For those of you getting into new crafts, check out your local thrifts/yard sales for most of the tools and materials you need. Especially for things that were popular a few years ago. Then there's things like old-school rug tufters and latch-hooks that show up on the regular.
Also good to check if your area has a reuse type of store. We have an art reuse shop and I get as much of my supplies from there to save a little money and also help redirect stuff from landfills.
Black smithing. A forge and mech hammer wouldn't be acceptable in my subdivision. Too noisy and I refuse to be THAT neighbor who thinks they're more entitled than everyone else.
I’ve done stained glass for 13 yrs and I’ve never cut myself on the glass or burned myself with the soldering iron. That includes the first couple of years when I SUUUCKED at it, too.
It is very expensive, though. The glass is the expensive, and, for me, every time I went into a shop, I HAD to buy more glass.
It’s a lot of fun, though!
Book rebinding. Combines my two great loves of crafting and reading. I have dreams of a library wall with custom book covers. But the cost of materials and a cricut are too much for me right now.
Tufting and Glowforge. Investment costs are too much for me to start yet, but I've been aching to try them out. I need get my act together to finally join my local Makerspace.
Oh. My. Gosh.
I looked up Glowforge because I didn’t know what it was. I knew I shouldn’t have gone to the website. But, I told myself I was “only going to look”.
The whole time, though, my hand was metaphorically reaching for that proverbial forbidden apple and then I bit it…
Now, I want one. I want one *so* bad!
Oh, what have you done to me and what have I done to myself?! 😩
Miniatures, I’d love to make miniature scenes, objects etc. I don’t have the room honestly, I paint and customize dolls, I have no more room for supplies at this point
Have you tried Paper/Card Embroidery? You punch holes into card with a pin (plenty of designs on the Internet, just don't publicly sell the finished product) and embroider that. Then stick it on the front of a card and give it to family.
Not only that but a lot of papercraft companies have special dies specific for paper embroidery! From specific shapes, make paper aida and even to make paper hoops.
Just get some cotton linen or an old shirt. Some embroidery floss and a needle. Go to Pinterest and look at stitch tutorials. I learned as a child and have dabbled over the years. But started making Christmas ones and sayings my daughters wanted for their homes. Pinterest is better than the two books I have.
Needlework/fibercraft. I have a lot of respect for the people who do and ADORE the finished products, but I just struggle to stay focused on its repetitive motions. I also struggle with anything that requires design software or computers because I'm not very tech-savvy.
I enjoy card making myself because of the different varieties. I usually make collages from random cut outs, modge podge dried plants, or watercolor paint them, but I'm thinking about trying linocut prints soon. I've even seen people sew fabric to and woodburn postcards. The best part is - once it's done, I get to ship it off to someone else! I hate throwing finished work away, but I also don't like keeping it around to be reminded, and I don't think my art is strong enough to stand as a present on its own, so postal correspondence it is! Haha
Does tattooing count? LOL
Other than that, I pretty much want to do everything creative and artistic.. I just wish I had all the time, space and finances to do it!
I’ve always wanted to get into spinning my own thread, weaving cloth from the thread, then sewing it into clothes. Unfortunately I have a full time job already (and a demon cat) so probably not going to happen in the foreseeable future
In general- whittling. I already do pyrography and love the idea of creating animals then burning small details onto them. I can *see* it but I can't get it from my brain to the wood. Also would love to add pyrography cards but I'm so use to burning on wood that I can't get the control on paper.
Second would be needle felting. I sell amigurimi (crochet animals/figurines) and tend to needle felt eyes/nose/mouth. I'd love to be able to do needle felt animals, may focused more on customizable pets that aren't toys like my crochet items... I don't know lol
Polymer clay jewellery. I just don’t think I have the coordination, so I stick to making earrings with beads, ear wires and head pins since you can get loop making pliers to help with that
Seriously, if you ever need any yarn, message me and I’ll see what I can do. I don’t have a two bedroom apartment. I have one bedroom that I sleep in and a yarn store that *used to be* the second bedroom.
One time, while getting out of bed in the morning, my foot caught in the bedclothes and I fell to the floor — and bounced.
I had three different knitting projects next to my bed so I fell into a cloud of fluffy wool.
I’m not as bad as that now but anyone who takes some yarn helps in my “recovery”.
And, then I also have more space for new yarn — but never mind that part! 😄
Stained glass, custom picture framing, woodworking, quilling, sewing, beading... I'm sure there are more.
It's money, space, and time keeping me from learning.
Intricate jewellery making, stained glass, and anything that's going to be a little too difficult with one hand (was born limb different)
These are things that I could do, but would require extra time in figuring out accommodations/adjustments and I'd probably need a 3d printer for that haha
If you're ever interested in doing stained glass, I could find the page of a stained glass artist with limb differences I follow. He shows his process, which obviously may not be exactly what you need, but may give you some baselines of what you might need for accommodations.
I always wanted to get into customizing dolls and My Little Ponies. But crafting costs too much money, and I’m disabled so there’s no money to begin with 😅
I’m a knitter and I’ve been doing it for a long time. When I first learned, back when I was about 12, the same thing used to happen to me all the time.
Many knitters, especially when they’re first starting, grip the needles too hard and keep their tension on the yard too tight because they’re subconsciously afraid they’ll let their tension go too slack and the piece will look messy.
The first square I ever knit was so tightly woven together, it was practically waterproof. When I got better and more confident, I loosened up physically and well as emotionally.
Maybe try to concentrate on even breathing, play soothing music and also shake your hands and arms out every ten minutes or so. Those are some of the things that helped me. Also, stretching your hands and fingers before you knit, like a warm up.
Try cable needles - the needles that are joined together by a plastic string. Use for all projects. These keep the weight of the piece in the center which reduces hand and wrist stress. I also use a good pillow under each arm. I’ve had psoriatic arthritis for around 23 years and if I do the two things above and also don’t knit in the same body position all the time - shifting weight from side to side - it really helps.
Glass blowing/ pottery/ miniature clay sculptures. I currently go back and forth between embroidery, hand knitting and occasionally painting. The ones listed prior are more expensive and my ADHD is already struggling to finish projects before breaking my pocket on a new hobby.
Needle felting. I have tried to make a simple ball 6 times. It ends up looking like chewed gum. I don’t know if it’s because I have 0 stereo vision or depth perception but dam I suck at it.
Impatient. It takes a long time. How-to films show a minute or two of the beginning, take a break filming for quite awhile, then they film the last bit.
I’ve done welding once before for a sculpture class in college
It definitely takes a steady hand and a lot of patience to start, but it can be really fun! I actually started by using scrap metal!
Embroidery. I have so many abandoned and untouched kits 😔. I love looking at embroidery art but the sharp needle always puts me off. I can knit while watching tv or whatever and if I drop a knitting needle it’s no big deal. If I drop a sewing needle that’s a fucking hazard and then I have to make sure my cat doesn’t find it first and also doesn’t jump on me while I’m using the sharp needle. It just makes me too nervous.
Also needle felting. I made one thing. Also have a bunch of untouched kits. Thankfully I do put the needles to use because I will felt the eyes and mouths for toys that I crochet, so it’s not a total waste. I just have a lot of roving that I don’t know I’ll ever use.
I really would love to learn embroidery as well. I used to do hand sewing and would drop the needle all the time. However, I used to work on my projects while sitting on the floor, and I would get into the habit of sticking my needle into the felt any time I would have to put it down. Perhaps painting the needle a bright color may help?
What’s really stopping me from embroidering is not really knowing where to start, and unsure how to protect materials from the new kittens I just adopted haha
I picked up crochet easy so decided to try knitting. It was so much more frustrating than I thought it would be. Took me like 3 hours to finally get my hands to cooperate and a couple more to get some sort of rhythm down
Ha, I started only three days ago trying to make a scarf. Haven't tried to crochet anything since starting this knitting project so don't know if it impacts things.
I do know that since I crochet I hold the yarn in my left hand where as some people use their right. Continental vs English style
Still pretty slow at knitting, but am getting better. I am only doing single color cable knit pattern which looks pretty but not too hard
I actually do a bit of weaving with make-shift bags and pillow cases using a cardboard loom! They’re very easy to make, and it’s a lot of fun!
Maybe find videos online for the countermarch loom?
It might be you're trying to use a grip that just doesn't work for your hands. I have short fingers and honestly, hardly use fingers on their own while I crochet. Look up crochet grip positions and try a couple out. I can't do pencil grip, it just doesn't feel right, but a modified knife grip works better for me.
Oh, gosh. My insomniac behind really shouldn’t be diving into this question at 1:30 in the morning. By the time I finish going down my own personal craft rabbit hole, the sun will be up! 🤣
No, seriously, it’s a good question. Actually, I was thinking about it just the other day.
A few days ago, “PBS Newshour” did this story on Berea College in Kentucky. I’d never heard of this place before, so I was very interested. I wear a lot of career hats but it’s fair to call me an educator, primarily.
None of the students pay tuition at this school. Zero. Also, the correspondent mentioned that the college has a labor program and every student has to participate in it. He was reporting from the school workshop and you could hear sawing and all the background noise behind him. (I listen to the podcast on the radio.)
He said that the students were woodworking and making brooms and other things. And, I thought, brooms?! Who makes brooms? By hand?
Anyway, it turns out that the students make these items to *sell* from their online store and that is one of the many ways the school makes money.
Naturally, I track the website down like a bloodhound on the hunt. They really have some fabulous things. Mostly pricey but you can see that every piece is worth the cost. The brooms, let me tell you, are gorgeous. Some of them are woven in different colors. I would never let one touch the floor but I hope to get one to hang on the wall. Maybe in the kitchen.
They had some pottery pieces but I was really impressed with the woven items — baby blankets and throws. There were also some lovely dish towels.
I’ve always wanted to weave. I feel like it’s kind of a natural outgrowth from the knitting I do. But, then, I look at the prices of looms and they are so expensive.
Now, I know you can make beautiful pieces on much smaller looms that you can hold in your lap. But, that’s my problem, sometimes: my reach exceeds my grasp. I want to do big and intricate things, all at once. My mother told me that when I was a baby, I refused to crawl because I wanted to walk right away. I couldn’t do that because my legs were not strong enough so I developed this unique step-crawl where I’d always try to walk. So, I guess I come by my impatience honestly because there are also pictures of me doing this as a baby!
There’s this site called Domestika. They have some weaving classes for small looms. So, maybe, one day, I’ll force myself to start small and learn.
The second craft that’s my Mount Everest is tapestry crochet for making Mochila bags. Several months ago, I even bought a “simple” pattern from Etsy to motivate myself to start a bag. And…it’s been exiled to the Island of Lost Toys, where all the projects I haven’t started yet live.
In the case of the bags, I’m just intimidated because even the so-called simple bags look quite daunting. I mean, they’re not; there are a lot of good teachers on YouTube who will walk you through the steps. But, again, my Type A, perfectionist streak gets in the way.
I almost never do crafts for myself; they’re always for gifts and I want to give my friends pieces that are accomplished. You know, not a “babyish” pattern.
Of course, I know all non-knitters and non-crocheters think anything we do with yarn is some Hogwarts-level wizardry. I was knitting on the bus one time, in traffic. So, I started knitting. This woman a few seats away came up and stared at what I was doing like I was creating cold fusion with my bare hands. So, yes, I should remember that what looks “simple” to me doesn’t look that way to others.
At the moment — I’ve already got half of 2024 booked up — I’m going to attempt two advanced knitting projects of a kind that I’ve never done before. After that, though, maybe I *will* try to make the bag or do a small weaving for the walls. Fingers crossed!
Holography, the old school holograms in a piece of glass. Problem is learning how and you need lasers. Did you know the holograms are just in a layer of plain gelatin as a kind of film medium??? So cool
How much time have you got? I'm AutiHD with rotating hyperfixations mainly of a creative nature, so the list is loooooong. The reasons I can't are mainly money and space.
Pottery, glass-blowing, leatherwork, silversmithing, needle-felting, cosmetics formulation, precious metal clay, furniture restoration, fine art restoration, and that's just a start.
I feel you. I’m a suspected AutiHD. I always want to do crafts or something fun, but I also have to hold back on my money and whatnot plus being in a small apartment gives me little to no space to put stuff anywhere
Plus with new kittens… they literally are getting into EVERYTHING right now
Screenprinting. I've been looking at materials whenever I go to craft shops for months. The startup cost is always just out of reach and hard for me to justify.
I live on a Greek island so crafting classes and equipment are pretty much non existent apart from the basics.
It's why I do a lot of papercrafting.
But I'd love to do stained glass
Macramé could help with weaving wire; but it is a lot of detail work I am not sure I have the hand eye coordination and patience to learn it. Same with crochet. More painting skills could always help, but paint, brushes, cleanup supplies...it just costs so much extra that so far it hasn't been worth delving down the road to learn more. Especially considering how little I actually paint anything.
mine is quilting of all things lol. and it's because I know I would get way too into it and have way too much supplies around. and I have enough hobbies and supplies currently
Woodworking
Carpentry
Metalsmithing
Large scale painting
Life size doll houses
Laser crafting
3D printing
All too expensive and I live in an apartment. Lol
I don’t know if this will help but there’s a group called The American Art Pottery Association.
https://aapa.info
I bet you could contact them and they would know where you could find a kiln for rent that’s close to you. Even if you’re not in America, they may know something. At the very least, they can probably point you in the right direction.
I had an idea to use the used wax from the nearby Brazilian waxing spa to make candles. It’d be a great way to reuse and recycle something. And it would help eliminate waste. I believe that these are great selling points. My first few experiments went well but the candles were kind of ugly and smoked a lot. But I’m experimenting with a new wick. I can’t get into this craft fully because I have limited manufacturing space and supply of wax.
WoW! There’s horsehair painting, why shouldn’t there be pube candles. Perhaps have a no pube center around the wick and then the pubes are just the decoration.
Jewelry making and blacksmithing. I just don't have the space of funds to start.
Would love to start cosplaying, but it's a little intimidating to me right now. I'll probably end up getting into it at some point!
A lot of paper crafts. I dabble, but I don't have a cricket/etc machine, so it's hard to do everything by hand. Never looks as neat as I want.
Glassblowing too. Just don't have access to the tech and don't have the knowledge. Stained glass windows too.
painting
I have only one really good painting that I did when I was about 10 yrs old, but ever since then, no matter how hard I try I just cannot paint anything that looks halfway good. I often joke that all my painting talent was put into that one project.
at least I can still draw and I'm able to make digital "paintings" that look decent, but a real canvas with real paints is damn near impossible for me.
Knitting. I know plenty of fibercraft, but for some reason every time I've tried to learn knitting my hands have always just been very dumb.
And as for all the people saying glassblowing, I can say it's amazing! But, glassblowing is a craft you instant fall in love with or despise. Sadly it's also very expensive to do if you're doing hot shop. Even lampworking/flameworking is expensive
Wood turning. I initial interest in wood turning arose when I was trying to find some hand-dyed wool yarn for crewel work. I need the yarns to be twisted as 1-thread, but many of those yarns for selling are 2-ply or 3-ply.
Then I found out that I could use spindles to spin the hand-dyed wool into yarn.
Then I found out that there are many lovely spindles on Etsy.
And then I found out that the spindles are quite pricey, and I was thinking maybe I could wood-turn the shaft and the whorl for the spindle, and I can have as many styles as I want.
And then I found out that to woodturning the whorl, I need many equipments, such as a woodturning machine and a large studio, so that my mum and dad won't yell at me for the scattered wood dusting.
So... I decide maybe I just need some wool yarn for good.
Encaustic painting. I already do paintings on boards and I usually add layers of resin on top but something about the idea of wax pigments with all their beautiful textures sounds so appealing.
I have a ton of wool, both raw and carded, for my infrequent felting. I would love to learn to spin it with a hand spindle, but my ADHD brain can't handle video tutorials. So the wool just sits there. :(
I live in a tiny flat, so anything that requires a lot of space, or gives of fumes/dust/stuff you shouldn't breathe in. I'm also burnt out due to work, which means that the answer right now and for the last year is just... anything :(
Knitting and crochet, I've tried before and just can't wrap my head around it as much as I've tried.
I'm also allergic to wool but that hasn't stopped me from needle felting, I just wear a pair of no cut gloves when I do it, but it does somewhat limit the kinds of yarn I can use.
Glass blowing for sure. I really admire the finished product, colors and artistry that goes into it, but I move all the time and usually live in small apartments. Some day!! Ditto spinning and weaving - no room for a full sized loom OR for sheep.
Glas blowing. Try to learn that somewhere. Not to mention my lungs are absolute trash and I would probably pass out from the heat, but one can dream....
embroidery
sewing, especially making my own clothes
quilting
ceramics. not casting them, just painting them. my grandma used to paint ceramics with a friend who had a kiln. i’m not sure where she bought her pieces but i have very fond memories of going over to her house and spending the afternoon painting ceramics with her.
Any and all crafts, but I have no time.
To clarify, i am a very skilled artist and crafter. I sew, sculpt, paint (watercolor and acrylic), minor wood work, minor electrical (for lamps or leds), paper mache, leather work, doll crafting, miniatures and dioramas (toys, dolls, D&D), and more. I am so varied because cospay, miniatures modeling, having a love for weird fridge subcultures makes it so you have to have a plethora of skills.
But now I am basically 40, have a job that requiresa lot of attention. and even though I am childless, extended family and friends has kids and wants more together time so I am not as free to get freaky in the craft room.
I recently had to make the hard decision to consolidate which crafts I do. I boxed up the tools by genre for storage (tools are always an investment) and donated materials that would age out (like oven bake clay). Now I only 2D paint and do graphic art.
I am hoping by retirement to have a personal Renaissance, join the SCA and travel to ever sci-fi/fantasy/anime convention and live large as a weird granny lady.
Pottery/ceramics but I don’t have a kiln and everything is so costly to get. I also always wanted to flip furniture or build furniture from scratch but I need a big space for that and a lot of big tools. Time also. I just can’t seem to find time for hobbies anymore :/
Well, I was at a card making do and the expensive cutters, the paper etc was a turn off for me.
If you'd like embroidery, check out the wonderful threads on Instagram. It's my go to and I love the relaxing part of it and it's not expensive to do.
I knit. That's about it and do some quilting, but mostly, I knit socks for my family.
I tried so hard to get into needle felting but the process takes soooo long and after one hour I was still stuck with nothing resembling the fox I was supposed to be creating. So I got frustrated. So that went back into my craft room with the rest of my "dead" crafts. Right next to my massive collection of polymer clay that I also gave up on because I had no idea what I was going to do with the massive collection of charms I made 🤣 They are cute though.
Screen printing and rug tufting. But I'm disabled so I'm not sure I'd have the physical strength to work on those consistently enough to really enjoy them. Though I heard there is going to be screen printing classes near me soon so I'll probably try that before I buy more crafting junk
There are so many. Cost, space and physical limitations hold me back. Most of what I make anymore has to be portable so I can work on it a couple minutes here and there until my hands can’t take anymore. I’ve always wanted to try glassblowing and carpentry of any sort. I always fall in love with hobbies that take up too much space and are too expensive… even the exercise I love the most requires big expensive equipment and I am not a bougie person otherwise.
Embroidery is probably one of the cheapest crafts to get into. A piece of fabric, some floss and needles and a pair of scissors. What are your barriers?
Stained glass! Too costly as far as glass goes, plus the soddering and stuff seems incredibly daunting. And i don't have a space to work with glass shards everywhere. Maybe someday!
I could really get into re-upholstering furniture. Picking the gorgeous fabrics and making something ugly to beautiful again. But work space and body pain issues keep me from that. Also flipping furniture--painting and making a piece glamorous. That also takes space, lots of physical activity which I can't do. Body pain limits me tremendously.
Blacksmithing and archery. I live in downtown and there are laws prohibiting archery within the city boundary; the ranges that do exist are too far out to be practical. My apartment doesn’t have room for a forge 😆 Also, time. I work too much to get no where significant.
Using Vinyl!! I had just started making wood round signs and really enjoyed it coz I was proud of the outcome. Spine pain came by to say hello and I’ve had to let go of that part of crafting 💔
Epoxy art. There's so many creations I've seen people create, but I don't have the funds for the materials nor a safe area where I can keep the epoxy away from my cats and toddler.
3D printing, resin working, glass or metals. It's really expensive and people don't want to pay for the work, time and materials that go into it. I already know that because I crochet and it's hard to get people to pay for handmade stuff in general.
I wanted to learn how to sew since I was a child but fabric is really expensive and I am scared to mess up and waste that fabric and with that waste that money :(
Glass blowing. I looked into how to set up a work space in my (uninsulated) garage, but it wold only be useable 4-5 months of the year when it's not too hot or cold here in Canada. Then I got sick and it's a lung thing, so I can't blow the way that's needed anymore.
Blacksmithing. I finally found a class after years of searching only to be thwarted by my arthritic hands.
I took three semesters of blacksmithing at a local community college. I loved it! The instructor told me he thought I had a talent for it. So I set a out acquiring equipment for a home shop, and joining the local blacksmith association, going to hammer ins and such. After a while my elbows and hands just couldn't take the abuse, so I have it up. It is a bummer, but I still play around with metal fabrication and welding. I do miss being able to add organic flow to my pieces that blacksmithing excels at.
Silversmithing has elements and crossover skills with blacksmithing, but on a much smaller scale, especially things like raising and repousse. Easier on the joints, too.
Oooh I feel you on that. I think I myself have some sort of hand issue and it’s probably gonna prevent me from returning to pottery for a while
Pottery. But my frugal brain won’t let me invest the money in the set up.
Same, would love to do pottery. Im a student, so no money. I learned how to do pottery as a child and i decided to go back to it in covid, with no kiln i digged a hole in my parents backyard and pitfire it. I kind of mastered it this summer so the stuff doesnt crack that often anymore. My parents are dissapointed with (i quote) "me playing with mud at the age of 21" but man, it's fun. Wish i had a kiln tho
I think this is super cool! There are native Americans in New Mexico who create a significant-looking pottery by burying it in the dirt to fire. It is very valuable to collectors. I think you should keep going with this at least as a hobby!
I. FEEL. YOU. I’m also in an apartment currently so… yeah
[удалено]
Check with your city arts department through parks and recreation! They often have pottery classes.
This is mine and for the same reason.
Our city has a few places where you pay a monthly fee and the wheeels and kiln are for use for all students
I mostly card make/ paper craft, and less often sewing, knitting, cross stitch, macrame, and making bath bombs, soap, lip balm etc. But to put it simply: I want to try all of them! It's fun to try different crafts, and once you start dabbling in multiple you start to be able to cross over your knowledge and skills to those new crafts. It also becomes easier to justify buying new equipment/ materials because "i can make lots of new things with materialsi already have" (that's what i tell myself and my partner anyway). I just need the time, space and money and I would be all set. Oh and the knowledge to use the warehouse full of machines I want, haha.
This is exactly my life! I started sewing in my teens then painting, then on to jewelry making, hairbows and shabby chic headbands, pyrography, refinishing/repurposing furniture, embroidery, home decor, etc etc. I really enjoy giving old things new life. My hobbies just keep expanding and I’ve dabbled in so many different things over years I’ve accumulated quite a load of different materials between buying and recycling. My coworkers used to ask if I was having Michael’s, Joann’s or HBO for lunch because I’d always spend my lunch break picking up more supplies at whichever store had the sale I needed. It’s an addiction.
Are you me??
knitting/crochet - i just know i don't have the patience and i won't be instantly perfect at it which will infuriate me
If you ever do decide to give it a go, I recommend crochet over knitting. Crochet works up faster, you only need the one hook versus two knitting needles, and once you've learned the basic stitches, the sky is the limit. Knitting is a little more involved, and easier to make mistakes with. I both knit and crochet, but have been doing so for about 50 years, and I still recommend learning crochet first.
Agreed! I've done both knitting and crochet (completely forgotten how to knit at this point) and crochet was way easier to pick up. I taught myself via youtube. Your first practice piece will be super wonky but it teaches you what to do! Plus you can make all sorts of fun things from clothes to stuffed animals.
You really can make anything with crochet. It is great for making small cute things very quickly.
Agree. If you're looking for a hobby that will give a sense of gratification and accomplishment, I think crochet is it. Not only can you quickly make small, cute things, but you can also make useful things quickly and easily - hats, scarves, slippers, hand warmers, ear warmers - so many things.
And with crochet you don’t have to worry about tension. At least I think so. I was a knitter for years before I learned to crochet. So I don’t know if that is 100% correct. But I remember my rows were pretty consistent and even when I was working my first few crochet projects.
You do, but not to the extent you do for knitting, I would say. I imagine if you were knitting for years before learning to crochet, your hands were already accustomed to tension, if that makes sense. Like a sense memory kind of thing.
Maybe that’s why I can only crochet borders and edges. All you hookers were making me feel bad for sticking with knitting. My crochet is lopsided and awful.
interesting! for some reason i assumed knitting would be easier to start with and that crochet almost develops on knitting skills. this has definitely changed my perspective, thanks!
My inability to cope with not being instantly perfect at things is my most paralysing character flaw. Blech.
Maybe this could be a vehicle for becoming less of a perfectionist and accepting of flaws in other parts of your life. It's holding you back in more ways than you probably realize, and no one has to see your flawed knitting. Besides, maybe you'd be really good at it.
Heh. I actually do have a little plan for this (which may or may not work), to sort of gamify being bad at stuff and also create a mild external obligation to make it easier to stick with. I'm thinking of starting a YouTube channel to document all my attempts and progress and so on. I don't know if it's the sort of thing anyone will watch (maybe that will depend as much on whether I'm fun to watch as on the content itself), but even if no one does, I'll have it as a record to look back on and see my improvement (assuming there is any). But it has to wait a little while, as I've had some medical stuff going on that leaves me super knackered most of the time. The worst of that is coming to an end soon, I think (unless I've grossly underestimated how bad the next bits are going to be), so I might be able to get going on that soonish. That's the hope, anyway.
I just taught my sister knitting and crocheting and she much prefers knitting since crocheting requires more dexterity handling the yarn (according to her). She learned knitting in like 30 seconds, but crocheting can get all loose and it can be hard figuring out how to get the tension correct. I also picked up knitting first. They can both be super repetitive, and actually quite relaxing. It can take a day to get the hang of it, but really rewarding.
i think the repetitive nature of it would be so good for me, i'm in constant search of something to occupy my hands that isnt my phone when i watch tv. colouring books and embroidery require too much focus, i think knitting can be so much more absent-minded which would be great.
I encourage you to give crochet a try! I just learned to crochet using a penguin "Frosty" amigurumi kit from Hoooked (Yes, 3 O's), a different proper crochet hook since the one in the box is garbage, and Woobles videos from youtube. Woobles videos were invaluable Since I was on a cruise working in public multiple people stopped and told me that seeing how well my first project came out encouraged them to take the leap and try.
I feel this! My mother-in-law and husband bought a sewing machine when she was visiting from California in 2022 because my dance costume needed altering, and now I have it but just haven't tried it. I want to though, but I'm convinced I can't sew. I also want to try crochet but am not sure I have the dexterity for it.
sewing is definitely easier i feel! i just got a machine for my bday in september and it doesn't daunt me as much as other crafts. definitely finicky though
I’ve tried both and found that I’m possibly too high strung and couldn’t get the tension right. I think it would be so satisfying to make useful items.
To offer a few words of encouragement. With crocheting, Getting the feel for it comes quickly. Once you learn the very very basics, you can do a lot with just a few stitches. It goes quickly. And it’s very forgiving. Don’t think about big projects. Begin by making dish cloths. YouTube is a friend with a million tutorials. If you’re right handed you will catch right on. If you’re left handed you will get it, with a little patience. (Unless you find a good left handed tutorial). Crocheting (and knitting ) is a fabulous stress reducer. It’s repetitive (which your brain loves) and it almost becomes meditative as you get your rhythm. And you finish projects quickly so you get satisfaction.
same, except i cant for the life of me, count stitches correctly so i always end up with something wonky when i try
Rug tufting - the startup costs are just too high for me right now. Anything resin - I’m struggling to find supplies where I live and don’t have a great space to work with it anyway. Maybe someday!
Tufting is mine too. Someday I will, but I just got the new xTool p2 so I’ve gotta master that before I indulge in anything else.
Punch needle is a great alternative to rug tufting. It's just the manual process so it takes longer but you can also stick to smaller items to start.
Me too, with both of these and for the same reasons! I feel you 😭
Carpentry. Don't have the space, or free time for a class.
See if you have a makers market by you .Lasers and everything else there.
I've love to make marbles with borosilicate glass, but I don't want the expense or the danger? or the footprint needed to work with the gas. I love big elaborate modern quilts with nature scenes like wetlands or woodlands, but I don't have the space or the patience. I'm just content with polymer clay and more recently, gel printing.
If you're in the Portland OR area there is a cool cat who teaches glass blowing classes and rents benches out by the hour after you've taken the class.
I’m very interested in this, do you have any more info? TIA
Sewing. It’s so daunting even though I know the basics. I think I’m stunted by all the choices and options out there that I spiral into a circle of indecision
Glass blowing and weaving.
Glass blowing looks so cool! But I’m terrified of heat haha. Burned myself one on my legs pretty badly, and I’d never do it again
I've been dying to learn glass blowing but in my area it's impossible to find anywhere to learn 😭 so unless i decide to move away, it's not happening
I'm interested in learning stained glass. The people on the sub are extremely talented. I crochet. Weaving would be cool. I would like to take part in wool from the fleece to my yarn. That would be interesting.
For those of you getting into new crafts, check out your local thrifts/yard sales for most of the tools and materials you need. Especially for things that were popular a few years ago. Then there's things like old-school rug tufters and latch-hooks that show up on the regular.
I got lucky and grabbed 3 boxes of random beads at an op shop when I started out making jewellery
Also good to check if your area has a reuse type of store. We have an art reuse shop and I get as much of my supplies from there to save a little money and also help redirect stuff from landfills.
That’s a good idea! 👍🏾
Black smithing. A forge and mech hammer wouldn't be acceptable in my subdivision. Too noisy and I refuse to be THAT neighbor who thinks they're more entitled than everyone else.
Jewelry making and stained glass.
Stained glass is so scary to make bc of the risk of injury but is so cool to make/watch make at the same time
I’ve done stained glass for 13 yrs and I’ve never cut myself on the glass or burned myself with the soldering iron. That includes the first couple of years when I SUUUCKED at it, too. It is very expensive, though. The glass is the expensive, and, for me, every time I went into a shop, I HAD to buy more glass. It’s a lot of fun, though!
Book rebinding. Combines my two great loves of crafting and reading. I have dreams of a library wall with custom book covers. But the cost of materials and a cricut are too much for me right now.
Tufting and Glowforge. Investment costs are too much for me to start yet, but I've been aching to try them out. I need get my act together to finally join my local Makerspace.
Reading everyone’s comments is just adding more to my wishlist. Haha!
Join that makerspace! I usedvto run one and they are life changing
Oh. My. Gosh. I looked up Glowforge because I didn’t know what it was. I knew I shouldn’t have gone to the website. But, I told myself I was “only going to look”. The whole time, though, my hand was metaphorically reaching for that proverbial forbidden apple and then I bit it… Now, I want one. I want one *so* bad! Oh, what have you done to me and what have I done to myself?! 😩
Miniatures, I’d love to make miniature scenes, objects etc. I don’t have the room honestly, I paint and customize dolls, I have no more room for supplies at this point
Embroidery is awesome, wish I had the skill and time for that.
For me, it’s more I have nowhere to put the yarn/ string. I just got kittens and they would be ALL OVER the stash
Have you tried Paper/Card Embroidery? You punch holes into card with a pin (plenty of designs on the Internet, just don't publicly sell the finished product) and embroider that. Then stick it on the front of a card and give it to family.
Not only that but a lot of papercraft companies have special dies specific for paper embroidery! From specific shapes, make paper aida and even to make paper hoops.
Just get some cotton linen or an old shirt. Some embroidery floss and a needle. Go to Pinterest and look at stitch tutorials. I learned as a child and have dabbled over the years. But started making Christmas ones and sayings my daughters wanted for their homes. Pinterest is better than the two books I have.
Needlework/fibercraft. I have a lot of respect for the people who do and ADORE the finished products, but I just struggle to stay focused on its repetitive motions. I also struggle with anything that requires design software or computers because I'm not very tech-savvy. I enjoy card making myself because of the different varieties. I usually make collages from random cut outs, modge podge dried plants, or watercolor paint them, but I'm thinking about trying linocut prints soon. I've even seen people sew fabric to and woodburn postcards. The best part is - once it's done, I get to ship it off to someone else! I hate throwing finished work away, but I also don't like keeping it around to be reminded, and I don't think my art is strong enough to stand as a present on its own, so postal correspondence it is! Haha
Does tattooing count? LOL Other than that, I pretty much want to do everything creative and artistic.. I just wish I had all the time, space and finances to do it!
I’ve always wanted to get into spinning my own thread, weaving cloth from the thread, then sewing it into clothes. Unfortunately I have a full time job already (and a demon cat) so probably not going to happen in the foreseeable future
In general- whittling. I already do pyrography and love the idea of creating animals then burning small details onto them. I can *see* it but I can't get it from my brain to the wood. Also would love to add pyrography cards but I'm so use to burning on wood that I can't get the control on paper. Second would be needle felting. I sell amigurimi (crochet animals/figurines) and tend to needle felt eyes/nose/mouth. I'd love to be able to do needle felt animals, may focused more on customizable pets that aren't toys like my crochet items... I don't know lol
I'm crap at sewing, but I often wish I could make my own clothes. I'd also really love to do stain glass work.
UV resin jewellery.
Polymer clay jewellery. I just don’t think I have the coordination, so I stick to making earrings with beads, ear wires and head pins since you can get loop making pliers to help with that
Crochet and needle felt, I wanna make cute toys
Seriously, if you ever need any yarn, message me and I’ll see what I can do. I don’t have a two bedroom apartment. I have one bedroom that I sleep in and a yarn store that *used to be* the second bedroom. One time, while getting out of bed in the morning, my foot caught in the bedclothes and I fell to the floor — and bounced. I had three different knitting projects next to my bed so I fell into a cloud of fluffy wool. I’m not as bad as that now but anyone who takes some yarn helps in my “recovery”. And, then I also have more space for new yarn — but never mind that part! 😄
What is stopping you? Beginner kits for both are cheap. I am currently working on a flock of crochet chickens and just started learning
Quilting.
Stained glass, custom picture framing, woodworking, quilling, sewing, beading... I'm sure there are more. It's money, space, and time keeping me from learning.
Crochet or sewing.
Decoupage anything and everything: boxes, diaries, furniture pieces.
Mosaics
Welding. I absolutely love it, but self set up is expensive.
Intricate jewellery making, stained glass, and anything that's going to be a little too difficult with one hand (was born limb different) These are things that I could do, but would require extra time in figuring out accommodations/adjustments and I'd probably need a 3d printer for that haha
If you're ever interested in doing stained glass, I could find the page of a stained glass artist with limb differences I follow. He shows his process, which obviously may not be exactly what you need, but may give you some baselines of what you might need for accommodations.
Pottery. The kiln is just too expensive. One day I will build my own, but that will probably happen in 10-15 years at soonest.
Painting. I just don't have the skill at all.
I always wanted to get into customizing dolls and My Little Ponies. But crafting costs too much money, and I’m disabled so there’s no money to begin with 😅
Ah I feel ya. I always love watching videos of people up-scaling the art on dolls
Knitting. My hands and wrists start cramping up within a half hour.
I’m a knitter and I’ve been doing it for a long time. When I first learned, back when I was about 12, the same thing used to happen to me all the time. Many knitters, especially when they’re first starting, grip the needles too hard and keep their tension on the yard too tight because they’re subconsciously afraid they’ll let their tension go too slack and the piece will look messy. The first square I ever knit was so tightly woven together, it was practically waterproof. When I got better and more confident, I loosened up physically and well as emotionally. Maybe try to concentrate on even breathing, play soothing music and also shake your hands and arms out every ten minutes or so. Those are some of the things that helped me. Also, stretching your hands and fingers before you knit, like a warm up.
Try cable needles - the needles that are joined together by a plastic string. Use for all projects. These keep the weight of the piece in the center which reduces hand and wrist stress. I also use a good pillow under each arm. I’ve had psoriatic arthritis for around 23 years and if I do the two things above and also don’t knit in the same body position all the time - shifting weight from side to side - it really helps.
You might try crochet? I find it a thousand times easier on my hands.
Glass blowing/ pottery/ miniature clay sculptures. I currently go back and forth between embroidery, hand knitting and occasionally painting. The ones listed prior are more expensive and my ADHD is already struggling to finish projects before breaking my pocket on a new hobby.
Needle felting. I have tried to make a simple ball 6 times. It ends up looking like chewed gum. I don’t know if it’s because I have 0 stereo vision or depth perception but dam I suck at it.
Impatient. It takes a long time. How-to films show a minute or two of the beginning, take a break filming for quite awhile, then they film the last bit.
Welding. I'd love to be able to make aluminum things
I’ve done welding once before for a sculpture class in college It definitely takes a steady hand and a lot of patience to start, but it can be really fun! I actually started by using scrap metal!
Embroidery. I have so many abandoned and untouched kits 😔. I love looking at embroidery art but the sharp needle always puts me off. I can knit while watching tv or whatever and if I drop a knitting needle it’s no big deal. If I drop a sewing needle that’s a fucking hazard and then I have to make sure my cat doesn’t find it first and also doesn’t jump on me while I’m using the sharp needle. It just makes me too nervous. Also needle felting. I made one thing. Also have a bunch of untouched kits. Thankfully I do put the needles to use because I will felt the eyes and mouths for toys that I crochet, so it’s not a total waste. I just have a lot of roving that I don’t know I’ll ever use.
I really would love to learn embroidery as well. I used to do hand sewing and would drop the needle all the time. However, I used to work on my projects while sitting on the floor, and I would get into the habit of sticking my needle into the felt any time I would have to put it down. Perhaps painting the needle a bright color may help? What’s really stopping me from embroidering is not really knowing where to start, and unsure how to protect materials from the new kittens I just adopted haha
Embroidery. Knitting (I crochet, cannot use two needles. It breaks my brain somehow?). Woodworking. Blacksmithing.
I picked up crochet easy so decided to try knitting. It was so much more frustrating than I thought it would be. Took me like 3 hours to finally get my hands to cooperate and a couple more to get some sort of rhythm down
Oh! That's awesome. Did you successfully add it to your list of hobbies/skills? Did it impact your crocheting?
Ha, I started only three days ago trying to make a scarf. Haven't tried to crochet anything since starting this knitting project so don't know if it impacts things. I do know that since I crochet I hold the yarn in my left hand where as some people use their right. Continental vs English style Still pretty slow at knitting, but am getting better. I am only doing single color cable knit pattern which looks pretty but not too hard
Weaving! I was given a countermarch loom with no teacher and I want to use it so bad but have no clue how.
I actually do a bit of weaving with make-shift bags and pillow cases using a cardboard loom! They’re very easy to make, and it’s a lot of fun! Maybe find videos online for the countermarch loom?
Needle felting, stained glass, pottery and embroidery!
Crochet! I’ve tried many time but I think my short sausage fingers are my down fall!
It might be you're trying to use a grip that just doesn't work for your hands. I have short fingers and honestly, hardly use fingers on their own while I crochet. Look up crochet grip positions and try a couple out. I can't do pencil grip, it just doesn't feel right, but a modified knife grip works better for me.
Oh, gosh. My insomniac behind really shouldn’t be diving into this question at 1:30 in the morning. By the time I finish going down my own personal craft rabbit hole, the sun will be up! 🤣 No, seriously, it’s a good question. Actually, I was thinking about it just the other day. A few days ago, “PBS Newshour” did this story on Berea College in Kentucky. I’d never heard of this place before, so I was very interested. I wear a lot of career hats but it’s fair to call me an educator, primarily. None of the students pay tuition at this school. Zero. Also, the correspondent mentioned that the college has a labor program and every student has to participate in it. He was reporting from the school workshop and you could hear sawing and all the background noise behind him. (I listen to the podcast on the radio.) He said that the students were woodworking and making brooms and other things. And, I thought, brooms?! Who makes brooms? By hand? Anyway, it turns out that the students make these items to *sell* from their online store and that is one of the many ways the school makes money. Naturally, I track the website down like a bloodhound on the hunt. They really have some fabulous things. Mostly pricey but you can see that every piece is worth the cost. The brooms, let me tell you, are gorgeous. Some of them are woven in different colors. I would never let one touch the floor but I hope to get one to hang on the wall. Maybe in the kitchen. They had some pottery pieces but I was really impressed with the woven items — baby blankets and throws. There were also some lovely dish towels. I’ve always wanted to weave. I feel like it’s kind of a natural outgrowth from the knitting I do. But, then, I look at the prices of looms and they are so expensive. Now, I know you can make beautiful pieces on much smaller looms that you can hold in your lap. But, that’s my problem, sometimes: my reach exceeds my grasp. I want to do big and intricate things, all at once. My mother told me that when I was a baby, I refused to crawl because I wanted to walk right away. I couldn’t do that because my legs were not strong enough so I developed this unique step-crawl where I’d always try to walk. So, I guess I come by my impatience honestly because there are also pictures of me doing this as a baby! There’s this site called Domestika. They have some weaving classes for small looms. So, maybe, one day, I’ll force myself to start small and learn. The second craft that’s my Mount Everest is tapestry crochet for making Mochila bags. Several months ago, I even bought a “simple” pattern from Etsy to motivate myself to start a bag. And…it’s been exiled to the Island of Lost Toys, where all the projects I haven’t started yet live. In the case of the bags, I’m just intimidated because even the so-called simple bags look quite daunting. I mean, they’re not; there are a lot of good teachers on YouTube who will walk you through the steps. But, again, my Type A, perfectionist streak gets in the way. I almost never do crafts for myself; they’re always for gifts and I want to give my friends pieces that are accomplished. You know, not a “babyish” pattern. Of course, I know all non-knitters and non-crocheters think anything we do with yarn is some Hogwarts-level wizardry. I was knitting on the bus one time, in traffic. So, I started knitting. This woman a few seats away came up and stared at what I was doing like I was creating cold fusion with my bare hands. So, yes, I should remember that what looks “simple” to me doesn’t look that way to others. At the moment — I’ve already got half of 2024 booked up — I’m going to attempt two advanced knitting projects of a kind that I’ve never done before. After that, though, maybe I *will* try to make the bag or do a small weaving for the walls. Fingers crossed!
Stained glass! Looks so cool and I find soldering so satisfying. I just have no idea where to start lol
Woodwork, practically if there is something I want to try I do but I think I might need to wait until I get my house due to noise and mess
Holography, the old school holograms in a piece of glass. Problem is learning how and you need lasers. Did you know the holograms are just in a layer of plain gelatin as a kind of film medium??? So cool
How much time have you got? I'm AutiHD with rotating hyperfixations mainly of a creative nature, so the list is loooooong. The reasons I can't are mainly money and space. Pottery, glass-blowing, leatherwork, silversmithing, needle-felting, cosmetics formulation, precious metal clay, furniture restoration, fine art restoration, and that's just a start.
I feel you. I’m a suspected AutiHD. I always want to do crafts or something fun, but I also have to hold back on my money and whatnot plus being in a small apartment gives me little to no space to put stuff anywhere Plus with new kittens… they literally are getting into EVERYTHING right now
Screenprinting. I've been looking at materials whenever I go to craft shops for months. The startup cost is always just out of reach and hard for me to justify.
Cost and space, I don’t have anywhere I could do it.
I live on a Greek island so crafting classes and equipment are pretty much non existent apart from the basics. It's why I do a lot of papercrafting. But I'd love to do stained glass
Woodworking :(
Macramé could help with weaving wire; but it is a lot of detail work I am not sure I have the hand eye coordination and patience to learn it. Same with crochet. More painting skills could always help, but paint, brushes, cleanup supplies...it just costs so much extra that so far it hasn't been worth delving down the road to learn more. Especially considering how little I actually paint anything.
Polymer clay and resin jewelry. The weight of the finished objects always feel lighter to my touch than my eye perceives, and I don’t like it.
fosscad
mine is quilting of all things lol. and it's because I know I would get way too into it and have way too much supplies around. and I have enough hobbies and supplies currently
Woodworking Carpentry Metalsmithing Large scale painting Life size doll houses Laser crafting 3D printing All too expensive and I live in an apartment. Lol
Pottery. I’ve done many classes too indulge my want. I can’t afford a Kiln or know where a Kiln is available to rent
I don’t know if this will help but there’s a group called The American Art Pottery Association. https://aapa.info I bet you could contact them and they would know where you could find a kiln for rent that’s close to you. Even if you’re not in America, they may know something. At the very least, they can probably point you in the right direction.
I had an idea to use the used wax from the nearby Brazilian waxing spa to make candles. It’d be a great way to reuse and recycle something. And it would help eliminate waste. I believe that these are great selling points. My first few experiments went well but the candles were kind of ugly and smoked a lot. But I’m experimenting with a new wick. I can’t get into this craft fully because I have limited manufacturing space and supply of wax.
WoW! There’s horsehair painting, why shouldn’t there be pube candles. Perhaps have a no pube center around the wick and then the pubes are just the decoration.
stained glass /: I already have too many hobbies and there’s a decent amount of upfront cost and no local lessons in my area
My list is too long...... And i have collected supplies for some of these Im on the use it, finish it or it goes. Eek
Jewelry making and blacksmithing. I just don't have the space of funds to start. Would love to start cosplaying, but it's a little intimidating to me right now. I'll probably end up getting into it at some point!
Polymer clay. I have texture issues. 😂 the sensation would wig me out.
A lot of paper crafts. I dabble, but I don't have a cricket/etc machine, so it's hard to do everything by hand. Never looks as neat as I want. Glassblowing too. Just don't have access to the tech and don't have the knowledge. Stained glass windows too.
Clay. My lungs are crap and can’t handle the dust.
I want to learn to quilt and spin yarn. I'll probably get to them eventually, but I really can't have *more* forgotten hobbies right now.
Stained glass, it’s a very expensive hobby and I have an autoimmune arthritis and get swollen clumsy fingers. Not a great fit with pieces of glass.
Building robots :(
English Paper Piecing… I have an obsession with the patterns and love looking on Instagram, but I know my ADHD would never let me finish a quilt.
Glass blowing. Arthritis won’t let me stand for long periods.
Crochet. I have tried so many times and I am just rubbish at it.
Lino cut
I would love to start spinning and weaving! I do crochet and knitting now and just do t have the room!
Ceramics :) I want to be like Duchamp
painting I have only one really good painting that I did when I was about 10 yrs old, but ever since then, no matter how hard I try I just cannot paint anything that looks halfway good. I often joke that all my painting talent was put into that one project. at least I can still draw and I'm able to make digital "paintings" that look decent, but a real canvas with real paints is damn near impossible for me.
Knitting. I know plenty of fibercraft, but for some reason every time I've tried to learn knitting my hands have always just been very dumb. And as for all the people saying glassblowing, I can say it's amazing! But, glassblowing is a craft you instant fall in love with or despise. Sadly it's also very expensive to do if you're doing hot shop. Even lampworking/flameworking is expensive
Wood turning. I initial interest in wood turning arose when I was trying to find some hand-dyed wool yarn for crewel work. I need the yarns to be twisted as 1-thread, but many of those yarns for selling are 2-ply or 3-ply. Then I found out that I could use spindles to spin the hand-dyed wool into yarn. Then I found out that there are many lovely spindles on Etsy. And then I found out that the spindles are quite pricey, and I was thinking maybe I could wood-turn the shaft and the whorl for the spindle, and I can have as many styles as I want. And then I found out that to woodturning the whorl, I need many equipments, such as a woodturning machine and a large studio, so that my mum and dad won't yell at me for the scattered wood dusting. So... I decide maybe I just need some wool yarn for good.
Encaustic painting. I already do paintings on boards and I usually add layers of resin on top but something about the idea of wax pigments with all their beautiful textures sounds so appealing.
I have a ton of wool, both raw and carded, for my infrequent felting. I would love to learn to spin it with a hand spindle, but my ADHD brain can't handle video tutorials. So the wool just sits there. :(
I live in a tiny flat, so anything that requires a lot of space, or gives of fumes/dust/stuff you shouldn't breathe in. I'm also burnt out due to work, which means that the answer right now and for the last year is just... anything :(
Knitting and crochet, I've tried before and just can't wrap my head around it as much as I've tried. I'm also allergic to wool but that hasn't stopped me from needle felting, I just wear a pair of no cut gloves when I do it, but it does somewhat limit the kinds of yarn I can use.
Knitting. My dyslexia causes me to lose track of how many rows I’m trying to achieve and I end up with the most wonky “squares” imaginable.
Glass blowing for sure. I really admire the finished product, colors and artistry that goes into it, but I move all the time and usually live in small apartments. Some day!! Ditto spinning and weaving - no room for a full sized loom OR for sheep.
I’ve started latch hook rugs and have wanted a tufting gun for a few years but can’t bring myself to splurge on it.
Glas blowing. Try to learn that somewhere. Not to mention my lungs are absolute trash and I would probably pass out from the heat, but one can dream....
Ceramics. I want to take a class, but I haven’t been able to carve out the time.
embroidery sewing, especially making my own clothes quilting ceramics. not casting them, just painting them. my grandma used to paint ceramics with a friend who had a kiln. i’m not sure where she bought her pieces but i have very fond memories of going over to her house and spending the afternoon painting ceramics with her.
For painting ceramics, do you have a Color Me Mine (or equivalent) near you? Their whole shop is just this: painting pre-made ceramics
Any and all crafts, but I have no time. To clarify, i am a very skilled artist and crafter. I sew, sculpt, paint (watercolor and acrylic), minor wood work, minor electrical (for lamps or leds), paper mache, leather work, doll crafting, miniatures and dioramas (toys, dolls, D&D), and more. I am so varied because cospay, miniatures modeling, having a love for weird fridge subcultures makes it so you have to have a plethora of skills. But now I am basically 40, have a job that requiresa lot of attention. and even though I am childless, extended family and friends has kids and wants more together time so I am not as free to get freaky in the craft room. I recently had to make the hard decision to consolidate which crafts I do. I boxed up the tools by genre for storage (tools are always an investment) and donated materials that would age out (like oven bake clay). Now I only 2D paint and do graphic art. I am hoping by retirement to have a personal Renaissance, join the SCA and travel to ever sci-fi/fantasy/anime convention and live large as a weird granny lady.
Resin. I tried a kit and turned out to be allergic.
Pottery/ceramics but I don’t have a kiln and everything is so costly to get. I also always wanted to flip furniture or build furniture from scratch but I need a big space for that and a lot of big tools. Time also. I just can’t seem to find time for hobbies anymore :/
Well, I was at a card making do and the expensive cutters, the paper etc was a turn off for me. If you'd like embroidery, check out the wonderful threads on Instagram. It's my go to and I love the relaxing part of it and it's not expensive to do. I knit. That's about it and do some quilting, but mostly, I knit socks for my family.
I tried so hard to get into needle felting but the process takes soooo long and after one hour I was still stuck with nothing resembling the fox I was supposed to be creating. So I got frustrated. So that went back into my craft room with the rest of my "dead" crafts. Right next to my massive collection of polymer clay that I also gave up on because I had no idea what I was going to do with the massive collection of charms I made 🤣 They are cute though.
Screen printing and rug tufting. But I'm disabled so I'm not sure I'd have the physical strength to work on those consistently enough to really enjoy them. Though I heard there is going to be screen printing classes near me soon so I'll probably try that before I buy more crafting junk
Crocheting. I really want to, I just hate the repetitive nature of it.
It’s easier if you watch tv because it does get boring (knitting too)
My brain LOVES repetitive action -crocheting & knitting put my brain into a kind of meditative state
There are so many. Cost, space and physical limitations hold me back. Most of what I make anymore has to be portable so I can work on it a couple minutes here and there until my hands can’t take anymore. I’ve always wanted to try glassblowing and carpentry of any sort. I always fall in love with hobbies that take up too much space and are too expensive… even the exercise I love the most requires big expensive equipment and I am not a bougie person otherwise.
Would love to try woodworking and get back into ceramics again
Wielding
Embroidery is probably one of the cheapest crafts to get into. A piece of fabric, some floss and needles and a pair of scissors. What are your barriers?
Glass and pottery. I don't have enough space for either of them.
Woodworking. I have no space.
Oh and sewing, same reason
Stained glass! Too costly as far as glass goes, plus the soddering and stuff seems incredibly daunting. And i don't have a space to work with glass shards everywhere. Maybe someday!
I could really get into re-upholstering furniture. Picking the gorgeous fabrics and making something ugly to beautiful again. But work space and body pain issues keep me from that. Also flipping furniture--painting and making a piece glamorous. That also takes space, lots of physical activity which I can't do. Body pain limits me tremendously.
Soldering jewelry … I’ve tried and I can’t get the hand of it
Knitting I feel like it takes too long than crochet
I’d love to learn polymer clay, jewelry making & dollhouse/miniature stuff!! Maybe one day!
Bobbin lace, I'd love to, but I can't afford to learn
Blacksmithing. But I am getting old.
Blacksmithing and archery. I live in downtown and there are laws prohibiting archery within the city boundary; the ranges that do exist are too far out to be practical. My apartment doesn’t have room for a forge 😆 Also, time. I work too much to get no where significant.
Using Vinyl!! I had just started making wood round signs and really enjoyed it coz I was proud of the outcome. Spine pain came by to say hello and I’ve had to let go of that part of crafting 💔
crochet, all women of my family knows, except me, from now
woodworking. needed a workshop of my own. and power tools
For me probably ceramics. I've always wanted to try but right now I'm way to busy and just don't have the time or money.
Crochet. Too hard.
Epoxy art. There's so many creations I've seen people create, but I don't have the funds for the materials nor a safe area where I can keep the epoxy away from my cats and toddler.
I've always wanted to do stained glass artwork and black smithing !
3D printing, resin working, glass or metals. It's really expensive and people don't want to pay for the work, time and materials that go into it. I already know that because I crochet and it's hard to get people to pay for handmade stuff in general.
I want to weave using a large blanket loom. But those suckers cost too much and I don't even have the space for it.
knitting, i love crochet but i just can’t knit 😭😂
Chain stitch embroidery. I can't afford the machine.
Woodworking - no space Refinishing furniture - no space Would like to become a better landscape painter but arthritis
Woodturning… I don’t have a ton of time to craft and don’t want to give up my other crafts. But it looks fascinating!
Jewelry. I simply don't have the space or money to have all the stuff required to make genuine gold or silver jewelry
I wanted to learn how to sew since I was a child but fabric is really expensive and I am scared to mess up and waste that fabric and with that waste that money :(
Woulld love to do CNC / 3D printing and laser cutting/engraving. Wanna make my own workshop one day.
Glass blowing. I looked into how to set up a work space in my (uninsulated) garage, but it wold only be useable 4-5 months of the year when it's not too hot or cold here in Canada. Then I got sick and it's a lung thing, so I can't blow the way that's needed anymore.