Hello, everyone! Dana Mentink here. I've got hobbies on the brain. I always do, as I launch into creating new characters, because I think hobbies are a great way to tell what makes someone (fictional or not) tick. Me? I'm a nut, and an attention challenged nut at that, so I figured it might be more telling to reveal the hobbies I've failed at, rather than latched onto.
Hobby fail the first: knitting. My knitting instructor is probably still recovering from her migraine. While the class busily creating scarfs, hats, socks and sweaters, I produced what was kindly described as a "fruit cozy." That's a misshapen, stringy net thing with holes that might accommodate apple stems if you could wrestle the unfortunate fruit inside. I did not sign up for the second knitting session, and I'm pretty sure I saw the teacher do a silent fist pump.
Hobby fail the second: Scrapbooking. Oh wow did I get off to a blistering start! Colored paper, stickers, fancy bobbers and borders!!! I mean my first photo page was incredible! Day one of Emily Mentink's life, recorded for posterity. Then I realized the zealous scrapbookers seated all around me intended to put similar effort into pages for each and every day of their wee ones lives. Doing the math, I discovered I'd have to repeat this process 363 more days just to record the first year of Em's life. And I actually went ahead and had a second child! Scrapbooking extravaganza times two! I closed up shop and slunk away in disgrace.
So what's a middle aged hobby failing woman with attention problems supposed to do? I found the perfect hobby for me...fiction writing! There is no yarn involved (unless you want to think of story telling as yarn spinning), and it does not require one to do the same thing day in and day out. My stories can go all wacky, willy nilly, zipping from one place to the next to keep up with my imagination and if I get bored of one? I'll work on two at once, like I'm doing now as I pen a lighthearted romance and a romantic suspense. Do you love it? I did, so much that my hobby became my business. Though my fruit will never be cozy, I think it's the perfect hobby for me!
What's your hobby? Did you ever have any "hobby fails" like I did? Would love to hear your thoughts!
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Dana, I can crochet and I enjoy it, but for some reason, I never caught on to knitting. I can't seem to get all the beginning stuff underway on the needles.
ReplyDeleteI have too many hobbies to count. Gardening is one of them. Probably all forms of either relaxation or procrastination lol.
I admire your crocheting. This too, is a fail for yours truly.
DeleteDana, both my Italian mom and grandmother tried to teach me to crochet. And knit. And use that big bully of a sewing machine. And when they both gave up, I decided to try my hand at painting and sketching. As it turns out, I'm fair to middlin' at that. Like Rula, I have a little talent for growing things, inside and out, and this jungle of houseplants is proof. I love crafty projects, which meant learning how to use every power tool in the shed--except for the chainsaw. The chainsaw terrifies me! So when Larry says "What do you want for (fill in the gift-giving holiday)?", I say things like "Compound miter saw!" and "Hammer drill!" and "Mulching lawn mower!" If a thing breaks or dirties my fingernails, it's a pretty sure bet I'm gonna love it. A good thing, too, so I can accomplish SOMEthing productive while I'm procrastinating on the latest book project! :-) Thanks for sharing your hobby fails, because as the sages say, misery loves company! Wishing you an oober-productive day at the keyboard!
ReplyDeleteWell...nothing says romance like a compound miter saw! Great gift! :)
DeleteLOL Dana!
DeleteScrapbooking, ugh! Never had an interest in that and all my photographs are in boxes, so I guess it could be considered a failed hobby that I didn’t try. When I get involved in a hobby – sewing, knitting, crocheting – I become engrossed in shopping for supplies. Maybe that’s my real hobby because I have enough fabric, yarn and string for thousands of projects.
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DeleteI feel better now, Marion. All my photos are in boxes, too.
DeleteI embroidery and do scrapbooking on my own terms. Have made one now for 3 grandchildren for when they have graduated high school. They've loved them, so whether they're perfect by scrapbooker standards I don't care. I failed at quilting. I spent my life cutting quilt blocks in the winter for my mom. She had quilt frames and did beautiful work. When she died she left me two pieced quilt tops, and I thought I'd take lessons and quilt them for my two daughters. My sister and I took lessons together. Her stitches were neat and small. Mine big and wavy. Hence the tops are still unbacked and unquilted. Same for me with crocheting and tatting. My mom tried and tried to teach me. I preferred to be out playing softball and volleyball. It's good we all have different talents.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Roz. You're right, if we all had the same talents, that would be a problem, wouldn't it?
DeleteI have an entire office filled with scrapbooking materials because, you know, SOMEDAY I am going to get all those pictures scrapbooked. All 500,000 of them! My first two children have their first years documented. The baby of the family has close to 10 months. I love it but it is time consuming and lately time is not something I have an abundance of ... maybe when I retire. Yeah, right.
ReplyDeleteYou'll do it, Amy! :)
ReplyDeleteDana, I WANT to be crafty, but alas it doesn't work for me. I have two crafty sisters and often feel like the clumsy duckling. My problem is that I'm too fidgety (much like a kenneled border collie). My hobby is running because it eases my mounds of anxiety (like a kenneled border collie). Like Roz, I like things that are active like hiking, biking, skiing. And like you, I think I like writing because it's a creative outlet but not monotonous.
ReplyDeleteWell I sure wish I could have an active hobby! My waistline would thank me!
DeleteI am able to do some crafts...by accident. If I invent them myself, I can do them. However, if I try to follow something on Pinterest...let's just say I made a beautiful princess cake recipe somehow turn out like a villain's lair. Many hobby fails.
ReplyDeleteVillain's lair is way more interesting, Heather!
DeleteDana, I'm so glad you shared this. I am terrible at crafts! I do like to knit now and then but nothing difficult; I focus every few winters on making simple mufflers. My dad loved to crochet as a hobby but was never able to teach me. Scrapbooking? I admire those who can. Instead, though, I've been trying to organize all those boxes of photos to be digitalized (one of these days). And, Roz, I'm with you on quilting. I tried once in a group of women and had no clue what I was doing. I'm pretty sure that finished quilt fell apart in places, all mine. I'm sticking to my computer.
ReplyDeleteYou and me both, Leigh. Here we come, keyboard!
DeleteI have a friend who sends me these cute little scrapbooking cards...that's as close as I get to that hobby. I do knit and make pottery and jewelry. In fact, took pottery lessons because I wanted one of my characters to be a potter--research!
ReplyDeleteI was crafty in my youth - most of the needlework arts. I liked cross-stitch particularly because you didn't have to know fancy stitches, you just had to be able to count. (long Massachusetts winters as a child before there were electronics to entertain us.)As a wife and mother, I did needlework while watching TV at night, because my up close and distance visions were about the same and glasses didn't interfere. No I have computer glasses and distance glasses, so that no longer works - and life is full of things I MUST do. But writing allows me to at least explore anything I want to, so that's fun. I can get as deeply into something as I'm comfortable with and will make a character convincing, then leave the hard part of it to someone else. I have boxes and boxes of photos, too, Dana, and a beautiful calligraphied piece for the front of my adopted kids' scrapbooks that says, "Don't forget, not for a minute, that you didn't grow under my heart, but in it."
ReplyDeleteI never drop a hobby, it just takes me a year to complete each step.
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteMy hobby fail: Bagpipe lessons. I was too short-winded. :)
ReplyDeleteCool thing to try, Katy!
DeleteDoes garage-saling count? Because I hate to pass up a garage sale!
ReplyDeleteCynthia
You could write a book about a neat garage sale find that turns out to be priceless!
DeleteDoes anyone watch The Garage Sale Mysteries on Hallmark's second channel? They're pretty good. You could send them a script, Cynthia.
DeleteNo, but it sounds right up my alley!
DeleteI sew, an addiction much like writing (toys!). I'm not that good at it, but I do love it.
ReplyDeleteI "sew" admire people who are handy with a needle and thread!
DeleteDana, this was a great post and reminds me of all the hobbies I used to have and do t do anymore. I'm with Amy on this, I have closets filled with photos and things I'd like to scrapbook but don't. My sewing machine hasn't had a working needle in years. I forgot how to crewel, and I admire anyone who can knit. I barely have time to read our blogs as evidenced by the fact that I'm always a day late!!!
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