Being a dilettante

[firecat]

Lately I feel like I want to learn something new, or continue learning something I've already done some of...mostly along the lines of arts and crafts. It's great that I want to do stuff and might have the energy to do stuff, because it's been a while since I felt that way. But it's also frustrating right now, because whatever part of my brain that I use to choose among various more or less equally good options seems to still be offline, so I can't make up my mind what I want to learn or where/how I want to learn it.


jewelry:
things to learn
using resin to make jewelry
wirework
enameling
chainmail
basic metalsmithing
basic soldering

places to learn
beading frenzy
baubles and beads
bay area bead extravaganza conference
beaducation.com
books and magazine articles

yarn crafts:
things to learn
nonstandard/historical/ethnic knitting techniques (knitting in two directions, twined knitting, bohus stickning)
techniques for knitting in color (fair isle, slip stitch)
incorporating beads into knitting
less common knitting stitches
fitting techniques
cable stitches and techniques
designing lace patterns

places to learn
stitches west conference
local yarn stores
web sites: knitty, ravelry, interweave
dvds, books and magazines

sewing
things to learn
embroidery machine
serger machine
long-arm quilting machine

places to learn
techshop

other stuff I think about learning/doing
lampworking
glass fusing
stained glass
wood shop machines and hand tools
ukulele, recorder, tin whistle, hand drums, singing (group and/or lessons)
logic pro (computer music software)
photoshop and other graphics software
photography

some things I keep feeling tempted to learn but have resisted so far
yarn dying, spinning
weaving
polymer clay, silver clay, glass clay
glass blowing

What do you want to learn? What are you glad you learned?

Comments

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

I want to learn statistics... and re-learn my grad school math. And I want to "learn" speed-reading if I can.

I want to be able to geek bread enough to be able to move toward what I want, even if I can't do it.

I want to be able to make good, light providing candles that burn up all their wax unless used for too short a time.
(If you light a candle, and blow it out, and keep doing that, eventually, you'll create a divot, and if you're lucky, the candle will burn down into the divot - but you can also get it so the candle can't burn because it'll melt so much wax from the sides that it drowns the wick. I like making candles that, if placed in a holder, will burn down mostly-evenly, until the wick lies in a quarter-inch pool of melted wax.)

I want to be able to do that from paraffin, and maybe from other types of wax.

I want to be able to plan out a *big* dinner for a *lot* of people ("a lot of people" can be pretty small - 8, 10, are "a lot" for someone who lives alone! :-) ), and have a guess for leftovers, and have people satisfied with food quality.

I want to learn more about my body and how it works and how to make it work better.

And I want to learn how to be happy.