New skills

[klmama]

My teen and I were just talking about using the extra free time this summer to learn some new skills.  I want to get better at using our camera.  Dc plans to pick up a new instrument (which we already own).  What new skills are you and your family learning or planning to learn?

[PeterPan]

Well I took up ukelele, which has been fun. I actually really need something else, so I'll be watching other people's ideas. Please don't let it involve chickens. 

Edited May 13, 2020 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

5 minutes ago, Plum said:

Sewing by hand! Never was into it before. I’m getting better. Next I plan to learn how to knit or crochet. First I have to learn the difference. Lol

Ok, what are you going to sew by hand? 

Yeah, I love crochet. Knitting I'm borderline incapable of doing. I don't think my brain coordinates sides or something, lol. I've tried and tried, and I own really good needles. I'll just stick with crochet. That said, now is an iffy time to find yarn. Maybe if people go back to work and supplies replenish, or maybe find a neighbor with a stash? I'd certainly share... When Hobby Lobby reopens, I guess descend on them. They have really nice yarn and they won't be wiped out like Walmart right now.

Fwiw, if you can convince yourself to suffer through knitting, dishrags are better knitted. I crochet them, but I like them better knitted. So if you can just find single skeins/cones of dish rag cotton, they would be good beginner projects either way, knitted or crocheted.

Maybe that's what I should do is knit my way through a dish cloth sampler book. Then I can get over my bias. 

Edited May 13, 2020 by PeterPan

[Acorn]

I have a watercolor kit on the way. I’ve never painted before. I watched the online lesson from the subscription company and it just seemed peaceful.

[Slache]

My husband makes T shirts and sells them on websites like Redbubble. It's free to design, they make the product and you get a percentage.

Eta: Not new for us, just an idea for you.

Edited May 13, 2020 by Slache

[PeterPan]

5 minutes ago, Plum said:

I’m learning how to sew masks. My first came out lopsided and my stitches were uneven. I’m getting better. It’s nice having something for my hands to do while the kids are working on school stuff. 

That's impressive! When you finish that, you could try english paper piecing. You could make quilts, baby blankets, etc. using that just a bit at a time approach. 

 

4 minutes ago, Acorn said:

I have a watercolor kit on the way. I’ve never painted before. I watched the online lesson from the subscription company and it just seemed peaceful.

Linkie? 

[Acorn]

https://www.letsmakeart.com/
 

I haven’t  received my first order so can’t review yet. No idea if I will enjoy it, but there’s a couple other people here who might try too if it was set up in front of them.

[PeterPan]

https://www.mariagefreres.com/UK/welcome.html  Here, I suggested to you in another thread sending people tea and chocolates. Someone here sent me this tea  and it is the most WONDERFUL tea ever. Like all tea is good, but this is really divine. It's transporting, so so good. So you can research, try all the flavors, perfect your technique. There are also other types of tea pots when you get bored with what you've got. And then you could cook things to go with the tea or buy things as stores open up. 

https://www.pearlsasone.org  You can learn about pearls. You just never know how useful it will be. The course is free. 

https://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Ingredients-Technique-and-Flavor/dp/B00RPVVTRK/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=great+courses+cooking&qid=1589348808&sr=8-2  You might enjoy videos in this series. It's Great Courses on cooking. They have quite a few in the series, all taught by a culinary instructor.

https://www.onlinerbttraining.com  I'm not sure if this one is a good one, but I *think* they're pretty standardized when they're certified. Online RBT training is usually around $100 and some of these places are even saying 50% off! 

http://www.clickinmoms.com  Klama mentioned photography. Clickinmoms is pretty amazing for that. They have forums, classes, everything you need.

I haven't really decided my next thing, sigh. I have a paint by number kit to do. I need to make some photobooks and am uninspired. I'm working on yard work (blah). I have more of those Great Courses to watch. 

I think I might get a beta. You can get these cute kind of 1 cubic foot aquariums and install them. I think I'd like the plants more than the fish, but I'm not sure betas can handle plants. Every so often I research fish, then I get sane and talk myself out of it, lol. But it's something to do, sure, researching fish. It's a never-ending topic, with fresh water, salt water, sizes, options, types of lights, you name it.

Edited May 13, 2020 by PeterPan

[Shoeless]

Not a new skill, but I'm working on improving my needlepoint skills. I've been concentrating more on making sure my tension is even, the back doesn't look like a raggedy mess, etc. 

[gardenmom5]

I'm working on Spanish.  Duolingo, some manga, some outside reading - and youtube conversation lessons (that are only in "slower" Spanish - with subtitles.)

[Acorn]

@PeterPan

We are enjoying our betta fish. They can survive in tiny tanks but appreciate room to swim. Ours is in a 10 gallon. He is fun to watch and is active in his whole tank. It has been successful for him to live with harlequin rasboras. Betta fins can tear on plastic plants. I have several live plants which has been a bit of an experiment. 

[Junie]

I'm not learning anything new (yet) but I do have some extra time to work on:

learning Spanish

learning ASL

working on our family tree -- Our library is allowing members to use their ancestry.com subscription from home.

reading 100 books this year

 

I would like to add:

catch up on annual scrapbooks

do more science experiments with the kids

learn French

 

And the crazy part of me keeps thinking:

learn to play the guitar

learn Portuguese

learn Italian

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, Acorn said:

@PeterPan

We are enjoying our betta fish. They can survive in tiny tanks but appreciate room to swim. Ours is in a 10 gallon. He is fun to watch and is active in his whole tank. It has been successful for him to live with harlequin rasboras. Betta fins can tear on plastic plants. I have several live plants which has been a bit of an experiment. 

Ooo, I love this! This is exactly the look I've wanted, green and zen, with something swimming along peacefully. So in a 10 gallon, how many harlequin raspboras to your one betta? And I like your smooth statues. They promote the zen look and don't snag the fins. Yeah, that's what I was thinking, live plants. So you have gravel and then your plants in little pots? Or you have soil under your gravel? That's where I got muddled with so many options. Is there anything special you do to keep your plants happy?

I had a tank years ago and enjoyed it. It's just plants would die, chemistry go awry, etc. I wanted to do it smarter if I do it this time, lol. 

[PeterPan]

2 minutes ago, Junie said:

learn to play the guitar

You should do it! I had wanted to and failed years ago, mainly because I didn't like the steel strings. Now I'm on the ukelele, and it's fab. They do guitars with nylon also. I guess ukelele is where my brain is, lol. Four strings, not too complicated. But it could be a springboard to guitar. Or people go the other way. And you can get into a rather ok ukelele for $85. (Kala 15C)

[PeterPan]

4 minutes ago, Junie said:

learn French

So what would you want to *do* with your French if you learned it? Learning a language is a funny thing, because there's this liftoff level of study that is more foundational than practical. But if you figure out your goal, like say going to Paris and being able to read the menu, then that's something. Of course, I studied French and never went there. I've heard if you show up and try to speak it, they answer you back in english, haha. But it is true, even a modicum of textbook french will help you understand the french sentences in literature and movies.

[Junie]

50 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

You should do it! I had wanted to and failed years ago, mainly because I didn't like the steel strings. Now I'm on the ukelele, and it's fab. They do guitars with nylon also. I guess ukelele is where my brain is, lol. Four strings, not too complicated. But it could be a springboard to guitar. Or people go the other way. And you can get into a rather ok ukelele for $85. (Kala 15C)

Well, I don't own a guitar and I'm not sure that I want to spend a lot of money on something that I might not be able to do.  I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, so I'm not even sure that I can hold a guitar, let alone playing it.  A ukelele has never really appealed to me, although that would probably be more practical.

Thanks for the info on the types of strings.  That is something that I would want to research.

47 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

So what would you want to *do* with your French if you learned it? Learning a language is a funny thing, because there's this liftoff level of study that is more foundational than practical. But if you figure out your goal, like say going to Paris and being able to read the menu, then that's something. Of course, I studied French and never went there. I've heard if you show up and try to speak it, they answer you back in english, haha. But it is true, even a modicum of textbook french will help you understand the french sentences in literature and movies.

I'm not sure what I would do with French if I learned it. 😉  When I talked to my dh about it, he basically shrugged and said that I don't really need a reason if it's something that I want to do.  I could learn it just for the enjoyment of it.  

I'm learning Spanish for several reasons:  I already had several years in high school and college -- so, a really good head start.  Some of my kids want to learn it.  Also, our church sometimes takes missions trips to Spanish-speaking countries, and I realized that if I ever get to go on one, I would want to be able to speak for myself and not rely on a translator.  We have Spanish services at our church (which I have been able to attend online 3 times a week) and I have really enjoyed getting to know my Hispanic brothers and sisters.

If I decide to learn French (I had two years in high school) or Portuguese or Italian, it would be much harder because I wouldn't really have a learning environment like I do with Spanish.  But I feel like French would be useful if I ever had an opportunity to go on a missions trip to a French-speaking country.

[alisoncooks]

Before the SIP, I was learning Spanish and piano. I seemed to lose all interest for about 1.5 months, but now I'm getting back on it! (Piano is in my room, where DH is currently working from home, so my schedule just was thrown all off!)

Anyway, those two...and I'm thinking of reading the SOTW books. We didn't use them for school...but I'm thinking I'll give them a try, just for fun. (Not really a skill, but learning something new.)

[PeterPan]

20 minutes ago, Junie said:

Well, I don't own a guitar and I'm not sure that I want to spend a lot of money on something that I might not be able to do.  I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, so I'm not even sure that I can hold a guitar, let alone playing it.  A ukelele has never really appealed to me, although that would probably be more practical.

Yeah RA would put a damper. I started on a concert ukelele, and it made my hands hurt with cramping so tightly. A tenor ukelele still has the 4 strings but it strung with a low G, making it sound more guitar like. And the spacing is bigger on the fret board. But maybe with RA something like a zither would be more comfortable? A lap harp, the kind you can place on a table and pluck. https://www.amazon.com/Music-Maker-Hand-Musical-Instrument/dp/B00000J50W/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=zither&qid=1589386256&sr=8-2

[Beth S]

As a result of the Met Opera free daily streaming, I've been learning more about Opera.
https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/

"Professor Carol" has been hosting webinars (somewhat geared for homeschooling families) on 3 specific operas from the Met website.
https://www.professorcarol.com/

Peter Grimes is next (Thurs at the Met) and her podcast:
https://www.professorcarol.com/2020/05/12/peter-grimes-encore/

This is something I never would have had time (or interest) to pursue otherwise.
Last week I learned 2 other friends have had a long-time interest in Opera, so it's been fun to network!

ETA:  Pre-Covid, many local movie theaters showed Met Opera performances in HD.
A very accessible way to see these big productions, while living far from NYC.

This thread is very inspiring.  Thanks!

Edited May 13, 2020 by Beth S

[HS Mom in NC]

Things I'm currently learning:

fruit and vegetable gardening
ornamental gardening
indoor plant gardening (houseplants and sprouts)
notebooking my gardening Charlotte Mason style
pickling vegetables
drying fruits and herbs
researching raising quail for meat and eggs
efficient coop design
researching greenhouses made of old windows
creating my own website
designing and painting a barn quilt on my garden shed doors

[BeachGal]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

Yeah RA would put a damper. I started on a concert ukelele, and it made my hands hurt with cramping so tightly. A tenor ukelele still has the 4 strings but it strung with a low G, making it sound more guitar like. And the spacing is bigger on the fret board. But maybe with RA something like a zither would be more comfortable? A lap harp, the kind you can place on a table and pluck. https://www.amazon.com/Music-Maker-Hand-Musical-Instrument/dp/B00000J50W/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=zither&qid=1589386256&sr=8-2

 

Do you have any ukulele musicians you admire? My favorite is Taimane Gardner. She's incredible. Jake Shimabukuro is another and he's a great guy IRL. When he's on the road, he spends a lot of his free time fixing up old ukuleles for kids who want to learn. :)

Anyhoo... I am finishing up renovations here in our home. Putting the finishing touches on a kitchen gut job, molding, etc. Looking forward to when it is D-O-N-E!

Other stuff: studying Italian, contemplating buying a van that we would convert and use for traveling (dh is retiring soon), and possibly learning to play the handpan.

[mum]

Do you make anything that you'd like to sell? I have always sewed and have given things I make as gifts for years and years. 

Since I've had more spare time right now, I opened an etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/FabricSpeaks

It has been fun to have a place to put my sewing, and I've learned a LOT about etsy, instagram and marketing! 

[kbutton]

22 hours ago, PeterPan said:

When you finish that, you could try english paper piecing. You could make quilts, baby blankets, etc. using that just a bit at a time approach. 

That looks like the kind of quilting I could actually do, lol! 

[PeterPan]

36 minutes ago, kbutton said:

That looks like the kind of quilting I could actually do, lol! 

Definitely! And it's very easy to transport. Now am I saying *I* would do it? LOL No, because I'm not a hand sewing person. But if you like hand sewing and want a portable project that you can put up, put down, do with whatever you've got, that will be *very impressive* when you're done, that's it. I happen to have a baby quilt done this way, and it's very cherished, something handed down through our family. It could work as a table runner, something for a coffee table, a larger project, whatever.

Edited May 14, 2020 by PeterPan

[kbutton]

39 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Definitely! And it's very easy to transport. Now am I saying *I* would do it? LOL No, because I'm not a hand sewing person. But if you like hand sewing and want a portable project that you can put up, put down, do with whatever you've got, that will be *very impressive* when you're done, that's it. I happen to have a baby quilt done this way, and it's very cherished, something handed down through our family. It could work as a table runner, something for a coffee table, a larger project, whatever.

I do like hand sewing. I am currently quite busy with a project, but I can imagine embellishing some of our fabric Christmas bags with some paper pieced motifs. 

[Shoeless]

We're also trying our hand at vegetable gardening.  I have no idea what I'm doing! But I've got some little seedlings popping up, so that's nice? 

 

[Ottakee]

On 5/13/2020 at 3:29 AM, gardenmom5 said:

I'm working on Spanish.  Duolingo, some manga, some outside reading - and youtube conversation lessons (that are only in "slower" Spanish - with subtitles.)

What YouTube are you using?  I am using Duolingo.

[Donna]

DD is brushing up on her Irish language skills, teaching herself piano and guitar, painting, and learning to use sound/editing equipment. She's gotten pretty good at the sound equipment (definitely a learning curve there) and has been able to take on a couple recording projects, including one for a Gr*mmy Aw*rd winning composer. He was happy with the results so she must be doing well. She has also taught herself some creative editing for video collaborations with musicians and Irish dancers she has been putting up on her FaceBook music page every week or so. DD is composing daily and is going to begin taking university courses for the summer sessions and a full course load in the fall because she won't be touring. She had planned to take a few courses (online) at a time beginning in fall because she was meant to be on the road all year.

I am learning to play Irish concertina and improving my gardening skills both ornamental and edible (weeds beware!! I am finally home long enough to have time to keep them under control and my gardens have never looked better). I also would like to catch up on scrapbooking but haven't gotten around to figuring out a location in the house where I want to leave stuff out to work on...my goal for this weekend.

We've both been doing a lot of reading. 

[gardenmom5]

33 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

What YouTube are you using?  I am using Duolingo.

Spanish playground

why not Spanish?

I've also found  Poly-glot-a-lot's suggestions on language learning helpful.  he has a completely different method for learning languages.  he's at least conversant in six/seven languages.  including mandarin, Korean, and Arabic (he said his vocabulary is about 3000 words, and he's happy with that).   he's a college Spanish instructor.

I've also listened to some of Joanna Rants.  (some swearing).  She's Columbian, but speaks perfect American English.  She did one video on the differences with the Spanish in the different countries.   "Argentina is your Italian uncle proud that he can speak Spanish.  Cuba - they always sound like you interrupted their dentist appointment, DR - talk extremely fast, she couldn't do it and brought in a DR friend to demonstrate.  I've picked up some understanding of Latin American culture listening to her.  

[Junie]

1 hour ago, Ottakee said:

What YouTube are you using?  I am using Duolingo.

 

19 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

Spanish playground

why not Spanish?

I've also found  Poly-glot-a-lot's suggestions on language learning helpful.  he has a completely different method for learning languages.  he's at least conversant in six/seven languages.  including mandarin, Korean, and Arabic (he said his vocabulary is about 3000 words, and he's happy with that).   he's a college Spanish instructor.

I've also listened to some of Joanna Rants.  (some swearing).  She's Columbian, but speaks perfect American English.  She did one video on the differences with the Spanish in the different countries.   "Argentina is your Italian uncle proud that he can speak Spanish.  Cuba - they always sound like you interrupted their dentist appointment, DR - talk extremely fast, she couldn't do it and brought in a DR friend to demonstrate.  I've picked up some understanding of Latin American culture listening to her.  

I am just a few days away from finishing my golden Spanish tree on Duolingo.

On youtube, I also have been watching Why Not Spanish?. 

Another channel that I like is Superholly.  She is a native Spanish and English speaker.  She grew up as a missionary kid, spending half of her childhood in the US and half in Mexico.  She is pretty fast, but I enjoy the challenge.

I've also been able to find a few Ted Talks in Spanish.  These are also a good challenge.