Other hobbies

[MartianDestiny]

Just finished up a painting and started wondering what everyone else here did for fun outside of bikes?

My recently re-acquired hobby is illustration. Here are my two recent works:

First my puppy Luna in pen and ink (with inkwash for the eyes). I'd still like to do some touchup work on the stippling (needs some darkening)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs239.snc3/22642_532472224808_57702024_31609984_4844414_n.jpg

And my just finished Horsehead Nebula in acrylic on canvas. This is my first attempt at painting, ever. Surprisingly happy with it (which is a good thing because it gets critiqued and graded on Thursday!)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs506.snc3/26580_534084922948_57702024_31668414_798726_n.jpg

[Ana]

Hobbies

Sewing
Cooking and Baking
Aikido
Gardening
Reading
Knitting
Weight lifting


I would also eventually like to start either yoga or pilates :)

[azfiddle]

I play fiddle- Irish and contra dance music.

[MartianDestiny]

I've always wanted to learn violin. I played the Clarinet in high school instead.

[malkin]

(beginning) piano
Several years ago I won a piano in a raffle; last year I decided to learn to play it to accompany the kids at school. It's incredible fun and maybe it will postpone senility!

(amateur) photography

knitting

trying to get plants to survive in containers on the balcony

drinking beer

[Tri Girl]

amazing art, MD!
I am an artist, too. I paint landscapes.

Hiking (the higher the mountain, the better)

Reading about people's bike tours

[mekira]

Very nice!!

Sewing
Reading

[channlluv]

That's your first attempt at painting? Wow.

I write children's books.

Roxy

[bmccasland]

Bobbin Lace - particularily reproduction of 16th century laces, and Bedfordshire or Cluny laces

Bird watching

Gardening

Quilting

[solobiker]

Quilting
Woodworking
Hiking
Fly fishing
Backpacking
Reading
Cooking

[shootingstar]

This reminds me how my hobbies have changed at different times every few years.


Current Hobbies
Reading --primarily non-fiction: travelogues, social issues, history, food history/practices
Blogging-- A few months ago who would have thought I ever say this. But for me, it actually marries my lifelong love of writing, photography and composition (putting the whole article together with the pics). I would not say journal-writing because I actually dislike journal-writing because my version is dead dull, repetitive.

Blogging has to be thematic for me. Otherwise, it doesn't inspire my creative juices to write. Latest entry in Cycle Write blog covers a hobby that is practiced by several folks here in TE! :) (but I don't do that hobby).

Guilt trip hobbies-- exercised for a few yrs., temporarily abandoned:
painting --oil, acrylic: landscape, some abstract mixed media
sewing-- we already talked about this elsewhere. :p

[NoNo]

In no particular order:
1. Photography (once in a blue moon I get a paid job)
2. Cooking/Baking
3. Hiking
4. Making soap (which has actually become a side business)
5. Fixing computers
6. Reading
7. Gardening (still learning lots, but I had tons of fun last year)
8. Kayaking (just bought one today)

I keep trying to learn Italian, but can't consistently find time to study. I also took my first heavy bag class last week, and think I'll be returning for more. What else can I fit in?:p

[kermit]

I just tried my hand at canning. My husband and I made our first batch of strawberry jam. The strawberries are amazingly in season and I am excited for our first born! Can't wait to make stuff! Still hunting for a sewing machine, narrowing down the choices. I bought two apron patterns, that'll be my first project.
Of course my main hobby is cycling!

[TsPoet]

Photography, mostly birds

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee139/TsPoet/untitled-0308.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V5xeUX9jQEw/SwTU2IiataI/AAAAAAAAAdM/idOmsSY9VeA/s1600/20091117-IMG_8389.jpg

and dog performance events, mostly agility

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V5xeUX9jQEw/Svi-AbBxcTI/AAAAAAAAAac/5rt2s_wtuoU/s640/20091107-IMG_7425.jpg

[malaholic]

Wow, MartianDestiny & TsPoet - you guys are amazingly talented. (Actually, I'm sure that all the other responders are also, I just single you two out because I can actually see the end results of your hobbies here. It's unfortunate that I can't taste Kermit's strawberry jam...mmmm...that sounds yummy.)

MD, I can't believe that nebula painting is the first time you've ever painted. If you did that well on your first attempt then I think you should definitely do a few more.
TsP- the owl photo is my favorite, it's just stunning. The eyes are perfectly focused and the background bokeh is butter-smooth. What lens did you use to take that shot?

K, back to the original question. My non-bike hobbies are skiing & skijoring, hiking, watching football, photography, hiking, and playing xbox. :) I used to do a lot of climbing & mountaineering, but ever since getting the dogs I've favored non-technical stuff so that we can bring them along.

[marni]

I am a bobbin lacemaker as well- my specialties are Flanders and Binche, along with Withof Duchesse.

I am also a traditional Navajo weaver and I spin my own yarnb for weaving and knitting.

marni

[MartianDestiny]

Malkin: funny you should mention trying to keep plants alive. I have a very unhappy orchid myself.

Tri: Haven't tried a landscape yet (except a 1hr in class pencil exercise) they seem intimidating! So much detail and so many things to capture!

Channel: Yup, first attempt, acrylic is pretty forgiving thank goodness!

BMC: Lace? sweet! That's not something I'd ever really heard of or thought about before. Sounds fun.

Shootingstar: It is odd how hobbies seem to evolve (some quicker than others). I hadn't drawn in years, but I'm glad I'm rediscovering it (and picking up new techniques too)

No: New Kayak? Congrats! Have fun with the new toy.

Kermit: Sounds yummy!!!

TS: Those are AMAZING pictures! Occasionally my photography comes out well, but not typically my action shots.

Malaholic: I'm thinking about doing a series now, "The life of a solar system". This nebula picture would be "star birth", then one for the solar nebula, planet formation, maybe life, and then supernova "death". I'll see how ambitious I am this summer.

Marni: There's a Navajo Weaving exhibit in our school museum right now. Amazing work. I got to go "weave" a bag when they opened the exhibit. Looked like it would be fun to do the real thing.

Keep 'em coming. Lot's of photographers seem to be popping up. Maybe there needs to be a photography show off thread?!?

[azfiddle]

Martian Destiny- beautiful
and TSPoet- incredible detail on your birds photos.

Lots of other interesting hobbies mentioned- the lace must be beautiful.

I meant to mention that I am also a birder, although not too active right now. I sometimes carry a very compact pair of binoculars on the bike, and am always looking and listening, especially on rides through open desert here.
There are sound clips at my band's website: www.roundthehouse.com

[Crankin]

Nothing, really. If I had other hobbies, I wouldn't have time to ride, hike, do core work, x country ski, snow shoe.
I read, but I don't really see that as a hobby.
Same thing with cooking. I love to cook and I do different stuff every week. But, I don't see it as a hobby, same way as I don't see reading as a hobby.
I am not good with anything crafty, handwork, etc.

Go to the theatre 7 times a year.
If I can't do my physical activity, my day feels very empty and I am "bored." That's when I read.... just realized I used to fill up a lot of time with shopping, but with the advent of the Internet, I almost never go to stores to buy clothes.

[Bike Chick]

Sewing
Quilting
Machine Embroidery (have a side business actually)
Embroidery Digitizing

Wow, the drawings and photographs are fantastic! You are a talented bunch.

[Ana]

I've always wanted to learn violin.

Me too! :) It's on my list of things I would like to accomplish in my life :)

I also want to get a dog someday and then my hobby will be dog training :) :p ;)

[MartianDestiny]

I also want to get a dog someday and then my hobby will be dog training :) :p ;)

O how well I understand that "hobby" right now. With a "new" 2yr old BC mix in the house it feels more like a full time job sometimes. Quit cycling for about 5months. Now I'm at the point where I can work with her and cycle, and we just started agility, which should be fun when she gets over the other dogs in the class with her!

[malkin]

I am not good with anything crafty, handwork, etc.



That hasn't stopped me!

[Catrin]

While I don't have time for it right now, I enjoy needlework of assorted styles (shadow-work, black-work, surface embroidery, etc). Here is an example - I have prettier projects in progress but right now they aren't getting any attention:

[Crankin]

Malkin, no, my level of not being good is severe. I can barely thread a needle or tie my shoes for that matter. I enjoy looking at and being a consumer of art work, fine knitting or sewing, but even thinking of doing any of that gives me a headache. The same way I might listen to music, but I have no desire to play any instrument. Too much work. A hobby should be fun and something you enjoy.
After having some experience teaching drama to young teens and doing role playing in my counseling classes, the thought did cross my mind that I might enjoy acting. But, again, I don't want to spend the time away from sports or the time away from DH. So I enjoy the theatre vicariously.

[beccaB]

TS poet-
what is the first bird? A marsh hawk or Northern Harrier?
I love birding, although I have a difficult time identifying the hawks.

[shootingstar]

Malkin, no, my level of not being good is severe. I can barely thread a needle or tie my shoes for that matter. I enjoy looking at and being a consumer of art work, fine knitting or sewing, but even thinking of doing any of that gives me a headache. The same way I might listen to music, but I have no desire to play any instrument. Too much work. A hobby should be fun and something you enjoy.
After having some experience teaching drama to young teens and doing role playing in my counseling classes, the thought did cross my mind that I might enjoy acting. But, again, I don't want to spend the time away from sports or the time away from DH. So I enjoy the theatre vicariously.

Hope you find some hobby Crankin later, that is non-cycling oriented. And absolutely agree that a hobby needs to be fun and enjoyable. Acting..no one has mentioned this yet here. Now, that to me, is abit of work, ie. memorizing lines. :o

Even though I'm neglectful in certain hobbies at this time, I view the latent, dormant passions that are non-cycling, as important later in the future to restoke those passions again. For the times, I can't cycle. A form of mental health insurance for the future.

[TsPoet]

TS poet-
what is the first bird? A marsh hawk or Northern Harrier?
I love birding, although I have a difficult time identifying the hawks.

Female Harrier. Watched her for about 30 min, I didn't know that I"m such a ghoul, but I was hoping she'd catch something - she didn't.
I took it with at 400 mm, canon 7D (crop body, so at about a 560 mm zoom).
I used to love birding, now I combine it. But, I'm not as good a birder - I get distracted with taking pictures and have to remind myself to enjoy watching as well.
Thanks for all the nice comments.

I never even heard of that many kinds of lace. I envy all of you who have the patience to work with your hands and create something.

[malkin]

Still, if it's fun I'll keep doing it.

I have tried a few things that I didn't even have enough success to enjoy the process at all. Usually though, I just muddle along and mash my way through piano pieces and knit socks that are warm and take pictures to put on calendars to give away at Christmas.

[nscrbug]

My only other true hobby is riding my Harley-Davidson motorcycle...which I haven't done much of since I started cycling.

Aside from that, I enjoy swimming and weight lifting, but I don't really consider those "hobbies"...I see them more as other fitness activities.

[Crankin]

Well, if and when I can't ride as much, I guess I will step up the reading more; maybe do book groups or stuff at the library. I am a foodie, and we go out to eat a lot. The cooking thing is related.
I used to fill up a lot of time (in addition to working full time teaching at the gym part time, and teaching religious school), volunteering. I got burned out on that and now am very stingy with my time.
I enjoy just sitting and looking at the scenery during the time I am not in class, studying, working at my internship, or riding. After so many years of having no time, I don't want more hobbies to fill it up.

[tulip]

gardening - alot
cello - a little
walking my dog. I'd love to do agility with him, but I don't know where to start
kayaking (well, in my head anyways!)
oh, and yes, birding. I'm learning the bird songs now, since I hear them before I see them.

[makbike]

counted cross stitch
reading
my furry buddies

[MartianDestiny]

walking my dog. I'd love to do agility with him, but I don't know where to start


Do you know if there is a local agility club? If you can find them they can give you info about local fields and/or trainers. (A nearby regional club may even have some info for you)

I'm in a group class now with the trainer recommended most often on the local agility websites and who my friend also goes to (we carpool). Cost me $120 for a set of 6 classes (so $20 a class) which isn't too bad. She goes over basic techniques and things to try, walks around and helps you individually, but basically lets you have fun with your dog and figure it out yourself.

Some fields/clubs I think have certain nights where you can just use the field (sans trainer) for like $5-$10 to do a run or two, but that's more geared towards those that already have agility training.

You don't really need anything to start other than some basic obedience work. The dogs seem to figure the easy stuff (jumps, table, dog-walk) pretty quickly and have a lot of fun.

Luna learned how to chase her ball through the tunnel today :D Next we have to get her to go through the tunnel without the ball going in first, LOL.

[Jolt]

I play fiddle- Irish and contra dance music.

Cool...Irish music is fun. I have just started playing around on the tin whistle...it's fairly simple but not really that easy to sound good! So far just playing the simple tunes in the little booklet that came with the whistle--things like "Molly Malone", "The Drunken Sailor", "Danny Boy" (which I just tried today and sounded horrendous!!!) etc.

[azfiddle]

Jolt, is there a regular Irish session near you? Anyone to give you pointers?
I agree, whistle is simple in principle and hard to do well. There are a lot of little techniques for getting the right sound. I can figure out a few tunes, but can't get much beyond jigs....

[Jolt]

Jolt, is there a regular Irish session near you? Anyone to give you pointers?
I agree, whistle is simple in principle and hard to do well. There are a lot of little techniques for getting the right sound. I can figure out a few tunes, but can't get much beyond jigs....

I don't know if there's a regular session around here--that's a good question. Might be fun to check out (if I can get past the fear of embarrassing myself). Mostly the tricky thing is fine-tuning how hard to blow for certain notes--there are a couple that I always seem to have problems with and it's also just generally easy to overblow on the low notes and have them sound sharp.

[mhami]

I don't do anything on a regular basis to call it a hobby. However, if it can be called a hobby, I do volunteer work a lot.

I also like to create Excel spreadsheets. I can find almost any reason to create one. There is so much you can do with Excel. It is almost like writing a computer program.

[Fledgling]

What a talented group of women. Surely a force to be reckoned with.

I love looking at the photos posted here of others work.

mhami: my SO feels the same way about Excel spreadsheets, so that made me smile.

-I'm a fan of volunteer work, as well. Especially with Girl Scouts. I'm training to be a Rappel Assistant as we speak.
-Camping/Hiking/Backpacking
-I just made a gift out of twisting copper wire that I'd like to invest more time in (maybe sell somewhere, let me know if you want anything ;)). It was surprisingly easy and went over well with the recipient.

[runningteach]

Love the art work and photos. Wow, there are a lot of talented ladies here. I love taking photos and love birds but have never thought of putting them together.

I enjoy knitting when I have the time. I use to quilt but get too frustrated because I am terrible at piecing the pieces together.

[Juliegoddess]

Wow, look at all the talent here! I'll add my two cents:

I'm a clothing designer for plus sizes...have begun to dabble in designing bikewear for plus sizes.

My small biz right now focuses on fiber art, my hand-dyed wool for spinning and felting, and also knitwear design. I also design hand-spun yarns for knitting, and hand-painted yarns for knitting.

Oh, and here's my work in progress on my version of the "cycling sock"...a blend of wool/bamboo/nylon that feels great in the cycling shoe:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4540097799_ecd09ecb78.jpg

I'm going to play around with different designs for the cuff at the ankle, and of course, COLORS!! (I love color!)

I also love beading with seed beads...the really teeny ones, and love doing Russian beading. Crocheted ropes with seed beads are my fave right now:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4540753270_cc81cba0e2.jpg

Now, if I try to do gardening, I tend to kill everything in sight. And cooking is a drag to me. But if it's fashion, I'm in!

[Flybye]

The picture pretty much sums it all up:

[TsPoet]

Oh, and here's my work in progress on my version of the "cycling sock"...a blend of wool/bamboo/nylon that feels great in the cycling shoe:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4540097799_ecd09ecb78.jpg


That sock is gorgeous, and the materials sound comfy.



The picture pretty much sums it all up:

Well, the smile certainly does.

[Juliegoddess]

I totally agree that your smile sums it up! I love this picture...makes me happy just looking at it! (grins!!)

[jp4995]

Reading
Knitting
Spinning (yarn)
Photography

[solobiker]

The picture pretty much sums it all up:

I love to fly fish too!!

[Flybye]

I love to fly fish too!!
I think we both live in the right parts of the country then!!
I look at all of the nice hand crafted things people make and think "why in the world would you want to sit still long enough?" :D

[footloose]

Too many hobbies and not enough time!

Besides bicycling, seakayaking and hiking/backpacking....

I have one acre of extensive gardens and a greenhouse.
I'm renovating the 1926 schoolhouse I live in, a multi-year undertaking.
I've been a very active motorcyclist for 25 years, traveling all over North America on long trips.
Then last summer I decided to get my pilots license. My life has become consumed with working on my license, flying, learning all I can and planning on how to buy a plane. One of my two motorcycles is for sale...

Good thing I bought a good road bike before I started this endeavour!

[Juliegoddess]

Wow, girl I thought i did a lot of stuff! Good for you! You remind me of "Rose" from the movie "Titanic", who was determined to live life to the fullest...good for you!

[jp4995]

Then last summer I decided to get my pilots license. My life has become consumed with working on my license, flying, learning all I can and planning on how to buy a plane. One of my two motorcycles is for sale...

Hello from a fellow aviator! I got all my licenses when I went to college (up to Commercial and Certified Flight Instructor). I'm not actively flying for a job right now- I have in the past though. My current job has me doing everything but flying (I work flight dispatch for a large cargo airline).

[samaram]

What a great painting of one of my favorite beautiful things. Keep up the good work! I paint too, and painting deep space is amazingly fun because of the fantastic colors and the fact that you are only limited by your imagination.

Other hobbies are:
Reading
Gardening (or rather, killing plants)
Hair
and trying to figure out crafty ways to reuse all my old bike flotsam. Inner tube belts, anyone?

[moderncyclista]

Hobbies other than cycling:


Graphic Design - Freelance
Painting
General Pencil Sketches of all sorts of stuff
Hiking
Guitar - (I wish I spent more time on this but occasionally I pluck happily away at it. :) )
Reading a good book
Coffee Afficionado
I'm sure there is other stuff...but I'm can't think of it at the moment.

[shootingstar]

I don't do anything on a regular basis to call it a hobby. However, if it can be called a hobby, I do volunteer work a lot.

I also like to create Excel spreadsheets. I can find almost any reason to create one. There is so much you can do with Excel. It is almost like writing a computer program.

You are a gem as a volunteer!
Though it's not his "hobby", my partner also likes to do stuff on Excel.
Which I don't quite understand except it must be related to organizing 'stuff' and documenting. I'm like that but with words and visuals because "blogging" is like organizing ideas and pics for a "story".

Juliegoddess:
Great knitting stuff you are doing. I have respect for anyone who does knitting, lacemaking, tatting, crotcheting regularily: how do you find patience to do something that takes a long time to finish the garment? ie. a sock. I'd rather "sew" a sock, for faster results. :o

I did knit briefly as an older teen for a few years but abandoned it for sewing and tailoring. (Of course I went through the macrameing, hand-embroidery stage as a teen too..)

[footloose]

Hello from a fellow aviator! I got all my licenses when I went to college (up to Commercial and Certified Flight Instructor). I'm not actively flying for a job right now- I have in the past though. My current job has me doing everything but flying (I work flight dispatch for a large cargo airline).

You get to fly though for fun don't you?! I hope so. :)

One of my flight instructors is a young woman, only 23...she's wonderful and has great patience and I appreciate being taught by a woman as I think sometimes we have a slightly different learning approach.

I'm so excited...today I called a woman about joining the Ninety-Nines and was invited to fly with her to the sectional meeting in Ottawa, Ont for a weekend in May! I can hardly wait! will be a great learning experience and they seem very active in mentoring other women student pilots.

Funny, one of the first things I thought about when I started learning to fly was that I would be able to stick my bike, broke down, into the cargo and fly someplace to do centuries etc. That and backpacking equipment. :D

[ColoKate]

Loooove the HH nebula!

I'm obsessed with food so I spend a lot of my time watching the Food Network, reading cooking blogs and cookbooks, googling recipes and emailing them to myself, making up menus for parties, shopping for kitchen gadgets and party supplies...I just think about food all day. I also love happy hour so I'm always looking for the newest and best happy hours. Love to play tennis, camp, boat/sail, hike, walk my three dogs, ride my three bikes, shop at thrift stores, play in my tiny garden, read, go to concerts and hockey games, tackle house reno projects with my husband and my favorite of all: winery and brewery hopping :)

[ColoKate]

And I learned to snowboard last year! Colorado has been good to me.

[GLC1968]

Wow, this thread makes me want to learn so many new things!

The artwork and photography shared here is goregous - and the cycling sock and that seed bead rope? AMAZING! Seriously, how long did that take you to make (the beads)? It's beautiful!

My list of hobbies varies from month to month.

gardening
goat tending
carpentry (a new one for me)
beading (it's been awhile since I've had time)
blogging
photography
canning/preserving/dehydrating
reading
soapmaking
hiking/backpacking/camping (again, not much time for this recently)
and sports (swimming, running, tennis, weight lifting, etc)


On the list to learn next:
fiber arts
auto shop - I've got a 1972 Super Beetle to rebuild in our garage
winemaking
beekeeping (this is my husband's thing but I need to learn)

I think I need to add "playing powerball" to my list so that I can win, quit my job and have more time for hobbies! :p