This Killing Time is Killing Me
An excess of time has led me to realise that I need to pick up a new hobby.
I fence, I ride, I drink, I read books, I shoot things, I watch a lot of films, I fling arrows, I hit my mates in fields and I spend a weekend a month down in Toon at school but they all require either other people being present or being in specific places at specific times. However my new work will mainly be nights and other odd shifts so I shall be out of synch with folk and, more importantly, increasing the hobbies I have already will increase expenditure, which will have to be very finely monitored and budgeted until the end of this first year of school. I also want something with a tangible end product as it shows a day put to some sort of valid use.
A few thoughts on the practical stuff I used to do-
I can paint miniatures well- however it is expensive and I don’t wargame at all these days so ultimately futile (but if folk reading this do game and want me to paint their forces I can do that if you provide the bits).
I can fletch but others can bang out more arrows for a lot less than I can due to volume and having a constant setup to ease production. It also makes a lot of mess to cut self-nocks.
I can do leatherwork, handsewing and making but the reenactment kit I use these days is highly specialised and I leave it up to profesionals to do far better than I ever could and have nothing small and simple I need to make. I used to bang out odds-and-sods for the fetish folk but this seems to have dried up and the last lot of collars I made never sold.
Mail is out since it is now all supplied by a factory in Delhi for far less than I can buy the raw materials from. Riveting mail is right out due to mess, a need to be constantly set up and noise (oh- and the tedium).
Ideally I want something that can be cleaned up quickly and contained in one box, doesn't need too much new equipment, maybe summat I can trade the end result with other people or sell to fund events, can be done in front of the telly if need be and done at odd hours when other folk are asleep (that takes out musical instruments in the main).
Any other ideas? I can forsee a lot knitting otherwise...
BTW I am free during the week of 28th-1st during the day, except thursday morning, with nothing to do as my essay is done and work starts the following Monday so if you want me to clean owt, lift heavy things, paint anything, drink your tea or anything else you can think of then I am at your service- will work for cake and conversation.