Got Hobbies?

[chillywilly2]

Thanks Reci

 

[Recidiva]

hi reci

so many hobbies, but i rarely get time to do them which means the knitting and embroidery have been years, and the water colours i just broke out a couple of months ago after years but dabbled only for a day, haven't sewn any costumes for about 5 years (one needing to made shortly, though).

gardening has become a case of upkeep rather than the creativity i prefer (building ponds/making or changing soil levels n beds, that kind of thing) but after seriously cutting back the buddleia and elderberry out the back and tying branches in last year, this year i have a respectably solid archway leading onto the garden, which needs tidying again to uncover some of the crazy paving and newer beds from last year.

where i work full-time, the main hobbies i get to indulge in are reading (all sorts), and writing and critiquing others' poetry. i'd love the time and kind of kitchen to play around with cookery more as well.

pretty much i like making things, but spend most my time at work or asleep!

I know how to knit, but it's funny, I never wanted to pattern knitting. So on pretty much...every chair in the house, is just a long knit one side, purl the other side blanket that I made.

I love bamboo needles and bamboo yarn and if I have too many blankets (which I do) at times I just knit, tear it all apart, start over, just for the feel of doing it.

 

[Recidiva]

Thanks Reci

I'm so impressed, thank you!

 

[oggbashan]

Definitely preserve anonymity. Thank you for answering!

For an American, a Boot Fair sounds funny. I assume it's not boots, is it supposed to be the trunks of cars, that sort of informal? We have Flea Markets...no fleas.

The term Boot Fair covers a whole range of events from the small local one to massive two or three day events.

The local Rotary Club one is at the smaller end. We have about fifty vehicles ranging from small family cars to large SUVs. The stall holders usually have one or two wallpaper pasting tables or a stronger equivalent, and items on the ground. They pay a fee - £10 - to the Rotary Club, who have obtained a licence from the local Council to hold the event. Usually that licence would be for a fee, but because the Rotary Club's proceeds go to local charities, the Council doesn't ask for payment. (Every year I have to go to a Council Committee meeting to add my support to the Rotary Club's request. As Chairman of the Friends of the Park, and in other capacities, my support is useful but not essential.)

The Rotary Club has a few guidelines: No traders; no catering vehicles; no large vans; no brand-new goods. But part-time local traders are usually accepted and some market stall items slip by as long as most of the stallholder's stock is secondhand.

A couple of stalls are run by local charities for example the local Hospice. Their stall is stocked with items that have remained unsold in their charity shops for too long and by the end of the morning they reduce their prices to pence e.g. items of clothing for 20 pence or even 10 pence. They reject for recycling any donated clothing that isn't in very good condition, so the 20 or 10 pence clothes are a real bargain.

Other Boot Fairs can be very commercial and massive. A few miles away there is a large Boot Fair about six times a year. They have up to 500 stalls, but allow traders and selected food outlets.

Some Boot Fairs are run in conjunction with other events such as Traction Engine Rallies or Classic Car events. I heard of one such Boot Fair about 50 miles away that had several miles of stalls! You need stamina and a keen eye to spot bargains at an event that large.

Apart from our Rotary Club Boot Fair, there is a commercial one run a couple of miles away on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and within a ten mile radius there must be twenty to thirty Boot Fairs every week, mainly on Sunday mornings.

A couple of weeks ago a nearby town had what they described as "A Travelling Boot Fair". Householders had simultaneous yard sales throughout the town, paying a small fee to the charity organising the event. The charity produced maps of all the yard sale locations and provided advertising around the town and in social media. I think (I didn't go because I was looking after grandchildren) there were about seventy yard sales that weekend.

 

[Recidiva]

The term Boot Fair covers a whole range of events from the small local one to massive two or three day events.

The local Rotary Club one is at the smaller end. We have about fifty vehicles ranging from small family cars to large SUVs. The stall holders usually have one or two wallpaper pasting tables or a stronger equivalent, and items on the ground. They pay a fee - £10 - to the Rotary Club, who have obtained a licence from the local Council to hold the event. Usually that licence would be for a fee, but because the Rotary Club's proceeds go to local charities, the Council doesn't ask for payment. (Every year I have to go to a Council Committee meeting to add my support to the Rotary Club's request. As Chairman of the Friends of the Park, and in other capacities, my support is useful but not essential.)

The Rotary Club has a few guidelines: No traders; no catering vehicles; no large vans; no brand-new goods. But part-time local traders are usually accepted and some market stall items slip by as long as most of the stallholder's stock is secondhand.

A couple of stalls are run by local charities for example the local Hospice. Their stall is stocked with items that have remained unsold in their charity shops for too long and by the end of the morning they reduce their prices to pence e.g. items of clothing for 20 pence or even 10 pence. They reject for recycling any donated clothing that isn't in very good condition, so the 20 or 10 pence clothes are a real bargain.

Other Boot Fairs can be very commercial and massive. A few miles away there is a large Boot Fair about six times a year. They have up to 500 stalls, but allow traders and selected food outlets.

Some Boot Fairs are run in conjunction with other events such as Traction Engine Rallies or Classic Car events. I heard of one such Boot Fair about 50 miles away that had several miles of stalls! You need stamina and a keen eye to spot bargains at an event that large.

Apart from our Rotary Club Boot Fair, there is a commercial one run a couple of miles away on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and within a ten mile radius there must be twenty to thirty Boot Fairs every week, mainly on Sunday mornings.

A couple of weeks ago a nearby town had what they described as "A Travelling Boot Fair". Householders had simultaneous yard sales throughout the town, paying a small fee to the charity organising the event. The charity produced maps of all the yard sale locations and provided advertising around the town and in social media. I think (I didn't go because I was looking after grandchildren) there were about seventy yard sales that weekend.

What is a traction engine rally?

 

[butters]

I know how to knit, but it's funny, I never wanted to pattern knitting. So on pretty much...every chair in the house, is just a long knit one side, purl the other side blanket that I made.

I love bamboo needles and bamboo yarn and if I have too many blankets (which I do) at times I just knit, tear it all apart, start over, just for the feel of doing it.

knitting, crochet, rug making, macramé, done them all over the years, but never got around to lace making. it looks all complex and shit never tried bamboo yarn or needles, but i once made a mean plaited straw basket

right now i'm working my way through a bumper book of crosswords

 

[oggbashan]

What is a traction engine rally?

Traction Engine Rallies are gatherings of Steam-powered agricultural machines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvJZxyEsTNQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS8mqqhJrM4

 

[Recidiva]

knitting, crochet, rug making, macramé, done them all over the years, but never got around to lace making. it looks all complex and shit never tried bamboo yarn or needles, but i once made a mean plaited straw basket

right now i'm working my way through a bumper book of crosswords

My dad and mom made everything they could, from gardening to sewing. Any craft that was useful was probably taught to me at some point. I have a ton of materials that I have (dubbed Craft Hell as opposed to Ulaven's Electronics Hell) to make lots of stuff, from jewelry to...yes, I have little baskets around the house from pine needles in the back yard. I've done loads of cross stitch. Once for Christmas I chose a favorite flower for every woman in the family, and had everyone at Christmas put in a few final stitches before I gave them away so everyone had some input. My brother said "This is fucking crazy, who would sit and do this..." "It's one stitch, man..." *growling*

Do you have pictures?

 

[Recidiva]

Traction Engine Rallies are gatherings of Steam-powered agricultural machines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvJZxyEsTNQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS8mqqhJrM4

That is pretty wild. Never seen anything like it. Steampunk heaven.

 

[M. Jordan]

I'm not traditionally a hobby guy but, I have acquired a couple of vintage motorcycles to restore (much cheaper than cars) and I plan to do more of that soon as work allows. Plus, I love riding the damn things.

 

[Recidiva]

I'm not traditionally a hobby guy but, I have acquired a couple of vintage motorcycles to restore (much cheaper than cars) and I plan to do more of that soon as work allows. Plus, I love riding the damn things.

What kind of motorcycles? My husband has had a few. Right now he's got a monster, room for two.

 

[oggbashan]

That is pretty wild. Never seen anything like it. Steampunk heaven.

Expensive Steampunk.

A fully operational Traction Engine with a current steam safety certificate might sell for £100,000.

 

[Recidiva]

Expensive Steampunk.

A fully operational Traction Engine with a current steam safety certificate might sell for £100,000.

I'm not sure if I'm ignorant of American steam engines like that or if we just don't have them.

 

[M. Jordan]

What kind of motorcycles? My husband has had a few. Right now he's got a monster, room for two.

a 1968 Triumph and a 1971 Sportster. Old school and cranky. Some day in future I hope to add a modern machine.

 

[oggbashan]

I'm not sure if I'm ignorant of American steam engines like that or if we just don't have them.

You did have them, mainly imported from the UK, but they were made obsolete by the Fordson tractor which did the same job much more effectively and cheaply.

The British Traction Engine manufacturers exported them all over the world from the 1840s to 1914. Now enthusiasts are touring the world finding them and bringing them back to restore. One local has 150 Engines in his private collection but has set up a workshop to restore his own and other people's Traction Engines. The mechanics have enough work for several generations.

One of my wife's ancestors in the 1870s was recorded as being a Traction Engine driver. That was a highly skilled and well paid job in Victorian England. Later he moved indoors, running steam engines for a water company.

Every summer there are dozens of steam events throughout England.

This is a waterworks Steam Museum in London:

http://www.waterandsteam.org.uk/

And a link to their smaller pumping engine:

http://www.waterandsteam.org.uk/our-engines/90-inch-engine

In action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGoQQCM4SMU

 

[Recidiva]

a 1968 Triumph and a 1971 Sportster. Old school and cranky. Some day in future I hope to add a modern machine.

The Triumph looks pretty straightforward, I see a ton of mods on the Sportster in pictures.

 

[Recidiva]

You did have them, mainly imported from the UK, but they were made obsolete by the Fordson tractor which did the same job much more effectively and cheaply.

The British Traction Engine manufacturers exported them all over the world from the 1840s to 1914. Now enthusiasts are touring the world finding them and bringing them back to restore. One local has 150 Engines in his private collection but has set up a workshop to restore his own and other people's Traction Engines. The mechanics have enough work for several generations.

One of my wife's ancestors in the 1870s was recorded as being a Traction Engine driver. That was a highly skilled and well paid job in Victorian England. Later he moved indoors, running steam engines for a water company.

Every summer there are dozens of steam events throughout England.

This is a waterworks Steam Museum in London:

http://www.waterandsteam.org.uk/

And a link to their smaller pumping engine:

http://www.waterandsteam.org.uk/our-engines/90-inch-engine

In action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGoQQCM4SMU

Are any of these still in use in any sort of modern setting for industry?

Or has it entirely gone the way of horse and carriage other than as pageantry?

 

[butters]

My dad and mom made everything they could, from gardening to sewing. Any craft that was useful was probably taught to me at some point. I have a ton of materials that I have (dubbed Craft Hell as opposed to Ulaven's Electronics Hell) to make lots of stuff, from jewelry to...yes, I have little baskets around the house from pine needles in the back yard. I've done loads of cross stitch. Once for Christmas I chose a favorite flower for every woman in the family, and had everyone at Christmas put in a few final stitches before I gave them away so everyone had some input. My brother said "This is fucking crazy, who would sit and do this..." "It's one stitch, man..." *growling*

Do you have pictures?

craft hell v electronics hell? i'll take the former any day

yeah, i grew up with making stuff, and watching then helping mum decorate and garden, and have made everything from a tutu to the headlining for a car's interior (on my mum's old sit-at sewing machine) when my first boyfriend/husband was into badly customising cars. electronics scare me.

never bothered taking pictures of anything other than the decorating and some gardening. i'll see what i can find - oh, i like taking photos on my phone, too, of parks and seaside and stuff.

 

[Liar]

chillywilly2 is talented...reposted with his permission:

Damn, and I feel good about my skillz when I manage to master a flat pack...

 

[oggbashan]

Are any of these still in use in any sort of modern setting for industry?

Or has it entirely gone the way of horse and carriage other than as pageantry?

Some were still in use in the 1970s and 1980s but most have now been turned into museum exhibits because they were far less economical than electric power.

Years ago, in the 1980s, at a large industrial site in Birmingham they had a steam powered generator to provide electricity to the works when the electricial supply from the National Grid was interrupted. They had massive battery rooms that could supply power for the first half hour and no power cut had been longer than a few minutes for a decade. The steam powered generator was supposed to be ready to supply electricity within twenty minutes from being cold.

A new site manager was appointed, having been a site manager at another slightly smaller site. His deputy introduced the engine driver who showed off the gleaming brasswork and paint of the steam generator and said "Within 20 minutes it could supply electricity..."

The new manager said: "OK. Prove it. Now! I want it generating electricity within 20 minutes but I'll be generous. You have half an hour."

Half an hour later there was no electricity. They had steam pressure at the boiler but all the joints and glands had dried out. Steam was escaping everywhere. The new manager had proved his point.

Three months later the steam engine's joints and glands had been renewed and yes, within 20 minutes or perhaps 25 minutes, electricity could be produced. But not enough. Since 1910 when the generator was installed the site's demand for electricity had trebled.

The steam generator was moved to a local steam museum who accepted a perfectly restored engine with joy. It was replaced by a diesel powered generator of a quarter of the size that produced ten times the electricity at a quarter of the cost - and could start within 15 seconds. The massive batteries could go too.

 

[Liar]

But you can say you're in a band!

And that's what really matters.

 

[Recidiva]

craft hell v electronics hell? i'll take the former any day

yeah, i grew up with making stuff, and watching then helping mum decorate and garden, and have made everything from a tutu to the headlining for a car's interior (on my mum's old sit-at sewing machine) when my first boyfriend/husband was into badly customising cars. electronics scare me.

never bothered taking pictures of anything other than the decorating and some gardening. i'll see what i can find - oh, i like taking photos on my phone, too, of parks and seaside and stuff.

It is very nice to have that skill as an adult, having had parents that wanted to do everything themselves. Want to learn to make cheese? You can do that. Want to learn to do anything you want to do? You can do that.

 

[Recidiva]

Some were still in use in the 1970s and 1980s but most have now been turned into museum exhibits because they were far less economical than electric power.

Years ago, in the 1980s, at a large industrial site in Birmingham they had a steam powered generator to provide electricity to the works when the electricial supply from the National Grid was interrupted. They had massive battery rooms that could supply power for the first half hour and no power cut had been longer than a few minutes for a decade. The steam powered generator was supposed to be ready to supply electricity within twenty minutes from being cold.

A new site manager was appointed, having been a site manager at another slightly smaller site. His deputy introduced the engine driver who showed off the gleaming brasswork and paint of the steam generator and said "Within 20 minutes it could supply electricity..."

The new manager said: "OK. Prove it. Now! I want it generating electricity within 20 minutes but I'll be generous. You have half an hour."

Half an hour later there was no electricity. They had steam pressure at the boiler but all the joints and glands had dried out. Steam was escaping everywhere. The new manager had proved his point.

Three months later the steam engine's joints and glands had been renewed and yes, within 20 minutes or perhaps 25 minutes, electricity could be produced. But not enough. Since 1910 when the generator was installed the site's demand for electricity had trebled.

The steam generator was moved to a local steam museum who accepted a perfectly restored engine with joy. It was replaced by a diesel powered generator of a quarter of the size that produced ten times the electricity at a quarter of the cost - and could start within 15 seconds. The massive batteries could go too.

I really want that museum to be powered by steam...but the moral of the story is...no, probably not.

 

[Recidiva]

Damn, and I feel good about my skillz when I manage to master a flat pack...

I was proud of learning how to make a perfect omelet. Not so much now.

 

[chillywilly2]

And that's what really matters.

Yup, instead of just being "with" the band, you're "IN" the band...yeah groupies