Trying a new thing challenge. Join me!

Readers, I’ve been remiss! I did a post a while ago about wanting to do a thing where we all tried to learn a new skill and blogged about it, and then I got my cold and forgot. Anyway I’ve remembered, I’ve got a Mr Linky (bottom of the post) and I thought, if anyone wanted to have a go, you could blog and leave me a link and I’ll do a round up in a fortnight or so.

It can be small or large, a technique, a whole new skill, a recipe, anything. I was thinking of the kind of things you’ve always wanted to try, but something’s stopped you quite getting round to it: fear of failure or something like that. If that’s the case, then I’m officially giving you absolution. Yes I am! I’m afraid I can’t give you absolution if you’ve murdered someone/ given a pussycat a lion cut or something else terrible, but, if you’re wanting to, for example, try and make soap but you’re worried you’ll spend a lot of money on lye and oils and whatnot and then it won’t work, well, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t matter, the only way you can fail is by not trying, it’s all good practice and when in three years’ time you’re rivalling Lush you can look back on your first attempt with a wry smile and affection. Take the plunge! Blog posts detailing abject failure, fury, and drinking Bacardi Breezers to get over the whole affair are just as welcome as ones where it all goes perfectly and you get a new skill out of it.

I think in general it's supposed to be thinner

What am I going to do, you ask. Well, I thought I might have a go at spinning. I have had a very brief trial run and I was rubbish, so I am going to have another go and I will tell you about it when I have got more to tell (rather than ‘God what a strange thing to do, how does everybody ever manage this???’) which is where I am at the moment. Is that everybody’s initial thought when they try something new? And I am going to have another go at playing my guitar,

It took me 45 minutes to upload this. Sometimes I think I will crack and buy a new computer

Because I can play just the two songs and beyond that I fail. I sometimes wonder if I should get a different guitar book rather than Russ Shipton, as he seems to feel that the prospect of being able to play Hey Jude ought to be an incentive to me. It isn’t. I don’t want to play Hey Jude and actually I don’t want anybody else to play it either, I think they should all stop.

What is it that stops you trying something new? I mean, I think we can probably all agree that Hey Jude ought to put anyone off (oh go on, I know everyone else in the world loves it), but generally what stops me is perfectionism. I am a mad perfectionist and I feel I ought to do things absolutely perfectly on my very first try: I don’t like having to learn things. I somehow subconsciously feel it is wrong. Rachel had a Voltaire quote on her blog about the best being the enemy of the good and I thought this was very true, although in my case if I am not careful the best is the enemy of me actually getting off my bum and doing anything at all. It also puts me off things when I feel I am going to have to spend a lot on materials to start with, and this is why I get so narky with craft books which tell you to only use the best materials, because I feel that can put people off starting (although to be fair perhaps it encourages some people? All very confusing). Anyway, whatever it is that is stopping you doing something you have always fancied, here is your challenge: suck it and see, then put your post on my Mr Linky so others can either learn or be impressed. As for me, if I can conquer the spinning/ guitar fear I will be a short-term happy bunny. I don’t think there’s anything else I’m eyeing up at the moment. No, I’m pretty sure my conscience is clear and I’m not going to need to go buying equipment or forcing my cockeyed creations on loved ones or boring on about technique or anything like that. Honestly.

No special equipment necessary! Watch out Manolo!

Bugger.

Sing a new song, chiquitita

OK, my idea. While I was in Edinburgh, there were riots in Bristol about a new Tesco that was being opened. Anyway, this got me thinking about the nature of activism, different versions of activism, etc, and I was thinking that, quite a major and almost revolutionary-type-thing which has come out of the internet is that we are all able to share knowledge and skills and learn to do things which it would otherwise have been difficult to learn.

Laughing about a different sausage incident (yes really) in John Lewis in Edinburgh

For example, I was just now looking at a tutorial on broomstick lace – without the internet I can guarantee I would never have heard about broomstick lace, let alone be eyeing up my Giant Ball Of Aran and thinking, do I want a bright red broomstick lace scarf. And I have learned so many things with advice from people and tutorials on the internet which I would never have felt brave enough to do on my own. For example, making soap – I used to be really put off potentially scary things such as this, because I was never sure if I could trust the book I was using or not (and I was right to be cautious, frankly. I read a book today which said you could make soap by using a certain weight of ‘any oils’ + a certain weight of lye. NO YOU CAN’T! Different oils need different amounts of lye! Use a proper recipe until you know what you’re doing. Soap isn’t pastry!). I just find it really encouraging when I see real people making things and sharing their thoughts about the process, what went right, what went wrong, and seeing the results. I think more knowledge of what goes into the process of making things is good because it reconnects us, and when we are disconnected all sorts of things go wrong. Sweatshops, overconsumption, not valuing things, stuff like that, you know the drill ;-). Also, handmade things are better. Aren’t they?

Soap from the lovely Vivianne of Kismet's Companion, handmade and highly recommended. There is a link to her shop on her blog

So this was my idea. I have a mental list of things that I would like to try to make that I either haven’t got round to or have felt a bit intimidated by. I suspect some people reading this have got the same. So I thought we could name a week and make them at some point over that week, and blog about it. I could set up a Mr Linky at the beginning of the week, and anyone who wanted to use it to expand their skills/ have a go at something they’d been meaning to do for a while could do it, blog about it at some point during the week, and link their blog and we could have a look and admire (or learn and commiserate). It could be anything, anything you want to make, I’m entirely equal opportunities: a thing, or a skill, just something that you could reasonably do (or at least get started) in a week.

What thrilling new skills might be around the corner? This cat jumped out and terrified me, I think it is accomplished enough

There are lots of silly things that put me off the things I want to do: getting organised, fear of cocking it up, fear of wasting materials etc, so, if you are the same, I officially give you absolution. It doesn’t matter how much you bugger it up! Do it, blog about it, we can all learn from the process, and if what you learn is ‘God, this was a lot of trouble and in future I’ll just buy them from Waitrose’ well, then that’s useful to know (and we might agree). I’ve not decided yet what I might do but, here are some of the things I’m thinking about so you can see the kind of thing I mean:

Making fudge with a sugar thermometer
Making sourdough bread
Learning stranded colourwork
Learning to spin
Making liquid soap (possibly a bit too scary)
Making jam
Dyeing yarn
Planting salad leaves
And I’m sure there are lots more that I’ll think of!

I was thinking possibly the first week in June, which would give us enough time to order bits of equipment from the internet if we needed to (I’m not thinking of you spending a fortune on equipment, but you might need bits if it’s something you’ve not done before).

I thought it might be fun. Certainly I need a boot up the backside to make me brave enough to use my sugar thermometer. What do you think? Is anyone else in?

{Waits anxiously ;-) }.