There's a fine line between a hobby and an obsession.
Am I the only person who has ever started a small project and had it grow until it began to consume all of your time and space? For example, once upon a time my youngest sister invited me to a party where rubber stamps and other craft supplies were offered. We made some cute greeting cards and of course I bought a few supplies so that my sister could get free stuff. Then I decided to make Halloween cards, so I had to go to Michael's to buy more supplies, and then I discovered Archiver's in Niles and now I have enough stuff to open my own shop. However, I don't make that many cards because I have so many paper crafting supplies stashed in boxes that I can't find what I need to make a simple thank you note!
Knitting? Don't get me started. What began as an innocent project, to give me something to keep my hands busy while watching mindless television, has ballooned into bags full of yarn and rarely used "accessories" that looked so great in the store. My husband, sisters, nieces, and even the brother-in-laws know that they're going to get a scarf each year. (I tell them I don't care what they do with it, just take it!) Even my cat has a scarf. (It's just a little wider so that he can actually lay on it.)
Gardening? Okay, I really don't want to go there.
Hobbies and crafts are so popular that they are now covered in what I like to call "niche" mysteries. The titles below are just a small sample of the many mysteries available that feature hobbies, sometimes known as obsessions.
Corpus de Crossword - Nero Blanc (crossword puzzles)
Invitation to Murder - Elizabeth Bright (card-making)
Bound for Murder - Laura Childs (scrapbooking)
The Cracked Pot - Melissa Glazer (ceramics)
Death by Cashmere - Sally Goldenbaum (knitting)
The Unkindest Cut - Honor Hartman (bridge games)
Hooked on Murder - Betty Hechtman (crocheting)
Sinister Sudoku - Kaye Morgan (sudoku puzzles)
A Pour Way to Dye - Tim Myers (soapmaking)
At Wick's End - Tim Myers (candlemaking)
Stamped Out - Terri Thayer (rubber stamping)
Wild Goose Chase - Terri Thayer (quilting)
Weeding Out Trouble - Heather S. Webber (gardening)
So what's your obsessive hobby? And don't try to tell me you don't have at least one.
Linda Knorr - Readers' Services
5 comments:
Linda: I can relate to your boxes of supplies and stash of yarn and then not being able to find what you need when you want to make something.
Thanks for mentioned my book Hooked on Murder in your list.
Linda -- are there any mysteries about blogging? :) Or Googling? I remember surfing the Internet for the first time and wondering if anything would ever come of it, and now it's a full-time job + obsession for me and countless others.
You would not want to see my attempts at crafting, however. I think the frog costume I made for John L. is my crowning achievement.
Hobby, obsession, or HEAP. Mommy really keeps all her paper, scissors, pens, and yarn, knitting needles, and more in my room. MY room is a mess. Also, I have to share it with the piano—thank goodness she doesn’t play it––or the banjo or the guitar anymore. Half the room is full of books, mostly mysteries; that’s another obsession. However, the garden is pretty and colorful and the birds and squirrels play in it; and I watch them from my window seat. Also, the scarf is so soft to sit on and I get a new one every year. She can keep her hobbies; I just close my eyes and take a nap. ~ Toozer.
Hmmmmm,I loved doing crafts as a kid, but haven't really continued into adulthood. Hobbies, hobbies. . . . does reading count? Or theater-going?
Knitting is a hobby for me, but yarn is definitely an obsession! For me, it's all about the yarn.
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