"Old skills" I use regularly

[untonuggan]

Playing a bit off of a buzzfeed post and subsequent thoughts by ysabetwordsmith, here are some "old skills" I use on a regular basis. For the purposes of having a definition, I'm defining "old skills" somewhat arbitrarily as skills that are not used much by the mainstream population anymore because new technology has made them less necessary to basic existence.

So, I regularly...

1. Write letters with pen and paper. Though I print the letters rather than use cursive most of the time because I find it easier.
2. Hand-spin yarn, on a drop spindle no less. Since this became "less efficient" according to some with the invention of the spinning wheel in the Middle Ages, I would say this is definitely an "old skill."
3. Hand-dye natural fibers such as wool and silk. Sometimes I use natural dyes, such as berries and spices. Sometimes I use modern acid dyes. It really depends. However, I would say this is a skill that most people don't practice regularly - choosing the color of their clothes based on the base material they're going to use to make said clothes.
4. Knitting. Knitting has never really gone away, in my opinion, and there are certainly *plenty* of knitting groups in my area. However, I still get plenty of questions about "why would you make a hat when you can buy one at WalMart for $1" or "doesn't that take a lot of time"?
5. Baking from scratch. Still not an obsolete skill, but given the omnipresence of readily prepared baked goods or baked good mixes, one that is used less frequently by, say, households with two working-outside-the-home adults and children to take care of. Saves money (in that the food I make is cheaper than food of comparable quality), and I control what goes into what I'm making.
6. Hand-wash clothing. I don't do this for all my clothes, but certainly some of my handknit clothes get the hand wash treatment.
7. Repair things rather than replace them with something new, except for in cases of say, new technology which is designed not to be repairable.

I say this not because doing these things makes me better than anyone else. I know what it's like to have low spoons, and certainly when I have lower spoons certain of these things just drop of the list (which makes me sad). It's just interesting, to see what skill set (at the present time) I am preserving for future generations.

Comments

[rainbow]

i had to relearn writing after my brain injuries and spent quite a lot of time making it legible. i love hand writing, although i still can't write very much at once.

i dye yarn, felt (wet, needle, and fulling), knit, and crochet. i want to learn weaving. once upon a time i had my mother's small loom, but i think it got lost in our move :(

love baking and cooking from scratch...which is fortunate since with all my allergies plus celiac and other sensitivities, i really must.

love preserving foods: dehydrating, pickling, fermenting, freezing, making things like applesauce and jams <3

i started sewing in my teens for costuming and made all my clothes when i was younger. my grandmother taught me (she was very tall and slim and had to sew her clothes if she wanted stylish things that fit in fabrics she loved).

i used to make candles, back in the 70s and 80s, and loved it, especially sand candles, water candles, and dip tapers <3

i have 2 drop spindles and my mother's old carding combs, but still haven't managed the dexterity to spin. i try it once every could years.

love this topic!

[geeksdoitbetter]

hooray for weaving!

[untonuggan]

hooray for all of this! :D

[barrelofrain]

I've had this open in a tab for ages because I wanted to chat about it with you and didn't have the time/brains, haha!

I also send snail mail and write in cursive (Catholic school!).

I've just started to learn to knit, and I am learning more about repairing items (both clothing and other stuff).

I bake from scratch and cook from scratch whenever spoons allow.

I grow my own vegetables.

I know how to can jam.

I know how to cook over a fire.

I think that "basic first aid" might count on this list.

And I'm hoping to learn to make cheese or yogurt or butter this year (it's on my 30 before 30 list).

I'd also love to learn more about wild foraging.