Hobbies- old fashioned

[Tundra]

I thought this thread could be a useful resource for members.

Are you trying to think of hobbies and pastimes for your fantasy/historical characters? (or for modern characters if they're non electronic etc). In this thread, list as many as you can think of! Try not to double up, and it can include males, females, rich or poor!

walking
cross stitch
tapestry
writing poetry
writing letters
writing a diary
writing plays
music


continue!

[Aquamonet]

if you're going for the rich,

archery,
fencing,

children:

climbing trees,
hide and seek,
dens

[Tundra]

croquet
marbles
skipping
hopscotch (though that was invented surprisingly late)
dolls
puppet theatres
chess

[AXJ]

horse racing / steeplechase
polo
hunting
cricket

[Not Indigo]

I'm mostly listing off of stuff they did in Laura Ingalls Wilder. :D

Weaving
Drawing (like the creepy dead girl in Huck Finn?)
Embroidery
Sewing
Braiding rag-rugs
Playing a musical instrument, like fiddle, piano, harpsichord, or organ
Picking flowers
Working in the garden (not necessarily a hobby so much as necessary to eat!)
Playing Blind Man's Bluff
Dime socials
Church meetings
Quilting
The stick and hoop game

[limegreen19]

sketching
painting
dancing
playing various ancient instruments

hmm...I think every thing else has been mentioned.

[pineappleviolet]

making valentines (hey, those were homemade then!)
carving/whittling
fishing
pressing flowers
spinning/carding/all of that
knitting and crocheting
making lace
cooking and baking
making jewelry
making candy
gossip :wink:

Pretty much everything else has been mentioned.

[Maulden]

writing poetry
writing letters
writing a diary
writing plays

What about writing novels? :wink:

And arguing over politics is an activity that's been popular for ages. :mrgreen:

[jomaca]

Building or carpentry
Destroying things? ( :wink: )
Composing music
Using magic to change the colour of trees or other things (living or non-living)
Daydreaming
Walking in parks, forests, hilly areas...

[Maulden]

Using magic to change the colour of trees or other things (living or non-living)

Since we're bringing fantasy into this, I think making wacky potions might also be an interesting hobby.

Just be careful your hair doesn't get greasy from potion fumes. :P

[Orion283]

I usually have 'em take up some kinda musical instrument or some manner of crafting skill.

[Maulden]

Attending plays, operas, and concerts is good too. :P

[Tundra]

billiards!
cardmaking

[jomaca]

Dress designing, knitting...

[Maulden]

Costume parties and masquerades! :mrgreen:

[Tundra]

cooking, baking, preserving?
I guess you could have those as hobbies, especially if there are competitions, or if there is pride in presentation.

[Tundra]

bumping this up!

[lethallylovely]

Parlour games :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlour_game

[MichaelB]

Tenez!

In the 13th centrury in england and france and other medieval-type countries, the sport Tenez greww wildly in popularity.
Named for the server's cry of "tenez!" which means 'recieve it', the game consisted of a small handball being bounced against a wall, somewhat like squash without raquets.

Source: "Timeline" by Michael Crichton.

[Periwinkle]

Weaving! I just bought a book from a charity shop, entitled 'Weaving and other pleasant occupations'. It's rather amusing.