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Jan. 1, 2001
National Hobby Month
By Kim Carter
January tends to be a great time of year for new beginnings - or continuations. Because January is also National Hobby Month, perhaps you'll choose to take up or revitalize a hobby. Hobbies abound - from collecting anything collectable to crafts and gaming and activities. The sites below provide an astounding array of information for virtually every hobby you can think of!
PLACES TO START
Hobby World
Read interviews with hobbyists, ranging from a dwarf fruit tree grower to a model railroad enthusiast and a fossil hunter. Start a new hobby by visiting the "Beginner's Corner" where "week-end hobbies" such as making a corkboard from used wine corks or making a dreamcatcher are explained. Links to hobby sites are available also, including aerobics to water-skiing, antiques to wine, and amateur radio to stamp collecting.
NetGuide's Hobbies & Leisure Guide
You'll find much more than a collection of links here! From baseball songs and poetry to tips on how to buy, sell, swap, appraise, and show off your collection online, the articles featured here will whet your appetite, fire up your enthusiasm and increase your know-how whether you're a beginner or a long-term buff!
The Canadian, Eh? Net Directory site for Crafts and Hobbies
Forty eight categories include such delights as Quilts and Treasure Hunters at this "showcase of Canada's best family-safe Web sites." Choose a category to find links to a variety of Canadian artisans', suppliers' and how-to Web sites.
COLLECTOR'S ITEMS
Rockhounds Information Page
Developed by the members of the Rockhounds Mailing List, this page will provide you with almost everything you could ever want to know about rock collecting. Join the list yourself, search the archives, check out the FAQs (frequently asked questions), or browse the image gallery, earth science information pages, and personal home pages of other collectors.
Baseball Cards, 1887-1914
Another one of the Library of Congress's American Memory collections, this one presents 2,100 early baseball cards dating from 1887 to 1914. You can search by keyword, or browse player, team, league, city, or card set. You'll find such notables as Ty Cobb stealing third base for Detroit and Cy Young in his Cleveland uniform.
Baseball Cards
Steve Peltz, an instructional technologist at West Valley Community College, California, offers up a persona presentation of the history of baseball as represented in card sets from 1887 through 1958. While you only see one or two cards from each set, the history and anecdotes are impressive.
The Coin Site
Interested in numismatics, the collecting of coins? Check this site out for images of world-class coins, FAQs (frequently asked questions) about coins and paper money, and articles about numismatics. Take the Coin Doc's quizzes, ask the DOC a question, look up values for common U.S. coins and paper money or investigate the history of U.S. coins. If that's not enough for you, use the site's numismatic Web search engine or browse the rich variety of links for organizations, mints, research materials, and general information about coins and paper money.
THE ARTISTRY OF CRAFTS
Quilts and Quiltmaking in America, 1978-1996
If quiltmaking is your favorite pasttime, then you'll get lost in this showcase of America's quiltmaking traditions from the American Folklife Center. Study the photograph collection of quilts, including the Lands' End All-American Quilt Contest winners from across the United States. Listen to recorded interviews with Appalachian quiltmakers or just browse the myriad entries in the Quiltmakers and Subjects Indexes.
Stained Glass by Marcia J. Oddi
You'll find a phenomenal amount of information about working with stained glass, whether you're brand new or a seasoned craftsperson. Start with the spotlight article of the week or jump right to the how-to's, hints and tips and free patterns. Beginners will find detailed instructions, complete with sound files playing the sound of a proper cut. Find out how to work with beveled glass, restore old stained glass windows or follow step-by-step tutorials for a Tiffany-style lamp. If you're looking to connect with other stained glass craftspeople, you'll find information about associations, classes, magazines, and retailers. History, inspiration from the masters, the background science, a showcase gallery - it's all here, just waiting for you!
POTPOURRI
The USGenWeb Project
Developed by volunteers, this non-commercial Web site is dedicated to providing Internet Web sites for genealogical research for every county and state in the United States. Don't miss the "Help for Researchers" page! Learn invaluable information, including launching your research, learning Genealogy Vocabulary, navigating the Census and Immigration Records, using maps as a genealogical tool, and writing and using queries effectively!
Railroad Modeling Workshop
Another individual's Web site, the Workshop is an incredibly comprehensive introduction to the ins and outs of model railroading. Get help choosing a scale, computing electrical resistance, designing a layout, or selecting scenery components. You'll find detailed instructions for every aspect of developing your own model railroad, from the materials needed to model the roads, to the specifics of each type of railroad equipment, tips for painting in "weathering," and placement distances for telephone poles.
Magic and Illusion with Bryan Dean
Another of About.com's comprehensive informational sites, this one ushers you into the inner sanctum of magic and illusion! If you're new, take a look at A Beginner's Guide to Magic for sources for magic, books, and supplies. You can subscribe to the Magic and Illusion newsletter while you're there. Then try out some of the 60 easy tricks , survey the great magic tips, or read about famous magicians and illusionists such as Harry Houdini and David Copperfield. Join in online chats with other magicians or investigate your favorite type of magic, such as playing cards, gospel magic, hypnosis, mentalism, and interactive magic. If you're a magic and illusion aficionado, this will become one of your most-visited sites!
Email: Kim Carter
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