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Crafts & Hobbies

These days, the word "hobby" evokes a sense of blase interest. Children have hobbies; bored housewives might have a hobby or two; the rest of us can scarcely be bothered. The original connotation was much different, however—a person's hobby was their avocation, not a primary sense of income, but certainly the focus of passion and interest.

To put it in perspective: Rene Descartes was a mathemetician by trade, but his hobby or avocation was philosophy. Not everyone with a hobby is going to change the course of Western civilization, but the point is that Descartes' hobby wasn't a mere back-drawer doodad he pulled out when he was bored and lonely, it was a motivating force in his life.

We're not suggesting hobbies need to take over your life, like robots in some creepy sci-fi movie. Just the opposite, in fact—hobbies should keep us from surrendering to the doldrums of existence, make us excited, provide an opportunity to exercise our creative talents and explore our interests. They shouldn't be simply a way to pass the time, because that's just another name for boredom.

At the same time, making your hobbies (whether they include cooking, weaving, woodworking, book-binding, or origami) the focus of all your attention is just as harmful. If you find yourself only working to fuel your interests, your hobbies (however harmless they were to begin with) have become your idols and you need to put them aside and learn to prioritize. Still, you need to have interests outside of work, and they need to be cultivated and not just casually dabbled in from time to time.

Why do we take hobbies so seriously? Because what we spend our free time doing reveals a great deal about who we are. If your primary activity when you aren't at work or cleaning the house or whatever is buying clothes, then clothes are what's important to you. The same is true for playing video games, watching reality TV, and bare-knuckle boxing.

It's important to choose hobbies that are constructive. As Christians, we're to do everything to the glory of God, and while some activities done in moderation might be fun, doing them all the time is more a sign of selfish addiction than simple enjoyment. Hobbies should be relaxing, of course, but they should be good for something, and good for other people.

The books you'll find below won't tell you what your hobby should be. They will, however, help you develop the skills related to certain hobbies so you can pursue them to the best of your ability. In a world that excuses lack of excellence and even defends poor quality, we need to work even harder to do our best, whether in our vocations or our avocations.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

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100 Cross-Stitch Gifts from Nature
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
1000 Hours Outside
by Ginny Yurich
First Printing from Sunflower House Books
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
1000 Hours Outside Activity Book
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$12.50 (1 in stock)
All-New Woodworking for Kids
by Kevin McGuire
from Lark Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Carpentry for Kids (Location: SS-CARP)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Alphabet Art
by Judy Press
from Williamson Publishing Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
$6.50 (1 in stock)
America's Knitting Book
by Gertrude Taylor
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 8th-Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
American Patchwork & Quilting
from Better Homes and Gardens Books
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
American Ship Models and How to Build Them
by V. R. Grimwood, foreword by Howard I. Chapelle
from Bonanza Books
for 9th-Adult
in Nautical History (Location: VIN-NAUT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Art of Painting on Silk Volume 2
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Art of Painting on Silk Volume 3
from Search Press
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Asian Crafts
by Judith Hoffman Corwin
from Franklin Watts
for 4th-6th grade
in Asia (Location: HISMC-ASIA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Batsford Embroidery Course
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Bears in the Woods Quilt
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beautiful Beading
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Belle & Boo Book of Crafts
by Mandy Sutcliffe; photography by
from Roost Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Bentwood Box
by Nan McNutt
from Sasquatch Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington & the Cascades
by Joan Burton, photos by Ira Spring
from Mountaineers Books
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Better Homes and Gardens: Annuals Perennials and Bulbs
from Meredith Corporation
for Adult
in Flower Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Big Book of Tricks and Magic
by James R. Blackman
from Random House
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Bob Toski's Complete Guide to Better Golf
by Bob Toski with Dick Aultman
from Atheneum
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$35.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Perfectly Perilous Math
by Sean Connolly
from Workman Publishing
for 4th-10th grade
in Math Games & Activities (Location: MATR-GAM)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Perfectly Perilous Math
by Sean Connolly
from Workman Publishing
for 4th-10th grade
in Math Games & Activities (Location: MATR-GAM)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Born To Be Wild
by Hattie Garlick
from Bloomsbury Publishing
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Boy Joiner and Model Maker
by E. A. Davidson
Reprint from Hope Chest Legacy, Inc.
for 4th-12th grade
in Carpentry for Kids (Location: SS-CARP)
$15.00 (2 in stock)
Button Blanket
from Sasquatch Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Calligraphic Ornaments
Dover Clip Art
by Kiyoshi Takahashi, designer
from Dover Publications
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Camping for Special Children
by Thomas M. Shea
from The C.V. Mosby Co.
for Adult
in Special Needs / Learning Disabilities (Location: HSR-SPEC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Carving for Kids
by Robin Trudel
for 2nd-6th grade
in Carpentry for Kids (Location: SS-CARP)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
City Gardener's Handbook
from Random House
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Civil War Paper Soldiers in Full Color
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Classic Knits
by Marianne Isager
from Interweave Press
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Claymation Sensation: Underwater Claymation
by Emily Reid
from Windmill Books
for 3rd-8th grade
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Colour Schemes for the Flower Garden
by Gertrude Jekyll, introduced and revised by Graham Stuart Thomas
1983 revised edition from The Ayer Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Flower Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Book of Birdhouse Construction for Woodworkers
by Scott D. Campbell
40th edition from Dover Publications
for 7th-Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$1.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Book of the Bow & Arrow
by G. Howard Gillelan
from Galahad Books
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Miniature Quilt Book
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Concoct it
from Walter Foster
for 2nd-5th grade
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Contained Garden
from Viking Press
for 10th-Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Cork & Wood Crafts
by Arden J. Newsome, illustrated by Nancy Coner
from The Lion Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Country Flower Drying
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Craft Academy
by Tim Imrie and Peter Williams
from Hermes House
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Crafts From Around the World
by B.J. Casselman
from Creative Home Library
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Crafty Art Book
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Creating with Fimo Acrylic Clay
by Libby Nicholson & Yvonne Lau
from Kids Can Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Creations in Miniature
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Creative Crafts and Stitchery
from Meredith Corporation
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Creative Lettering and Beyond
by Gabri Joy Kirkendall, Laura Lavender, Julie Manwaring, & Shauna Lynn Panczyszyn
from Walter Foster
in Calligraphy (Location: HAN-CALLIG)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Creative Shellcraft
by Katherine N. Cutler, illustrated by Giulio Maestro
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Cross-Stitch Samplers
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Cut & Assemble the Mayflower
by A. G. Smith
2020 Reprint from Dover Publications
for 6th-Adult
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Cut and Make Space Shuttles
by David Kawami
from Dover Publications
for 4th-9th grade
in How Things Work (Location: SCIREF-HOW)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Dangerous Book for Boys
by Conn & Hal Iggulden
2013 Reissue from William Morrow & Company
for 3rd-Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
David Hicks Garden Design
by David Hicks
from Routledge & Kegan Paul
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Decorative Workshop: Decoupage
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
DK Digital Photography Masterclass
by Tom Ang
2nd edition from DK Publishing
Photography Instruction for 10th-Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
DK Ready Set Grow!
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Dough Book
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Easy and Attractive Gifts You Can Sew
from Dover Publications
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Easy Carpentry Projects for Children
by Jerome E. Leavitt
from Dover Publications
for 1st-6th grade
in Carpentry for Kids (Location: SS-CARP)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Eddie's Tent and How to Go Camping
by Sarah Garland
from Frances Lincoln
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Eleventh Hour
by Graeme Base
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-Adult
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Flower Arranging
by Rona Coleman & Sylvia Pepper
from Wellfleet Press
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Paden City Glass
by Carrie and Jerry Domitz
from Collector Books
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Sewing Machine Techniques
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Essential Outdoor Gear Manual
by Annie and Dave Getchell
2nd edition from Ragged Mountain Press
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Everyday Mysteries
by Jerome Wexler
from Dutton Children's Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Exploring Papier-Mache
from Davis Publications
for 3rd-12th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Fishing With Dad
Lucky Luke's Hunting Adventures
by Kevin Lovegreen, illustrated by Margarita Sikorskaia
from Kevin Lovegreen
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Fizz, Bubble & Flash!
by Anita Brandolini
from Williamson Publishing Company
for 3rd-8th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Floral Borders on Layout Grids
by Stefen Bernath, designer
from Dover Publications
for 6th-Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Flower Garden Quilts
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Folk Toys Around the World
by Joan Joseph, illustrated by Mel Furukawa
from Parents Magazine Press
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Ford Treasury of the Outdoors
by W.D. Kennedy, Editor, Head of the Ford Publication Department
from Simon and Schuster
for Adult
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Fruits & Berries of the Pacific Northwest
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Fun with Easy Origami
by Dover
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Paper Crafts & Origami (Location: ELE-ORI)
$10.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Fun with Next to Nothing
by Wesley F. Arnold and Wayne C. Cardy
from Harper & Row
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Garden Flowers Iron-On Transfer Patterns
by Claire Bryant
from Dover Publications
for 6th-Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Garden of Quilts
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Gardener
by Sarah Stewart & David Small
from Sunburst Book
Realistic fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade
1998 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.49 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Gardening With Children
from Brooklyn Botanic Garden
for 3rd-8th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Gardening with Emma: Grow and Have Fun
by Emma Biggs, with help from her dad, Steven Biggs
from Storey Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Get Crafty
by Jean Railla
from Broadway Books
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Getting Up and Down
by Tom Watson with Nick Seitz, introduction by Jack Nicklaus
from Random House
Golf Techniques for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Giant Encyclopedia of Art & Craft Activities
by Carrie Barnes
from Gryphon House
for 4th-8th grade
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Anniversary Book of Scouting
from Golden Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Gothic and Old English Alphabets
by Dan X. Solo, selected and arranged
from Dover Publications
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Grant's Getaways
by Grant McOmie, photos by Steve Terrill
from West Winds Press
for Adult
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Graph Grapplers
by Evelyn B. Christensen
from Mindware
for 3rd-6th grade
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Great Animal Search
by Caroline Young
from Usborne
for 3rd-7th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Green Thumbs
by Laurie Carlson
from Chicago Review Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Greenhouse Gardener's Manual
by Roger Marshall
from Timber Press, Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Grow Wild
by Katy Bowman
from Propriometrics Press
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Growing Roses in the Pacific Northwest
by Nita-Jo Rountree
from Sasquatch Books
for Adult
in Flower Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades
by Steve Solomon
6th edition from Sasquatch Books
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Handknits For Kids
by Lucinda Guy
from Trafalgar Square Publishing
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Handmade Skateboard
by Matt Berger
from Spring House Press
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Handy Dad
by Todd Davis
from Chronicle Books
for Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$24.95 $12.50 (1 in stock)
Here and Now Stitchery from Other Times & Places
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Hiking the Columbia River Gorge
by Russ Schneider
from Falcon Press Publishing
for 10th-adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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