[Wendy]

What have you taught yourself to do?? Here is a picture of a lap afghan my 15 year old daughter made. She got on-line, watched some videos, read some directions, & taught herself to crochet.




Now I need to get her to teach me. I know basic stuff, but not enough to make that!

I have taught myself quite a number of things. How to make soap, how to make lotion, candles, how to do a counted cross stitch. Those are just a few.

What are some things that you have taught yourself to do?

 

[Dixie Bee Acres]

Self taught scroll saw artist, air brush artist, tatoo artist, stained glass artist.
Automotive painter, welder, wood worker, etc, etc

 

[Jokarva]

Is that her first project? That is amazing, what patience she must have!

I'm teaching myself Japanese using books and YouTube videos...we had a tutor for 2 months, but when she moved I couldn't find another in the area so have resorted to self teaching (DH has just quit...he needed a teacher to be accountable to, I'm not scary enough apparently). It's coming along slowly but ok, but I do miss having a real person to ask questions and clarify stuff.

YouTube is such a great resource....I think you can learn almost anything there. I've even seen tutorials on nursing processes and procedures, what a help that would have been when I was going to nursing school back in the dark ages!

 

[Danaus29]

Crochet, plumbing, food dehydrating, container gardening.

 

[Joshie]

More than 25 years ago, I purchased a booklet at Walmart and taught myself how to knit. A while back I bought one about crochet but just haven't been able to get it. If only we had enough internet data youtube would probably make it easier.

 

[Wendy]

That is her first project. She is now working on a baby afghan.

People always laugh at me because I have so many interests from girly things to manly things. I also love woodworking & building things. I am usually the fix-it person here. When something is broke the kids come to me. Mainly because dad is busy driving.

 

[Harry Chickpea]

Pretty neat afghan. I would have made a giant ball of yarn.

I love it when kids around that age start to REALLY get able to think, process, and create.

 

[Molly Mckee]

Looks like she takes after her Mom!

 

[Songbird]

Beautiful afghan!

After watching several videos I taught myself how to cut my own hair and it actually looks just as good as getting it done professionally. Saves me lots of money. I cut DH's hair too. His looks good as well.

 

[Awnry Abe]

Very nice job!

 

[Maura]

When I was nine my sisters and I got a booklet from Kresge’s (yes, that’s how old I am) with instructions on knitting, crochet, embroidery, and tatting. We all learned from that book and the four of us all knit differently. Go figure, right handed, left handed, and so on. I learned all of my knitting from books as we did not have u-tube then. I also learned crochet, but don’t do it.

I have learned to make soap from books and developed my own recipe. I’ve learned quilting from trial and error. Now, I teach knitting, quilting, and soap making.

Your DD should be proud of herself. Now, she needs to learn about quality of yarn, weight of yarn and that other techie stuff.

 

[jwal10]

When I was 6 I found a little book that was made during the war. It showed many projects for farms and gardening, from tractors and equipment to small wood working projects using recycled materials because money was short. My half brother had left an old Forney welder at the farm and I learned to weld with it. My half brother even swept the shop floor at his work and saved all the used welding rods. There were also a lot of other things in those floor sweepings, bolts, washers, screws, small pieces of iron, all usable materials. This old welder had carbon rods for cutting metal. I made many things to use. I also learned to build with wood. I had no money for nails so straightened old nails. Tore down old buildings for the nails, first, materials later. It taught me a usable occupation and hobby. I also learned to build a forge and learned to weld with that too, bend metal, make things. It gave me many ideas that I used when I left home at 12. I could build anything I needed. I scoured old homesteads for usable metal and wood. Later a lot of enjoyable hours building things from old wood and metal, tree houses, forts, playhouses and sheds. I have built many buildings with recycled materials. I still have that little book, about 6" square but a lot of ideas for a kid....James

 

[CuriousWanderer]

This past year, I have been teaching myself how to can, dehydrate, sew, and attempted to quilt. I am also learning how to build my own furniture. I got my feet wet with gardening and herbs this year but my toddler kept picking all the flowers and fruit before they were ripe. She did love to help water though

 

[DirtyHowi]

besides C#, javascript, VB, HTML5, CSS3, MVC5, entity framework 6

nothing much

 

[Belldandy]

I guess I taught myself to knit, crochet, and cook. A few other things, probably. And this was before teh innerwebz.

 

[bluefish]

Let's see, knitting, crochet, various sorts of rag rugs, food preservation, how to raise goats, poultry, working on learning about cows, home butchering, gardening, barn building, house building, fence building. Actually, almost everything I do in my everyday life, I taught myself.

 

[AngieM2]

That's beautiful. Youtube teaching is so nice to have these days.

That is not a beginners type of afghan.

 

[Nevada]

Without a doubt, but biggest self-taught triumph of my life is in Linux server configuration and administration.

I didn't set out to do it. I was running a commercial Microsoft server (NT Server 4.0) but couldn't stand the instability. I was pointed to Red Hat Linux. That would have been about 1998.

Training opportunities were limited back then. I lived in the remote Arizona desert anyway. When I encountered a problem with Linux I went to Google for the answer, hoping that someone had encountered the same problem and posted a solution. Linux information was gained largely by way of rumor, superstition and wives tales at first. But over time the Red Hat community became organized and sophisticated.

15 years later I write manuals to help other server operators with various applications. I don't charge for them, I just contribute them to the Linux community. Here's an example of a manual, detailing a way to use the BIND DNS server for automated secondary DNS service.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22059150/Secondary-DNS.pdf

I don't consider myself a Linux operating system expert, because I'm not. What I've concentrated on is in integrating the major server applications with each other, and configuring them to be more useful. I don't tweak Linux kernels and device drivers, I just configure server applications. I worry a lot about server security though, since that's just part of the job. I'm active in two Linux server operator forums to help newbies.

People see the Linux penguin (Tux) in my signature line and assume I use a Linux workstation. I don't. I use a Windows 7 workstation. If you notice, Tux is sitting on what looks to be a 2U rack-mounted server case. You would only use such a case for commercial server applications. I'm sold on Linux servers, but not ready to give up Windows yet.

I've pulled my horns in a lot since I retired, but I still operate two Linux servers in a data center in Chicago. It's just what I do.

 

[Evons hubby]

During my 12 years of public school was taught some bogus history (most of which I have relearned on my own) enough reading and writing to get me by, as long as a grammarian does not see it, they also taught me some cyphers. I also picked up on the seven individual notes of a music scale.

My mom taught me some basic manners, little things like keeping one foot on the floor when reaching for that last biscuit, and not to pass gas at the table, or at least not noisily.

Daddy taught me not to lie, cheat or steal... he had those directions for life imprinted on the toe of his boot, somehow those things stuck!

A couple of the neighbor girls taught me a fair amount about biology (at least the good stuff) in the barn loft.

My grampa taught me how to shoot, and clean a firearm

My granny taught me how NOT to cook anything remotely resembling digestible food.

My dear auntie Em, (no kin to that woman in Kansas) taught me how to sew, quilt, and iron clothes with sad irons.

Pretty much everything else I know... which aint much, was self learned.

Still dont know how to fish, but my father in law keeps trying.

 

[Old John]

In my Mid-twenties, I taught myself to play Guitar, Electric Bass and Upright or String-Bass. I played at Church, for Folk-Mass for 7/8 years (E-T-Add, on Guitar and Bass.)

I formed a couple Trios doing Lead and Back-up Vocals, Guitar and Bass, and I played music professionally for a few years, while working full time at a Ford manufacturing plant, And meanwhile, I was a single Custodial parent to 5 Great Kids for almost 20 years.
And I taught Guitar lessons locally, for a few years.
Since then I only play for Fun, and at campfires, hayrides and jam sessions.
I play, just for practice about 3 to 5 days a week, now, I love my Music. And I still have 3 good acoustic Guitars. I wish I had a good Bass...