So I had to kind of rack my brain for something I want to do that I could learn in 5 weeks or so. These are the options I came up with. Read the beginning of my questions and take the survey below to vote on what you think I should do.
Learn to Brew Beer
When Jeff mentioned it in the video it immediately caught my attention. My Dad is a home brewer with a friend of his, but I really don't know much about it except drinking it at the end. I love beer and I've been on some local brew tours, but I'd love to know more about the process and it seems to be doable in the time frame we have. My end result will be some quantity of beer, I have to research more to see what I can do in the time we have.
My authentic questions could be:
- What materials are needed to start home brewing?
- Where is the best place to get the materials necessary?
- What is the process of making beer?
- How long does it take to make beer from the beginning to when it's ready to drink?
- How long does it have to be stored?
- What type of beer is the best to start out with and why?
- How do you bottle beer?
- What materials are needed for the bottling process?
- How much will it cost from start to finish?
- What technology do home-brewers use to monitor batches?
Learn to Make Pickles
I love to cook and I'm pretty good at baking too, but I've never attempted pickling things. I've always wanted to try my hand at making pickles, but became discouraged last year when my cucumber plants died, that I never looked into the whole pickling process. This time I will start with cucumbers from the store, I'm not that ambitious. My end result will be a few batches, as there are different types at the store.
My authentic questions could be:
- Are there 3 types of pickling recipes I can find online?
- What materials are needed to pickle, aside from cucumbers and vinegar?
- Where is the best place to get these materials?
- What is the best kind of cucumber to use and can I get them in San Diego?
- What is the pickling process?
- How long does pickling take?
- What spices are most common for pickling?
- What other things are good pickled?
- - 10. Not sure yet?? Suggestions??
Learn to Crochet
I love to knit, and I taught myself about 6 years ago with a starter kit from Michael's Craft Store and YouTube videos. I have never tried to crochet, however, and it has enough differences from knitting that it looks totally foreign to me. One hook is used to create essentially the same effect that knitting creates with 2 needles. It does seem a bit faster, and I've always wanted to try it out and test that theory. My end result would be to create something simple from a specific crochet pattern.
My authentic questions could be:
- What materials are needed for crochet that are different from knitting, aside from the hook? (if any)
- What are the pattern abbreviations necessary for specific pattern? (I know there are different terms than knitting but I don't know what they are or what they stand for)
- How do you "cast on" in crochet? (a way of getting started)
- How do you create rows?
- How do you increase stitches to make shapes?
- How do you decrease stitches?
- How do you finish a piece (bind-off)?
- How do you change yarn to make different colors?
- Is a crocheted piece faster to make than a similar knitted piece? (can be tracked with a pattern for something common like a dishcloth)
- Are there any apps for crochet or knitting?
Please take the poll below to give me a little feedback!