Saturday, November 10, 2018

The Day I Embraced Utube

And yes, I can hear the laughter now....

Seriously though. I know that many people see the Internet as a time suck. And I've spent more than my share of time perusing blogs, some of them wildly funny, as well as spending too much time on current events, Facebook chat and a ton of other things.

But if you are a person who likes to do stuff, learn stuff, bake stuff, even write stuff, the Internet is, mainly, the best thing ever.  Frugal, educational, and more. Yes, sometimes it takes time, especially when you're on a new search or not quite sure what you are looking for. I've spent an inordinate amount of time in the last couple of weeks exploring all the things I can do with my donated wool felt and sweater pieces. Some of the ideas were rejected, some of them were kept and were never used. But the search was fun, and I learned a lot.

I mean honestly, in days past I got a magazine and used one pattern out of it. Or a craft book. And I am certainly not the only person I know who has moved from the cookbooks mainly to the Internet.

But when it comes to the Utube thing, I really wasn't there. Don't get me wrong, I knew existed and all that, and yes, and I even used it. Most of the exercise videos shared on this blog came from that source. I've used it to watch multiple movie previews, and as I was learning to knit, lots of folks told me to go to Utube for instruction. Not that  really ever did.

So what changed? In the past few weeks I've been exploring how to do a few different things.  A friend suggested we go to a Paint pouring wine and sip type place and I wondered if we could do it ourselves, cheaper. I've been longing to practice my German conversational skills so that I don't lose them, and so many classes are mainly beginner or grammar type instruction (I do read German papers and watch shows). And I was feeling flummoxed by all the art supplies my kids had given me. Playing only works up to a point and while I know there are tons of classes in my community, I get socialization elsewhere and really just wanted to learn at home.  



So one day, I typed something along the lines of "cheap paint pouring tutorial". All the links came up as Utube programs, things I usually avoid in my searches. But I'm a very visual person and figured, why not see where they led me. And lead me they did.

Let me just say that someone should have dragged me here before, even if I were kicking and screaming! In short order I have found multiple videos showing how to paint pour with just detergent, acrylic paints and plastic cups. I found videos on how to weave (a tabletop loom is on my Christmas list) I found so many step by step painting videos that I will never do a tenth of them. I found multiple knitting videos including one for the blanket I am working on-which I really don't need. I found a series of videos on speaking in German and exploring Germany (worthwhile to see places I've been again), and today, I found some videos on making cloche hats, which is something I want to do with my donated felt. Heck, I even found full length classes from the great courses.

Yes, my friends, meet Mister Domestic!


I have found my people.



As many of you know, I am a visual learner and worker (If I've said that once, I've said it at least twice). If I am going to edit one of my son's papers, it needs to be printed out. Telling me to stitch a line and then do so and so, doesn't do much. Pictures help some, but observing a real person do something, at knitting group exercise class and elsewhere makes a huge difference. And being able to stop the video, go back and watch one section again? There are no words. 



I honestly don't know what took me so long. Maybe I saw a couple low quality videos and figured they weren't helpful. May earlier on I wasn't willing to sit and watch and mistakenly thought that a simple pattern with instructions would work just as well. I do know that for a long time I equated Utube with things like funny videos, and pranks and such. My bad, as they say.

9 comments:

  1. Late comers to the party stay longer. YouTube is great for crafters and life-learners.

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    1. I know! Who thought that I would be a late adapter!

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  2. I love You Tube for so many things. I'm glad you joined the party ;-)

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  3. Hi Barbara - you are so right. I use YouTube quite a bit and love it.

    Sue

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  4. We have a Roku so we watch YouTube on our TV. When we can't find a movie to watch, it's our go-to channel. We watch everything from concerts to comedians. We even found some old footage of an amusement park we went to when we were kids and relived our childhood memories. I watch painting tutorials for inspiration and tips too.

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    1. We have a smart TV/Fire stick so we can also watch, I admit I tend to watch stuff more on the tablet simply because I am in the craft room but I am thinking I should probably watch on the big screen first!

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  5. I'm happy to hear you have found Utube, haha. For me, it has become the go to place to learn anything new in knitting and crocheting. It has really upped my game when I want to decorate a hat or blanket with flowers and such. I love the idea that can stop the video and repeat a section until I actually understand what they are doing. And, because it's visual, you don't need to understand the language of the instructor. I have posted many videos from YouTube to my Pinterest page so it's always handy.

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  6. The Honda dealer wanted $130.00 to change two air filters in my car while it was getting warranty work done. I said I would think about it and googled changing the filters on U Tube. Turned out it was a total of three minutes. I googled the price at an auto parts store and found out the filters were $40.00. Needless to say I told the dealer that I would wait. U tube saved me $90.00 and it is now my go to site for home and car repairs.

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Thanks for stopping by! I love to hear from others, and I also love to hear all points of view.. Just leave the profanity and insults at home, OK? Thanks!!