Crochet

While most men will cringe at the idea that crochet is a modern pioneer skill, I would argue that it involves skills that are as old as time.  In ancient days, men wove their own fishing nets.  Basically, they used a type of crochet.  We see pictures on Pinterest of cutesy potholders and children's bonnets, but crochet is a very useful pioneering skill.

Okay, I have to admit that when I did a Pinterest search of "man crochet", I got a lot of fruity pictures.  But if we are talking survival skills, a knowledge of crochet can really come in handy.  My own grandfather was taught to crochet as a young child and made socks for his family.  He passed that knowledge to one of his granddaughters, but I don't think anyone else in the family learned from him.  If you are in a survival situation, I'm sure a new pair of socks would be valuable!

When I was a kid, I heard about a pro-football player who did needlepoint.  At the time I thought it was very funny.  Admittedly, I think because he was smashing the stuffing out of guys in his day job everyone gave him slack for doing needlepoint.  But who decided it was a woman's hobby?

I'm currently in the process of learning how to crochet.  It's actually not that difficult, and when you get the hang of it, it can be very relaxing.  Try watching some online videos.  I bet you can learn too.

I have seen some projects that people did that used other mediums than yarn.  You could literally tear up old clothing in to strips and crochet it to make a blanket or rug.  Don't overlook the benefit of crochet for modern pioneer living!