Post-apocalypse crafting

I have been watching a lot of post-apocalypse movies lately and as always, my thoughts turn to crafting. There is a surprising amount of downtime after the apocalypse, in between zombie attacks. What are you going to do with yourself? How will you use this spare time?

Knitting and crocheting are both somewhat practical post-apocalypse crafts. At least in colder climates. The Walking Dead may be set in sweaty Georgia, but I lived in Georgia for a year and trust me, it gets pretty cold in the winter. Weeks of temperatures in the 20s overnight, and only barely above freezing during the day. And in a world without electricity or heat, you would be grateful for a thick knit hat.

On the other hand, where are you going to find your yarn? I doubt you would have much luck convincing Darryl and Michonne to stop by a yarn store and scoop up a few armfuls of Cascade 220 on their next run. Also, there is actually quite a lot of clothing floating around in the world. Everyone who's dead is going to leave behind all of their outfits but one (the one they are wearing). No shortage of warm winter coats, I'm sure.

Candlemaking seems eminently practical. Although again, you have the problem of sourcing your supplies. Hopefully you would be able to partner up with someone who is keeping bees. (Beekeeping isn't exactly a craft, but it would certainly be a useful hobby.)

No, I think the award for "Ultimate Post-Apocalypse Craft" would have to go to quilting and sewing. You have much more flexibility with your materials - you can use up all the scraps of clothing people drag out - you can mend people's existing clothes, make warm blankets, and create clothes for hard-to-find sizes, like children's and plus size clothing.

One thing I think we can all agree on: after the apocalypse, scrapbooking is right out.

Image courtesy Flickr/Dr. Stephen Dann