Three non-stupid crafts for teens

Recently while I was loitering around the internet (as is my habit) I discovered a pattern of questions on sites like Yahoo!Answers along the lines of, "What's a non-stupid craft for teens?" It seems that a lot of teenagers out there are looking for crafts to do, but the crafts world is targeted either to grown-ass adults or to little kids. What's a crafty teen to do?

The tricky thing about being a teenager is that you have all the skills to handle adult crafts, but you will be working on a budget, and there are safety issues. (Probably not many people will want to loan you their circular saw if you wanted to try cabinetry.)

For example, I would provisionally rule out quilting and sewing, because of the staggering cost of a sewing machine. However, if you have a parent who already owns a sewing machine (or can borrow one from a friend), quilting and seamstress work are both awesome crafts. Not only is there a ton of opportunity for personal expression, but you end up with something useful, to boot.

1. Knitting
Knitting is, as you might have guessed, near and dear to my heart. Knitting can be extremely cheap. You can buy cheap yarn at Walmart, or buy sweaters at thrift stores and recycle the yarn. Knitting also doesn't require a lot of extra supplies. All you need are a few sets of knitting needles, and you're in business.

The original Stitch 'N Bitch book is still my favorite reference for new knitters. And most yarn stores offer knitting classes for beginners.

2. Papercraft
Papercraft will hone your dexterity and patience, and you can create beautiful works out of plain old paper scavenged from anywhere. Have you heard of quilling? It is AMAZING. And origami is awesome, too.

3. Bookbinding
Bookbinding is another craft that can be done with a few simple, cheap supplies. You can bind blank books to use as a diary, create your own sketchbook, or bind up stories and poems written by yourself or a friend.

Image courtesy Flickr/misssteee