My family are officially obsessed with spoon carving.
I think that watching the people you love discovering their passion is one of the best things in the whole world.
Yesterday afternoon we went and cut a few branches off a pine-tree in our wood-lot. The girls played around skinning and sharpening bits while farmer Bren chopped some branches in half. After that we came home and he worked alongside them and showed them how to carve and shape a spoon.
For hours they sat up at the kitchen table together working and learning and making mistakes and trying different techniques and teaching each other. It was such a gorgeous scene. I may have even cried from happiness at one stage.
And the end products are things of such beauty. I'm so excited. How wonderful to be able to fashion something so beautiful and useful from a chunk of wood. What a brilliant skill to have.
This afternoon we went and got a bunch of apple wood, I'll show you those photos soon.
I hope you've had/are having a gorgeous Sunday.
And tell me, what's that thing you love doing, that gives you happiness beyond everything else at the moment?
Big love xx
I saw these photos popping up in my instagram feed and thought how lovely it was to see the girls having a go at wood carving alongside their father :) And, indeed, what a beautiful skill to have. I like the meditative aspect of crafting/creating, it is very soothing, and the sense of achievement that you get when you finish something that you are pleased with is so worth it. At the moment my favourite form of creating is drawing & watercolour painting, I hadn't drawn properly in years so each small piece represents it's own tiny challenge.
ReplyDeleteI know, I'm so pleased they are sharing this carving journey with him, it's so special. And I often think that watercolour painting looks like a gorgeous thing to do but I haven't done it for years and years either. I'm so glad you are loving it. x
DeleteThe act of turning a length of wood into a useful spoon looks a lot like magic. No wonder they're addicted!
ReplyDeleteIt does look like magic! And I totally want to have a go myself but I'm scared I'll love it and the last thing I need is another passion. x
DeleteI still have the one my Dad made for me almost 30 years ago. I have been thinking about learning how so I can make some for my girls. It's such a wonderful thing to pass on.
ReplyDeleteShan
Youtube!!! There are so many how-to videos on there to get you started. And how lucky to have a spoon your Dad made, so cool. x
DeletePerfect honey pot and spoon for you elevenses:) What an awesome family activity!!! Only yesterday I was searching for a wood carving knife for my seven year old but couldn't find any online in Australia. Can you recommend one for children or do they just use adult size?
ReplyDeleteYay, such a great thing to do as a family. My girls are using Bren's Mora knives but right now he's sitting on the couch researching kiddie knives, so I reckon you two are on the same path.
DeleteThat is soo cool! I hope you and your family enjoy more spoon carving this sunday! :)
ReplyDeleteTake care
Anne (Crochet Between Worlds)
Thank lovely Anne, I do hope you have a gorgeous Sunday and a wonderful week to come. xx
DeleteWhat a wonderful hobby to get into. I love the end result!
ReplyDeleteRenee x
I'm so thrilled with the end result too, so gorgeous. x
DeleteI think I might need a honey spoon, lovely! Outside those I love, I think being creative gives me the most happiness, and there's sooooo many ways to be creative, guess that makes me a very happy person! :) xxx
ReplyDeleteCan I tell you how much I am loving these posts? Your blog just makes me feel like I am sitting on a porch swing on a summer evening in a warm, gentle breeze. Calm. Introspective. And real. I appreciate that so much about your blog and it's why I keep coming back to it again and again even though I live on the other side of the world and the ground outside is covered in snow and it's 12 degrees right now! I so appreciate you putting your images and your words out there. And I meant to comment a few days back when you mentioned Barbara Kingsolver's book The Poisonwood Bible. That's one of my favorite books of all time. Have you read Sue Monk Kidd's newest book, The Invention of Wings? So, so, so good. And I also highly recommend Cheryl Strayed's book Tiny Beautiful Things. And of course, Wild. But, I think you already read it...? And this is bordering on the lengthiest comment ever in the history of the world, but I wanted to thank you for the suggestion of Doug Purdie's Backyard Bees...I bought the digital version since the book isn't available in the US yet and I love it. I think it may give me the courage to actually start keeping bees this year. Thank you, thank you! And the thing I love doing more than any? Walking around outside with my three dogs, my husband, or my family and friends, and my camera in hand. Slow and methodical. Immersed in Nature. That brings me happiness and contentment beyond measure.
ReplyDeleteHugs!
Loving your daily posts - what beautiful spoons. At present, I am loving just being with my husband and son, especially due to my unexpected "My Left Breast" journey - they give me the love, support, strength and laughter that I need right now.
ReplyDeleteI've spent the morning 'supervising' (I'm heavily pregnant so it's ok!) my partner, son and father-in-law lay some sleepers in the garden. Out son is 2 so loves helping the adults. Having the whole fan outside doing what we love is what my partner and I have worked towards for a while now - see it coming to fruition drives us to keep going, even in the tough times.
ReplyDeleteI am sorting through stuff, put it off for way too long. It is actually not so bad when you have the time to do it, and you feel so much lighter when it is done, and organized I must say I am enjoying that reward. When I am not sorting I fit insome rows of crochet or knitting, I highly recommend that on the stress buster level.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful moment!
ReplyDeleteCould this be any more perfect?
ReplyDeleteI think reading your blog may be the thing I like best at the moment... x
I love your spoon to fit with your jar! What a great idea to store a spoon with each jar like that. I hadn't seen that before and yet it makes so much sense. Sense and simplicity. I love those elements of your blog.
ReplyDeleteHappiness beyond anything else for me? When my whole family is doing something together whether it be sharing a meal, going out, watching a movie or working on a project like a jigsaw puzzle or the Christmas tree and I especially love the conversations. Getting back to the rhythm of crochet is the next best thing - relaxation, creativity, joy.