wooden knife

In the last two years, I have built up a supply of throwaway pieces of wood from a wood carving instructor in North Carolina who kindly lets me raid his trash each year when I see him. My dad then ships me the wood scraps, usually surrounded by candy and snacks, from Florida to Washington. With each piece I pick up, I can feel why it was thrown away and love the challenge to make something from it anyway. I made a knife for the first time this summer and decided to return back to WA to try my hand at making another one, not from a true blank. Knives are fun because you use just one kind of knife the entire time (or at least my minimalistic self does). I wasn’t sure how this one would turn out but I love how weird it is: the blade is oddly long, I put a little grip in the handle, and there are beautiful lines in the wood. I decided not to go all out sanding the handle to add even a bit more character to it.

I’ve been in a tough headspace recently and creating something with my hands always helps ground me. For anyone working in tech, I highly recommend a physical hobby that calls you to attention away from a screen.