Of Spoons and Arm and Wrist Warmers

One of my two talented nephews took up wood carving recently as a hobby and has found his niche in hand carving spoons.  These are just a few of his recent  ones.

From selection of the wood to the final spoon, everything is considered and everything using only hand tools from start to finish.  These are works of art and it has been enjoyable following his increasing knowledge, and the large variety of shapes and woods that he is using to create unique spoons.

I was absolutely delighted to received a little spoon early in the new year, and have just had it on my corner shelf in the kitchen admiring its beauty. It is the first spoon that he has made in Olive Wood.  

Mr S normally does the butlering duties, but with one thing and another I was doing it, filling up both sets of salt and pepper grinders: oh yes, he had hurt his wrist!

The spoon may remain on display, or it may sit on the pepper  corns.  I'm not sure that sitting on damp sea salt crystals will do it any harm, but this is a precious present that is to be cherished, and I think it safer cradled on dry pepper corns.

I was delighted to have something hand made. Having contacted Nephew Stasher No 1, to thank him, I wondered whether he would like to have something handmade from me, and straight away he wondered whether he could have some arm/wrist warmers just like the ones I made for his mother last year.  

These were in green Alpaca wool from my stash.  Having been given his range of colours, I went to my stash, pulled out a couple of balls of Pure Wool and then had to go in hunt for needles, but needed to order some fixed circulars.  Everything seemed to take time, from selecting the stiches I would use, to designing mittens, given a totally different yarn, and of course to suit and fit a man.  I came across a stitch pattern called Aran Rib 1 in The Knitter's Bible, and having got out the calculator to assess the number of stitches to cast on, I was away.  But the progress was slow, sometimes you get a mental block!  Each mitten is a mirror image with the cable reversed, but it doesn't matter which hand you put them on.  

I had Mr S on hand to keep trying them on, and of course measurements sent.  I asked Nephew Stasher 1 if they were to be used whilst spoon carving, but surprisingly I heard that they were for wearing when he is carrying out his work which is something to do with working on the graphics for computer games. Ha!  I don't know anything about computer games, but I do know your hands can get cold working on computers.  Mr S has ordered a pair such as these that almost reaches one's elbows.  I too want a pair, fortunate therefore that I have all summer to make them.