The Travelling Gnomes.

In the beginning of January  I carved a few stick-gnomes, just to play with my new knife a bit. It started with four, but soon I had ten, then twenty. Then my sister joined in and we made a small army of gnomes. I am not entirely sure how it happened, but all of a sudden we had this idea to send the gnomes around the world, hitchhiking with kind strangers who`d find them and take them along. The Travelling Gnomes-initiative was born. We played around a bit with different methods of wrapping the gnomes up, numbered them for identification, and made explanatory notes to go with the gnomes. The idea is that someone who finds a gnome reports this at our dedicated facebookpage: www.facebook.com/gnomerace, and then takes it along for a while and leave it somewhere else again. Within a weak one gnome had made it to Madrid, and another one to Switzerland! Various other ones have been found and taken along in the Netherlands, where they begin, as well. We hope that the Travelling Gnomes will indeed travel the world and visit many cool places. It is fun to see this idea developing with all these great people that find gnomes, and help them travel. To see where people have found gnomes and where they have left them again you can visit the Travelling Gnomes facebook page.  

The first four gnomes that were carved.

The Third International Secret Spoonswap

The third international secret spoonswap is happening right now on the Spoon carving, Greenwood working and Sloyd group on facebook. Just like the two previous times spooncarvers from all over the world send a spoon they made to a randomly selected other participant. I participated in the second swap, and now again in the third. It is great fun. I sent a spoon off the a fellow countryman this time, and received not one, but two spoons from carver Paul Lawrence in England!

Here are the spoons I received. A small deep scoop from olive wood, and a larger spoon in birch. 

And here is the spoon I sent out. There is already a picture of it in my previous post. I am happy it was received well already, even though this time it didn`t have to cross the atlantic.

I enjoyed the event again, and hope there`ll be another swap next year. 

Resolutions!

Since my hobby-related activities have diminished in the past half year, my blog has grown quiet as well. I have been very busy with a research project and thesis in the last months, but that is a lousy excuse to not make time for the things I like to do in my spare time. And therefore I have a resolution this year: I need to make time for hobbies, and document the things I enjoy here. That may be carving, or fixing up old tools, or a walk in a beautiful area, or anything else that I enjoy. In the coming half year my life will change a lot. I am starting my final research project for my MSc. degree in molecular biology, and for this I will move to Bergen, Norway. Then, when that is finished and I have finally finished this degree I will move to Norway more permanently. I suppose that with moving and another research project I will have plenty of things on my mind, but I should be able to carve the occasional spoon, I hope. 

Of course I haven`t been completely idle with doing fun things. In december I have participated with the "Crafty Secret Santa" on BushcraftUK.com. In this fantastic event organized by one of the members people from all over the world send a homemade gift to another participant. This way everyone will get something fun. I received the hand forged bottle opener shown above. I have enjoyed the event, although this far the gift I sent out (a birch kuksa) hasn`t been received yet. I really hope it does. 

 In December my sister and me always get together to produce a large load of gingerbread, and build a gingerbread house. This year we built a church, with windows made of coloured sugar, and lights inside. It is part of the christmas baking and preparation that we both enjoy a lot.

I will end this post with some pictures of spoons I carved this month. All are from cherry wood that I collected before summer break, so it is rather tough by now. It has beautiful colouring though, and it takes a lovely shiny finish. It also takes the edge of your tools rather quickly. There are two eaters in the first picture, and three cooking spoons in the following pictures. The spoon lying on top in the middle picture I have given to my sister in law, who had requested a new stirring spoon. I had given her a spoon about a year ago, and she says it is the one she reaches for most. I enjoy knowing that people use my work. It is the best compliment.

For the coming weeks I have quite a few things I want to write about. The third international secret spoon swap is going on at the moment, so that is exciting! I will soon post out my spoon, and am very curious to see what I will be sent this time. I also want to discuss a new knife I have received as a christmas present that I am very enthousiastic about. All this means that at least for the weeks to come I can stick to my resolution: More hobby. More blogposts.