Anyone who has met Masashi Kutsuwa would understand the big smile that appeared on my face when, at Täljfest, Peter Lamb announced that he had been awarded the 2019 Wille Sundqvist and Bill Coperthwaite Slöjd Fellowship. I had the pleasure … Continue reading
In my lectures at both Spoonfest and Täljfest, I referred to an excerpt from Mary Oliver’s poem Sometimes: Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. Astonishment comes easy at Sätergläntan, the traditional crafts school in … Continue reading
I’m back from my first ever overseas adventure, and it was a thrilling and enriching one. The English countryside, London, Stockholm, and the Swedish countryside. Almost a week after my return, my head is still spinning with all I saw … Continue reading
At last month’s Plymouth CRAFT Spoon Day, I saw Oliver Pratt’s cool wooden axe sheath. It worked by pinning a wedge in place that secured the sheath. Oliver had seen the concept somewhere and had created his sheath by chopping … Continue reading
Green woodworking can imply more than just the general notion of working wood that is still relatively fresh with a high moisture content. Among other things, the term connotes the idea of working with nature, sensitively considering the unique attributes … Continue reading
Not long ago, a friend referred me to an unabridged entry in Henry David Thoreau’s journal. Here’s the first paragraph: October 19, 1858: Barrett’s apprentice, it seems, makes trays of black birch and of red maple, in a dark room … Continue reading
About a decade ago, my mind was blown by the boxes and furniture that Peter Follansbee was talking about on his blog. There he was splitting up oak logs into boards and joining them together. Well, how do you not … Continue reading
