Whittling (Hobbies 1)

My first experience with whittling was on a weekend camping trip with my sister and my dad as a small child. In the spirit of roughing it (on the campsite that featured electricity and water hookups and a swimming pool), I carried around my father's pocket knife and fiddled with it constantly. I spent hours turning sticks into slightly pointier sticks. I discovered a perfect stick that was absolutely begging to be slightly pointier, but, unfortunately for me, it was still attached to the tree. In my infinite wisdom, I started chipping away and slicing into the bark. But, the knife slipped, snapped shut right onto my thumb.

Blood everywhere!

I told no one and snatched a roll of paper towels to stop the bleed, but Bounty is no match for me. After I failed to hide my injury, we hopped over to a pharmacy to grab some gauze and patched my thumb up. I walked away moderately rattled with a clean slice on my hand and all my fingers.

On our way home, my father stopped by the commissary and picked up a small knife for me — one that has a safety lock this time.

Getting Into It (For Real This Time)

Fast forward a few decades and woodworking is still calling me. It was feeling wildly intimidating on account of my lack of tools, lack of space, lack of safety equipment, etc. I love a craft, I love a little trinket, plus it's apartment-friendly, so this seemed like a good hobby to scratch that itch.

I set out the week with a goal to make just one thing. I perused for a while to figure out what that thing should be.

Essential Gear

I generally try to consume as little as possible, especially when starting a new hobby. Who knows if it'll stick? I perused the woodworking subreddit and assembled my starter kit for absolute beginners:

Carving Knife — $9.99 at Michaels
Reddit would probably hate this knife, but here's my take; it's $10, and I was entirely unsure of my interest in this activity. If I felt even a little confident that whittling is something I will continue, I'd start with a couple basic carving knives.

Basswood — $8.99 at Michaels
I was thinking of starting with a stick I found, but I don't really know how to identify a hardwood from a softwood, and just about everything I read strongly recommended starting with dry, softwood.

Safety Glove (optional) — $12 online
Despite my past knife wounds, I didn't end up buying this. This is another thing that just about everyone online strongly encouraged, but I risked it. Proceed with caution — thumbs probably cost more than $12.

My Total: $18.98

Where to Start

One of my fatal flaws is getting stuck in the research phase. What helped me break out from this "analysis paralysis" was the realization that planning can be a form of procrastination.

After browsing Pinterest and Reddit, I found some projects that were so good that I got discouraged that nothing I make will be that good.

I just started carving without a plan. I didn't watch anything on YouTube or review techniques or really have an idea of what to make. I just started carving.

Thoughts / Impressions / Reflections

Brain + Mood Check

My biggest takeaway is how deeply I entered the flow state. I swear — I sat in silence for three full hours on the first day. I looked at the time and it was 1 a.m. and I sat wondering where the time went.

It felt more like meditation than a craft.

I did a little bit of reading afterwards and this is a pretty common feeling. It occupies your hands so you can't multitask on a phone. It occupies your mind so it quiets the incessant background chatter of thoughts. You're forced to think about one and only one thing — the thing in front of you.

The Cons

I mostly liked it, but here were some drawbacks:

Mess: I regrettably didn't put a towel or a sheet down to catch all the shavings. I have found little bits of wood chips in my carpet for weeks afterwards.

Portability: Sort of connected to mess — this isn't something I would feel comfortable casually bringing to a café. Despite my best cleaning efforts, I would certainly leave some scraps behind.

Socially limited: For what I'm looking for these days, this is a drawback. I'm hunting for things I can do with friends. This just isn't as mainstream as fiber crafts so the pool of co-whittlers will be limited, and I kind of think the depth of flow state would lead to sitting quietly even if others are around.

Next Steps

I don't think that whittling is going to stick for me right now. But, if I come back to this, here's what I'd do next:

1. Join a local woodcarvers group. I did some quick googling and there are Facebook groups and local chapters.

2. Upgrade my tools. Learn how to maintain knives, get a leather strop, and add to my knife collection.

3. Learn some techniques. I think I was being a little too forceful. I watched some YouTube videos afterwards and there are some good recommendations for how to get clean cuts, avoid tear out, etc.

If You're Thinking About Trying It

Don't feel like you need to be good at it. I really think that the process far outweighed the actual result. That potato-penguin I made? It sits on my bookshelf and makes me smile every time I see it.

It's accessible, it has a low barrier to entry, so skip the Pinterest inspo and just start making some cuts. After ten minutes, you'll get lost in the flow. Plus, you get a little doodad at the end (or a slightly sharper stick!)