Why Whittle?

Whattcha doin?
Makin shavings
Why?
They're shavings. They need to be made. They were stuck in this piece of wood,I just let them out. Sometimes, when you have let all the shavings out you find something neat inside.

Why do I Whittle? That's easy, when I pick up a knife & wood the world goes away, time stands still. Why did i start? Not so sure on that one. Parental emulation played a part, Dad carried a pocket knife, decided at 8 yrs I was old enough to have one, showed me how not to cut myself and told me to keep the mess outside. Pocketknife was a rite of passage closer to manhood, twigs were plentiful. On the other side was Mom, she did everything including carving. No easy softwood whittling for her, she relief carved cherry and purpleheart. I have the Ibis (wading bird) she carved in cherry,one sis has the matador in purpleheart.No machinery to rough it out, just hand tools.I loved the Ibis from the day she started it, I remember one horrible weekend she entered it in a arts & crafts show with a PRICE on it, ONLY $100.I was so afraid it would sell.It hangs on my living room wall. She carved a fish underwater, Bass I think (bas relief). I'm not sure what ever happened to it. And of course, she gave me the knife that got me started again, that was a couple blogs ago.
"I wanna whittle too!'
Pick up a knife. Let the shavings fall where they may, cuz sweeping is therapeutic.