Saturday, July 16, 2011

Long Time - But back!

Its been a while, but I am back with some current adventures with the Flower girls from next door.  Whittling and soap carving.
This is a "Whammie Doodle".  This little ol' time toy is what I have selected to start Zinnia (Flower girl neighbor) with as she learns to whittle.  Zinnie is 9 now, and has been asking me to teach her to whittle.  Zinnie already has her moms old Swiss Army knife, and is real good at putting points on sticks. 
 I decided to start Zinnie out with a good carving knife.  The knife has a 1 inch blade and seems to fit her hand just fine.  A carving glove is quite another story.  I am still trying to find a kids garden glove that I can "beef up" for her to use.  But until then (Zinnie can't wait) we'll use a combination of Vet Wrap and masking tape on the thumb and fingers.  After a bit of discussion about sharp knives and how to make a "Thumb Push" Cut to a Stop Cut, we were ready to start.  The Whammie Doodle was selected for several reasons.  It involves lots of the same simple Thumb Push cuts, can be done quickly, and results in a fun little toy.
And as you can see here, it works. 

Zinnia had a blast, and wants to learn more.  In fact as she left she asked me what time I get up in the morning.

2 comments:

Holee said...

It won't be long until she is setting up a "Gnomie Stand" next to you at market! I can see those fingers making ark animals..might as well get the boards cut to teach her to make the ship! I see that coming next!

Tom H said...

Holee, You're probably right!