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mother of josh, richard, and mutt. lover of books, yarn, and the quiet places. spinner, knitter, kayaker, survivor, vandweller, warrior.

Friday, February 08, 2008

twokniveskatie Part 1


i have always loved tools. tools for building, tools for fixing. tools for growing food, and for hunting it . for tilling the land and making cloth and healing broken bodies. for making fire and music and food. and tools for making tools.

at some point, a fascination for sharp things was born. i picked up a throwing knife that fit my hand with perfect weight and balance. although i held it in my hand, i felt it's weight in my belly, down deep where primitive things are born. it connected with my feral side.....i was hooked.

when you think about it, a knife is a tool that can be used for most of the tasks mentioned above. if i had to choose one thing to be stranded with, it would be a knife. you can make shelter, get food, and protect yourself.

the pictures above are two favorites. the cold steel bushman and the gerber backpacking axe. the bushman is a workhorse with many uses. it has a hollow handle, and can be made a spear. (watch out, boys). it is most always next to me.

above are some of my favorites smaller knives. lower left is one made from a trap spring. it is probably the sharpest knife i own. center is a braintanned quilled sheath whose flint knife is no longer with me. i love the sheath, and wait for a knife to fit it. next are a patch knife and a mini skean du, great little neck knives. and last a turquoise inlaid folder gifted me by friends.

these are just a few of my knives.....a prudent girl never shows all the aces up her sleeve, nor the sharp things in her boot. which leads to the next part of the story.

a group of friends who camped rendezvous together were gathered for a thanksgiving meal at a friends house. now buckskinners do love their weapons, so my buddy Hish and i were comparing ours on the table. i didn't care for guns at the time, so i had out my knife to compare to his pistol. he was extolling the virtues of his gun and my obvious disadvantage, when he grabbed my knife off the table and made pretend to draw on me with the gun. i had the second knife out of my boot and at his crotch so fast i amazed even myself, and some very impressed onlookers. i got to carve the turkey that day, and Hish said it was one of the most erotic things that ever happened to him. (next to his wife Bonnie, of course). which speaks volumes about the nature of my friends :)

so was the beginning of the legend. there is more to come, including a pirate with ill-intentions, and a man with a voice that won my heart. but that's part 2.

9 comments:

michael... said...

*lol*... that's why i'd be inclined to keep my legs crossed around you!

;-)

michael...

Anonymous said...

"make one more move and i'll change your religion!"

i forget what movie that was from, but it immediately reminded me of it.

<3

GreenFeather

Johnny said...

Found a little quote that I thought
was perfect for your storytelling Kate...

History will be kind to me
for I intend to write it.
---Sir Winston Churchill

Unknown said...

Oh, Kate, that was classic! I am just now reading some of your back posts, so my comment is a latecomer. Thank you so much for your storytelling and your quick wit. I look forward to getting to know you through this forum and maybe someday be lucky enough to meet you!

Anonymous said...

What brand of knife is that?

twokniveskatie said...

which one? the one in the very top with the black sheath is a cold steel bushman. one of my best all-round knives. it's actually a mini machete.

Keith said...

Interesting post Katie :)
Regards, Keith.
http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.au

twokniveskatie said...

Hey! I think I just bookmarked you yesterday! Welcome!

Keith said...

Thank you for the welcome Katie.
Regards, Keith.
http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.au