Two handmade blades and fitted wooden enclosures treated as related objects, each with its own pace, fit, and presence.
The first object is closer to presentation and containment. The second is more direct and compact, with a plainer wooden handle and a quieter everyday scale. Together they read as one family rather than one repeated object.
Although they share a family language of timber, steel, fit, and restraint, the two knives should not be read as one blended object. Each carries its own scale, use, and emotional weight.
Knife No. 1 centers on material memory, handwork, and gift. Knife for Mama remains separate here and will receive its own fuller story as the page continues to develop.
The handle was made from a branch of mature Israeli oak, from a tree more than one hundred years old that had already fallen. I received the branch, dried it, and smoked it over the course of three years before shaping it into the knife.
A brass plate is integrated into the handle, which follows a Japanese approach: the blade is held by friction and can be released from the handle. The blade itself was cut and shaped entirely by hand, using hand tools, and made from O2 steel. This was the first kitchen knife I made for my daughter, and I gave it to her when she was eight years old.
Knife for Mama is presented here as its own object, with its own working scale and presence. Its fuller material story, making process, and role within the project will be added as this page continues to develop.
