Lovespoons Wales

Not so long ago, I did a two day lovespoon carving demonstration.  When I go to these events, I take just about every chisel I can lay my hands on, as they are normally too far away to nip back to the workshop because I have forgotten a chisel.  I therefore go equiped for every possible outcome.

This then leads to the subject line - “how many chisels do I need to carve lovespoons?”  or “I would love to carve a lovespoon but I cannot afford all the chisels.”  These two comments are heard frequently during the event.

 The lovespoon below is there for a purpose.  When I have someone coming to the workshop to learn how to carve, the first spoon is really basic, so that a finished lovespoon can be finished as quickly as possible.  The second spoon is the one below. 

This lovespoon was designed to show that like the couple, the two halves are free to move independently of each other, but are held with in the safety of love. 

This spoon looks complicated, but can be carved using a gouge and a craft knife.  The gouge can be replaced with any tool that has a sharp curved edge.  Everyone I have taught has gone away with one the spoons below after their  day in the workshop.  It will probably need to be sanded when they get home, but they have carved the lovespoon.

So to answer the question, you can, at a push, get away with a gouge and a crart knife and carve perfectly acceptable Lovespoons.

The last couple of days have been spent carving a lovespoon with 4 balls in the cage to represent the four children of the marriage. This is not unusual as we have carved many lovespoons with balls in a cage.

 Also not unusual is the number of times I was asked”how do you get the balls in the cage?”.  The balls are of course, carved from with in the cage.  If a lovespoon is carved from on piece of wood, carving the balls outside of the lovespoon, would make it more than one piece of wood, and thus, technically, not a lovespoon at all.

In a similar manner, I know of carvers who carve the lovespoon and cage, then turn the balls on the lathe and then  push the balls into the cage.  A futher way is to mix sawdust with resin, shape it inside the cage, then once dry, stain it along with the rest of the spoon.

 To me, neither of these spoons can be called lovespoons in the traditional way.  I have been told to utilise technology,  I do….  I use a digital camera to take the photos - but technology with lovespoons ?? not for me

In reply to a couple of requests, the website addresses are as follows;

http://www.lovespoons-wales.co.uk

Hand carved lovespoons for all occasions.  Whether birthday or engagement, anniversary or wedding, there is a lovespoon just for you.  If you are unable to find the lovespoon that is just right on the website, a lovespoon can be designed with you, and for you, to make the perfect unique gift.  With each symbol having its own meaning, a lovespoon can convey the exact message you wish to express.

http://www.romantic-weddingfavours.co.uk

Hand carved mini lovespoon wedding favours.  If you are unable to find the design which is just right for you, a wedding favour can be designed just for you.  Wedding favours have always been a gift for the guests to thank them for helping to make your special day that bit more special, a hand carved mini lovespoon wedding favour will give your guests a gift that will last longer than a sugared Almond.  Many of the wedding favours can be personalised with initials / date, your guests will then have no excuse for forgetting your wedding anniversary

 http://www.woodenbowls.co.ukWhen a lovespoon is not considered appropriate, wooden bowls make the perfect gift.  Each bowl is individually hand turned, so no two bowls will ever be the same. Whether you want a “normal” bowl, or natural edged, woodenbowls.co.uk is the place to go.  If you have a particular wood you would like, your choice can usually be accommodated.   http://www.unique-wooden-gifts.co.ukThis site is now up and running.    Examples of the work on the new and updated site will be a Butterfly Tree approximately 30 inches high, hand made jigsaws where the customers favourite photo can be converted to a jigsaw without damaging the photo, hand turned  wooden pens, Woodcraft construction kits,  Budgie traing sticks to just a few.  Please check the site now and again.Thank you for taking the time to read this, your interest is much appreciated.

Hi Gary,

As soon as orders calm down a little. I will get more articles written.  At the moment, not only are the orders building up, but I also have an exhibition of my work in North Wales.  I will though update as soon as possible.  Many thanks for taking the time to comment.

One of the most common questions I hear when people view some of my bowls - “they are very nice - what is their purpose?”  If they look nice, is that not purpose enough?  Can you not look at the grain in the wood and see the beauty and then stop looking for ‘purpose’ ?  If a picture is on the wall because it looks nice, can a bowl not be on your shelf because it too looks nice?

Some bowls are meant to be fruit bowls or salad bowls.  Some bowls are obviously made to be pot pourri bowls. Other work, is made to be pleasing to the eye, as was the platter, bottom right of the following page;  http://www.woodenbowls.co.uk/Bowls.html

When you look at a bowl hand turned from a burr, you are looking at the only one of its kind - it cannot be replicated.  In the same way, the spalt lines on a piece of spalted Beech, or a piece of spalted Birch, are natural and thus - unique. Whilst the shape can be copied, the spalting or burr formation cannot be copied.  The beauty of the wood, the naturalness of the grain, these are what makes the bowl an object of beauty,  these give the purpose, the joy, to the creation - the art.

The Birth of a Lovespoon

Unlike now, the carver could not go to his local timber merchant, neither could he search the internet for that special piece of wood.  He would need to find a log, split it, and then leave it awhile to season and settle, and only then, months later, could he begin to carve it.

Before he could begin to carve, he would need to know the message he wished to convey.  He might add a double heart - we feel the same way, or it might be a single heart - my heart is yours.  A keyhole would mean my home is yours / the home we will share, where as a cross would mean faith.  If however he was really brave, balls in a cage would symbolise the number of children desired. With the ideas now in mind, carving could begin.

At the work bench of Lovespoons Wales, 50 - 60 chilsels are lined up ready for use.  17th century lovespoon carvers did not however have that luxury.  They may only be armed with a pocket knife and a sharpened piece of metal to scrape out the bowl of the spoon.

Slowly, the shape of the lovespoon would take shape.  Many hours would be spent with the knife preparing the gift of love.  Trying to rush the spoon could result in breakage and thus the need to start again.  If the intended recipient of the lovespoon was poplar, the delay in recarving could result in her being taken by someone else.

So what is a Lovespoon?  It is a gift of love - a love letter carved in wood.

Way back in the mists of time, when most people were illiterate, giving a love letter to that special person was not an option, hence the lovespoon was born.  Lovespoons have been carved in Wales since at least the 1600’s, with the oldest known lovespoon on display in St. Fagin’s Museum of Welsh Life near Cardiff. 

However, this lovespoon is quite an elaborate design, so most likely, lovespoons had already been carved for awhile and this spoon is a result of the craft evolving.

 As Cawl ( a Welsh Broth) was a principal part of the Welsh diet, it is believed that the lovespoon is an extension of the Cawl spoon.

With the carving getting more and more elaborate, it could be that the man was not only carving a love letter for the girl who had caught his eye, but also, to impress the girl’s father, and show how good he was with his hands, vital in the then rural Wales.

Accepting the lovespoon did not mean the girl had accepted the carver’s desire for courtship to begin, neither was it an early form of engagement ring.  In fact, the popular village girls were known to amass several lovespoons for their collection.

Welcome to the blog of Lovespoons Wales.  Being a new blog site, it will take awhile to get it together, so please be patient.  Over the coming months, we hope to discuss the true meaning of lovespoons, as well as the debate -  hand carved or machine made. 

At Lovespoons Wales, you will find Lovespoons, Wooden Bowls & Vases, Mini Lovespoon Wedding Favours and Wooden Pens.  All can be found at  www.lovespoons-wales.co.uk