Straight from the Freezer
Liz Ness has led the spoon carving group for some time now. The group has drawn a great deal of interest from the membership, with a regular core group coming back for more. She teaches the carving of wooden spoons from greenwood using a log to spoon procedure. “The spoon blanks are prepared in green wood ready for the final knife work” says Liz. “These are kept in the Shed freezer.”
Once a lecturer in numeracy at West College Scotland, Liz was confined to home teaching when COVID struck. But you can’t keep someone like Liz down! While at home she started doing pyrography, which led to the realization that she loved wood. Then she used Facebook to learn about spoon carving, which was being run by the Shed. She joined the Shed, met Barrie Baker who became her tutor and the rest is history.
There has been movement from dry soft woods to greenwood carving, using freshly cut wood. Although COVID was a difficult time for all, Liz is one of those who managed to increase her skills and friendships. Tutor Barrie is now a friend and she has expanded her knowledge via a group called Rise up and Carve who meet daily on Zoom.
She also attends a spoon club in Argyll called the Fyne Stirrers, together with participating in various annual green woodworking festivals across the country.
Liz intends to take the class further by teaching them how to axe out the spoon blanks by themselves. I’m sure the class will look forward to moving up to the next level Liz. Keep up the good work. This is a woman who shows real appreciation of teachings she has received from the Shed and she is passionate about keeping this heritage craft alive by teaching others.
The spoon carving group meet every second Tuesday from 12-4pm and Liz says that new members are most welcome to pop in and give it a try. The spoons they make vary considerably and Liz has tried using natural materials for weaving with willow, willow bark, and last but not least mini-brushes, which have been very successful. What can you do with them? Well, how about cleaning the crumbs from your car seats, chairs at home, etc.…
The next meeting for spoon making is on the 25th of November so why not drop in and give it a try? No matter what age you are, you can still grow in expertise. Or, if you have an idea or skill, you feel you can share with others, just get in touch.
Contact me directly for more information on what we do here under our motto of Meet, Make, Grow, Share - jean@inverclydshed.co.uk