Spon

Barn The Spoon, as he's affectionately known is a rare master craftsman in the art of spoon carving. In this book he generously shares his extraordinary skill, gentle philosophy and his life's work - designing and carving beautiful spoons that are both a joy to use and hold.

The simple, ordinary spoon is part of our everyday lives, intimately entwined with the acts of eating and socialising, from stirring our first cup of coffee to scraping the last bit of pudding from the bowl. And who doesn't like to spoon in bed?

Barn's spoons will take you on a journey into the new wood culture, from understanding the relationship between wood, the raw material and its majestic origins in our trees and woodland, to the workshop and the axe block, and into your own kitchen.

Barn will show you how to use the axe and knife, from how they should feel in your hand to honing the perfect edge when carving your own spoons. Featuring sixteen unique designs in the four main categories of spoon - eating, serving, cooking and measuring spoons, Barn takes you through the nuances of their making, how each design is informed by its function at the table or in the kitchen, and the key skills you will learn - such as creating octagonal handles, manipulating grain patterns and mastering bent branches. Beautiful photography will inspire and act as a blue-print to help perfect your technique.

About the Author

Barnaby Carder, or Barn The Spoon can be found on permanent exhibition in the shop window of his workshop on the Hackney Road, East London. He is a master craftsman spoon carver, co-organiser of Spoonfest, an annual three-day spoon carving festival held in Edale, Derbyshire, and founder of The Green Wood Guild, London's centre for traditional wood craft offering a range of courses and workshops.