This is a very interesting book about a hobby I didn’t have the faintest idea had existed! The book goes into the background of where the spoons were made and some of the history of that particular type of spoon. There is an explanation in regards to wood types, tools used, and importantly, some safety in regards to using those tools without hurting yourself. Lots of pictures make this part much easier to understand what you are getting yourself into when you start carving.

If you want to get into carving love spoons, this book would be the ideal starting point. It would be a great reference if you just wanted to learn carving of spoons in general! Each spoon described comes with an accompanying photo and the printable stencil, with fancy parts, to help you create your own beautiful spoons. There are hints along the way as to the best way to carve the spoon to avoid weak spots and potential breakages.

So, if you are sitting in the paddock one day, wondering how to charm the one you have feelings for, this book is for you. Pick a design, read what has been written to understand how best to go about the carving, and then present the work of art to your potential darling.

Also, if you are looking at getting into wood carving as a hobby, this book would definitely be an asset to have with the descriptions of the finer workings of blade and wood.

~Many thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

This book is stunning. Not only is it beautiful but it is helpful and has all the patterns that you need to do the things that he has created. The book is very descriptive, which makes most things fairly easy to accomplish, but there are some more technically difficult pieces that I was having a hard time understanding by his words. I do however think that's probably me and not the author LOL I'm a very visual learner so I would accompany this book with YouTube videos just to make sure I'm doing things right. The pictures are gorgeous, the spoons are amazing, and it makes me want to break out carving stuff and just go crazy. And it honestly makes me feel like I could which I think is a high compliment for any kind of book on crafting or woodworking. I highly recommend it. Thank you so much #netgalley and #foxchapelpublishing for letting me read this amazing book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for making this book. It is truly a gift.

This is a gorgeous book with a huge assortment of spoon carving patterns. They are way out of my range but if this is your niche then this is a book you must have. The spoons are just amazing. They even bend and fold, with phenomenal intricacy. I can't see there being a huge market for this book, but wow, what a guide for those who are interested.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via netgally.

#FoxChapelPublishing #NetGalley.

If it wasn't for this Great Book of Spoon Carving Patterns, I'd never have known of this beautiful artwork; I'm sure I've come across it before in museums (maybe?) but this book was so much more comprehensive than I'd thought. I'm very much a novice when it comes to wood, but I'm doing my best to learn and follow the easy to follow instructions and hopefully (after years of practice) move on to something more complex.

This is a beautifully illustrated book about spoon carving and the it’s history. Once considered as a notion of romance created by a single man who would carve highly detailed designs to be given as gifts to perspective women as symbols romance or sealing of marital unions,

They were called romantic, courting or wedding spoons, and created by various cultures. This book provides detailed illustrations of the basics, safety tools, woods, and finishes to create these intricate spoons with various designs, motifs and patterns, These elements include knottwork, hearts, rings and balls.

The book is a carpenter’s dream filled with wonderful designs, patterns and would be great for a beginner of established carver. If you have an interest in the well researched historically based information this book won’t disappoint

I enjoyed this book and now want to pursue my interest in carving.

Thank you to Fox Chapel Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of this beautiful digital copy. .

This book is absolutely amazing. I had hoped it would be more instructional but it does cover basics of tools, designs and wood choices. from there it moves directly into pictures of the most incredibly beautiful carved spoons i have ever seen. truly fantastic resource.

While I’ve long been familiar with the tradition of hand-carved or hand-crafted spoons, this is the first time I’ve come across “romance spoons,” a tradition that can be traced back to the 1600s in the regions around Northern Europe and Scandinavia. Folklore tells of young men who carved spoons for young women as a token of their love. The intricately carved spoon stem feature patterns and motifs that reflect regional folk traditions, holidays, or symbols. Although today many romance spoons are commercially manufactured, this book provides a list of tools and materials, as we,, as complete instructions for anyone interested in carving their spoons by hand,

This is not a hobby that I commonly see books on, so I was intrigued. This book has beautiful presentation throughout with an abundant amount of illustrations. I love that the spoons are organized by countries that details various styles from the respective areas while giving the reader a little bit of history and details about that specific style.

The book makes things clear for beginners, but offers such a variety of styles, that I believe it would appeal to a reader more experienced in the craft as well. This is a great option for anyone looking to take up creating beautiful and unique spoons!

5 stars, Wonderful wooden art expression

GREAT BOOK OF SPOON CARVING PATTERNS
by David Western

A joyous wooden spoon pattern carving book. I may not ever carve my own spoon, though I'd like to, if I could use a pocket knife (that's the tool that I have), I'd like to make at least one left-handed wooden spoon, and maybe a fancy spoon for a couple of relatives and friends who would appreciate them. Even if I don't get to do my own carving, the patterns are priceless, for a person who appreciates art and the ability to cross over from one medium to another, namely for me, it's to incorporate it into my journals. And, I use wooden spoons in the kitchen.

Highly recommend. Very beautiful wooden spoon patterns.

Thank you kindly to #netgalley #foxchapelpublishing for the complimentary copy of #greatbookofspooncarvingpatterns I was under no obligation to post a review.

Great Book of Spoon Carving Patterns is a tutorial and pattern collection for woodcarving traditional decorative spoons designed and curated by Dave Western. Released 13th April 2021 by Fox Chapel, it's 144 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a well presented and accessible guide with tutorials for carving lovespoons including some background history, culture, and symbolism. The emphasis in this collection is on specific patterns and tutorials, although the author includes a general introductory tutorial which provides specific step-by-step instructions for a basic spoon from start to finish. The introductory section also covers tools, supplies, wood selection, and safety.

The tutorial patterns are selected from five disparate areas with a courting spoon tradition: Alpine, Brittany, Norway, Sweden, and Wales. The patterns are arranged by region, and in each category there are projects which will suit beginning to expert wood carvers. Each pattern includes full size line-drawn templates front and side views, photographs of the finished project, and a short history and explanation of the symbolism and area from which the spoon originated.

Although admittedly a niche interest, there is enough background and technique instruction in this volume to give it a wide relevance to other forms of handcarving, whittling, and decorative woodworking. Five stars. This would make a good selection for makers groups, crafts studios, library, or home workshop acquisition.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.