Anthophila

I gave Wife a unique gift for Christmas – a custom-made kitchen knife.

Anthophila

(click the picture to embiggen)

It has been dubbed Anthophila. Click here to see more pictures and specs on the knife.

Wife had no idea, hadn’t asked for anything like this, but over the years I’ve seen what’s been needed in the kitchen and thought this could be a welcome thing. Fortunately, my buddy Shawn Hatcher is a knife-maker, Hatcher Knives, so I asked if he could make this for me. We sat down together, I gave Shawn some goals, and let him do his thing. We liked the santoku concept, but I wanted a “taller flat” (I’m probably not using the right terms) to give more surface for the fingers to ride against when chopping, plus it allows the knife to be used as a “scoop” for taking chopped food off the board. I still wanted some sort of “tip” to make it useful for getting into tight spots, carving out, and so on.

I think Shawn did a great job.

Wife’s been using the knife for about a week now and is enjoying it. But you can tell there’s some reserve about using it. Exactly what? We don’t know. We’ve had a nice set of J.A. Henckels knives since our wedding, so I reckon part of her reserve is just that it’s different and she needs some time to get used to a different feel in the hand. Plus, I had to design the knife blind, taking her into consideration but never letting her in on the process. Daughter did help out, but that could only go so far (e.g. their hands aren’t quite the same dimensions). Still, we’re chalking this up to acceptable, and if after using it for some time Wife figures out what she likes and doesn’t like, how she might want to refine the design, or even start with a whole new design… well… we can do that, thank you Hatcher Knives.

Check out Shawn’s work. He’s developing a style and quickly maturing as a knife-maker. I’ve enjoyed reading his shop updates and watching not just the knife-making process but also his evolution as a maker. It’s always cool to watch an artist over time.