Saturday 18 August 2007

Sharpening A Pencil With A Knife

Perhaps it is the way it harks back to older and simpler times but for some reason sharpening a pencil with a knife, rather than a dedicated pencil sharpener, is curiously comforting and satisfying. The beveled, grooved finish; the tapered point; the shape of the lead - all of these things are unique when you whittle. OK, so you can't have competitions with yourself to create the longest unbroken pencil shaving but the pride in a job well done, and one you have crafted with your own hands and caveman skill, is pleasure enough.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I just bought one of those desktop pencil sharpeners which grip the pencil then make a satisfying grinding noise as you turn the handle. I thought that was pretty good too. let's be honest, most pencil-sharpening experiences are more or less guaranteed to be a good thing... Badaude (www.badaude.typepad.com)