I spoke with
Willie71
who has been running the kitchen KITH for the last few years, and he is very busy with work at the moment and does not think he'll find the time to run a kitchen KITH. If there is interest, I'll run the KITH this year.
What is a KITH?
For the newer members, KITH stands for Knife In The Hat, which was a depression era practice where people would put their knives in a hat and each person drew one to use for the day. On this forum, it is a knife exchange where participants make a knife within a specified time period. At the end, each maker sends their knife to a randomly selected participant and receives a knife from somebody else. The KITH is a good way to see what other makers are doing and to receive feedback from another knife maker. I learned a lot during last year's KITH and got some good feedback to incorporate in my future knives. Follow this link to the main kitchen KITH thread from last year, or look at the completed knives by following this link.
Who can participate?
The KITH is open to any member of blade forums who can make a decent kitchen knife. As a general rule, you should probably have made at least ten knives, be able to grind a thin, consistent edge and have a way to put a maker's mark on your knife. If you just started knife making and are unsure about the quality of your work, maybe wait until next year.
What type of knives can I make?
With the exception of paring knives, any type of kitchen knife is fine. As a general guideline, knives should be a minimum of six or seven inches long. Both forged and stock removal knives are welcome. I would particularly like to encourage specialty knives that are not in the general chef/gyuto/santoku category. Examples might be honesuki/garasuki, bread knives, fillet knives, cleavers, or even a pizza cutter. That said, there is nothing wrong with entering a gyuto or santoku. And if you absolutely have to make a paring knife, that's okay too as long as it's a slipjoint
.
It is expected that you use quality materials appropriate for a kitchen knife, e.g., micarta, G10 or wood (either stabilized or wood that does not require stabilization). The blade can be made from carbon or stainless steel and should be properly heat treated. Be aware that if you use expensive materials (mosaic damascus, mammoth ivory) you will likely get something of lesser value in return.
At the end of the KITH, you will have to ship your knife to another member. The knife should be shipped either with a saya or in a zippered pouch. Historically, most participants have been from the US, but you may have to ship your knife internationally. I shipped my knife to Austria last year and it cost around $65.
Entering the KITH, Progress Pictures and Deadline
Please, post in this thread if you intend to participate. As you start working on your knife, please post about what you are working on, ideally with lots of pictures. Last year, I found it very motivating when other makers posted about their progress. It really helped to remind me to get in the shop and work on my knife. The deadline for this year's KITH is September 5th, 2022 (Labour Day in the US). To enter the KITH, please post "I'm ready" along with a picture of your completed knife to this thread. At that point, you will need to send me your shipping address so I can make a random drawing and let everybody know where to ship their knife.
Please, feel free to ask any questions either in this thread or via DM.
Willie71
who has been running the kitchen KITH for the last few years, and he is very busy with work at the moment and does not think he'll find the time to run a kitchen KITH. If there is interest, I'll run the KITH this year.What is a KITH?
For the newer members, KITH stands for Knife In The Hat, which was a depression era practice where people would put their knives in a hat and each person drew one to use for the day. On this forum, it is a knife exchange where participants make a knife within a specified time period. At the end, each maker sends their knife to a randomly selected participant and receives a knife from somebody else. The KITH is a good way to see what other makers are doing and to receive feedback from another knife maker. I learned a lot during last year's KITH and got some good feedback to incorporate in my future knives. Follow this link to the main kitchen KITH thread from last year, or look at the completed knives by following this link.
Who can participate?
The KITH is open to any member of blade forums who can make a decent kitchen knife. As a general rule, you should probably have made at least ten knives, be able to grind a thin, consistent edge and have a way to put a maker's mark on your knife. If you just started knife making and are unsure about the quality of your work, maybe wait until next year.
What type of knives can I make?
With the exception of paring knives, any type of kitchen knife is fine. As a general guideline, knives should be a minimum of six or seven inches long. Both forged and stock removal knives are welcome. I would particularly like to encourage specialty knives that are not in the general chef/gyuto/santoku category. Examples might be honesuki/garasuki, bread knives, fillet knives, cleavers, or even a pizza cutter. That said, there is nothing wrong with entering a gyuto or santoku. And if you absolutely have to make a paring knife, that's okay too as long as it's a slipjoint
.It is expected that you use quality materials appropriate for a kitchen knife, e.g., micarta, G10 or wood (either stabilized or wood that does not require stabilization). The blade can be made from carbon or stainless steel and should be properly heat treated. Be aware that if you use expensive materials (mosaic damascus, mammoth ivory) you will likely get something of lesser value in return.
At the end of the KITH, you will have to ship your knife to another member. The knife should be shipped either with a saya or in a zippered pouch. Historically, most participants have been from the US, but you may have to ship your knife internationally. I shipped my knife to Austria last year and it cost around $65.
Entering the KITH, Progress Pictures and Deadline
Please, post in this thread if you intend to participate. As you start working on your knife, please post about what you are working on, ideally with lots of pictures. Last year, I found it very motivating when other makers posted about their progress. It really helped to remind me to get in the shop and work on my knife. The deadline for this year's KITH is September 5th, 2022 (Labour Day in the US). To enter the KITH, please post "I'm ready" along with a picture of your completed knife to this thread. At that point, you will need to send me your shipping address so I can make a random drawing and let everybody know where to ship their knife.
Please, feel free to ask any questions either in this thread or via DM.
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