Rob carves his own Christmas

Rob used his hobby to create these Yuletide treasures.

Talented Rob Knotts was shoehorned into his unusual Yuletide hobby ... literally.

The former chair of Saddleworth parish council was serving with the RAF in Singapore more than 30 years ago he tried unsuccessfully to buy a shoehorn.

“So, I wondered if I could carve one,” said Rob who lives in Austerlands. “I found a piece of wood, borrowed a kitchen knife and with great satisfaction produced one. 

“My early work covered small trinket dishes, then small animals and Welsh love spoons. In the 1980s I was stationed in Germany and exposed to wonderful wood carvings of Nativities, Weihnachtsmann (German Father Christmas) figures, folk figures and Christmas decorations. 

“That prompted me to carve my first Nativity in 1983, a set that is lovingly displayed in our home every Christmas.”

Since then, he has carved a growing line of Father Christmas and Nativity figures, mainly for family and friends. 

“But this year I was asked to carve a Nativity set depicting an expectant Mary accompanied by Joseph and a donkey. The figures are carved in Yew, oiled with Danish oil and wax finished. 

“The wood offers a rich array of colours and grain pattern; when finished the figures are very tactile. Yew is classified as a soft wood but try telling the carving tools that, it quickly affects their cutting edge due to it having a complex and compact grain.”

His latest Father Christmas figure is a Ded Moroz or Father Frost, the Slavic version of Santa Claus which long ago became the symbol of Russian winter, New Year and presents.

And rising early one morning he looked out of a window and saw a small roe deer near the front of his home. 

“I managed to take a photograph and incident inspired me to carve the reindeer. I have diversified this year in carving shawl pins and maple leaf items are for family members in Canada.”

With the knowledge he has gained Rob now writes for a wood carving magazine and hosts talks and presentations on the subject.

‘Hopefully when things get back to normal, I will get a wood carving class up and running,” he added.

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