A Peanut Butter Spreader, a Mini-Gym, and a Vegetarian Recipe Book
I love making stuff that I use.
This peanut butter spreader is made from juniper, and I carved it while sitting in the shade throughout a long hot siesta in New Mexico last year. After I sanded it smooth and oiled it, it immediately assumed its position and began to spread the peanut butter love. It’s quite possibly my favorite utensil ever.
These are part of my natural fitness gym, with the fingerboard consisting of two pieces of 2 by 12, and the “rings” from 2 by 6 cedar. I cut the holes in the top piece of the fingerboard, then glued and screwed the two together. I can’t remember why I used two pieces.
The rings are a little wonky in the way that they are attached to the rope. They want to flip over if your wrists are not actively flexed. And as an added attraction, the rope that connects the rings to the tree is twisted poly line (the cheap yellow stuff, ’cause that’s what I had) and it twists you around in circles as you crank off pull-ups.
Panoramic view, dude.
My wife’s vegetarian recipe collection is for sale at the Woolly Mamas booth at the Farmers Market. So many people have asked for her recipes that she first wrote out a favorites collection to photocopy, and now it has grown to over forty recipes. Containing vegetarian, vegan, and raw food options that are guaranteed to satisfy, this collection is named Karuna (compassionate) Kitchen after our daughter.
What’s your favorite handmade item?
What exactly is the purpose of the fingerboard? I’m assuming it adds strength to the hands while doing chinups/pullups? Rather than using a fist say to grip a bar?
If so, very interesting idea.
Finger strength and open hand strength (as opposed to a grip that encircles a bar) are developed with a fingerboard or hangboard.
I started using it in my training in order to help my climbing, as many boulder problems have tiny holds.
Ultimately, I’d love to be able to crank off some fingertip pullups just to be able to say that I can, kind of like a one handed pullup or handstand push-ups.
In reality, it’s my way of fighting the aging process.
Aha! that’s what I figured it was for. I’m still working on being able to crank off enough chin-ups with a bar grip to be respectable. I’m not quite ready for a fingerboard.
I’m not quite ready either…
But I do use it to finish off a good workout.
I have a block that I can put my toes on to take some of the weight off my fingers, and I just burn out my forearms by going from small holds to large until they’re toast. Does wonders for your grip strength.