Whittling is my favourite hobby. I only have to use my pocket knife and some wood
Thats a unique activity. What do you make?
I like to make birds wearing hats, and angry squirrels. I should probably wear safety gear, like a leather thimble and a carving glove
Interesting! Safety gear is very important, I agree. What else do you know whittling? 
There are different kinds of whittling. In Norway there is a type called splash whittling, where you make a herringbone pattern with an axe
It seems very hard so it must require a lot of skill. How long have you been whittling? 
About 5 years. I'm not very good at it. Carving is different - you use more tools, a mallet...
So you also carve? I used to carve out pens when I was in high school.
and have better leverage, allowing more precise control and pressure.
Occasionally the terms "whittling" and "carving" are used interchangeably, but they are different arts. Carving employs the use of chisels, gouges, with or without a mallet, while whittling involves only the use of a knife. Carving frequently involves powered equipment such as lathes.
In industrialized areas of the world, whittling is mainly a hobby and not an occupational activity as it was before powered wood working equipment enabled modern production.
"Splash
whether you want to or not. At the same time, some would call it a mixed blessing, I guess. Anyhow, I have wanted to do something a bit different from what I usually do for a long time now and that is to make an all-stripped-down and laid-back album, where I use my clean vocals only. You who have followed me since the early days know I've made brief digressions, musically, of that sort before, like the 'Final State' trilogy (