Ten Ways to Celebrate National Knife Day

Each year on August 24th, we take the opportunity to celebrate mankind's oldest tool: the knife. Though it isn't clear when people started celebrating National Knife Day, just like that first flint blade - it is a sharp idea.   So how do you celebrate?  Do you book the fire hall and throw a gala or do you slip an extra knife in your pocket for the day?

Here are ten ideas for you to celebrate National Knife Day:

1) Post your favorite knives to social media:

National Knife Day is a great time to connect with other blade enthusiasts on social media.  Take your favorite knife for a hike to some place scenic and snap a picture.  Remember to use the hashtags #GearMeOut and #NationalKnifeDay.  

 

2) Carve a spoon:

If you haven't carved a spoon yet, or even if you are an old pro, this day is a fine opportunity to carve a spoon or other utensil out of wood.  Pro tip: Use walnut oil and beeswax for a food safe finish when you are done. 

3) Arrange your knives in a design: 

Try to build a mosaic-like design out of the knives in your collection.  If you don't have enough, borrow a friend's blades (and try to remember to return them). I built this map of the United States using some of the knives in my collection.  

4) Carve a fuzzstick for a Knife Day campfire:

Carving a fuzzstick is a great way to use your knives and a fantastic way to start a fire.  Why don't you carve one and have a relaxing National Knife Day campfire? 

5) Sharpen your knife: 

A sharp knife is safer than a dull one and though you should always carry a finely honed blade, today might be a good time to break out your sharpening stone.  Remember, if you keep your knives clean and sharp - you'll have a tool for life. 

6) Slice up a trail snack: 

We all know that everything tastes the best outdoors, so slice up something delicious along the trail. 

7) Practice bushcraft skills like batonning: 

Though an axe is the preferred method of wood splitting, bushcraft skills like batonning may just save your life some day.  As always, skills like this are best practiced before needing them in a survival situation. 

8) Buy that knife you've been looking at all year: 

If you've bookmarked your favorite knife shopping website and have had your eye on a pretty little folder, today is the day to add it to your cart.  Don't wait until Christmas, as you'll just end up with cotton socks and an ugly sweater anyway.  Pro tip: many knife retailers have sales on National Knife Day.

9) Organize a knife swap 

Maybe funds are too tight to buy a new knife but maybe you can acquire a new-to-you knife. Contact your friends and have people bring along knives that they no longer enjoy for a classic knife swap.  You may find a treasured companion in something that was merely collecting dust in your buddy's junk drawer.  

 

10) Write a poem about your knives

The connection between outdoor enthusiasts and their knives runs deep, no matter the locale or the generation.  Where prose may fail, poetry may succeed in putting into words how you feel about your cutting tools.  Try your hand at it and jot down a few lines for National Knife Day, you may be surprised what you come up with.  Here is a simple Haiku on one of my trusty outdoor adventure blades. 

On my belt it rides

ParaKnife in orange cord wrapped 

multipurpose tool 

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Article By: Dan Human