Sardinian thankfulness - and the winner is...

Hi guys,
so the cards are on the table. Pushed by instinct, circumnstances, and by Charlie's post, I decided to give away one of my knives.
This knife was given to me as a gift, eleven years ago. Due to personal circumstances that I'm not going to tell here, I've used this knife for a while, then I put it back into a drawer and there it has stayed ever since. Not that it has a bad karma, nor anything like that...I just decided not to use it anymore. Also, it's kinda big for my pockets, at least for my actual habit. And since most things in life come and go, I'm sure it's time for this knife to find another home, and I hope it will be appreciated, wherever it ends up staying.
I know many of you are not too familiar with this kind of knife. This is the most common Sardinian traditional pattern, named resolza in our language, and often known as pattadesa (or simply as "Pattada" outside Sardinia). It's a friction folder, no spring, no pull. This one is north of 4" closed (more or less the standard size...these knives, just like other European traditionals - like Laguiole, for example - usually come in large size). Handle is ram's horn (it's scratched on one side, as you can see). Blade has the typical "flame" shape (or, more appropriately, "myrtle leaf" shape). Bolster is brass. Made here in Sardinia, by a knifemaker who passed away a few years ago. Not the best resolza in the world...but still it's a good knife and, most of all, will be a great opportunity for someone to discover a totally different pattern. Here are some pics:

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Good luck guys!

Fausto
:cool:
 
Fausto,

I'm in, please. I always appreciate your posts, particularly because they allow me a glimpse of life in another part of the world. Even though we live on opposite sides of the planet and have had totally different life experiences, we are able to connect with each other over a common interest in edged tools. I think it's neat, being able to tell people that I have "friends" all over the world...all here on Bladeforums.

Caleb
 
Fausto, thank you for your generosity! Every time I visit here I am struck by the members' generous giveaways, the only other place I've ever seen that is on a watch forum that I moderate. Traditionals is more of a community of knife collectors than a plain old discussion board.

The post I remember best is when you were helping Railsplitter find a Bergamasco, a beautiful knife with that awesome horn handle. The knife you have chosen to give away has that beautiful horn too, such a different look than my bone and wood handled traditionals.

May you be around for another 1000 posts!

Cheers,
Griff
 
Thank you Fausto, what an amazingly generous offer!

Congrats on your 1,000 post milestone. Always interesting to read your posts which add a perspective I don't have, since I have never lived on your beautiful island. I have good friends who live north of Perugia on the mainland, lovely country you all share!
 
Hi Fausto!

I´m also in. Great knife for a giveaway! Thank you for the chance!

I hope reading much more on thousands of post! :)

Greetz from the other side of the big mountains!
Andi
 
Fausto-congrats on 1000 and thanks for the opportunity...I can tell you that the traditional knife of Sardinia has been on my radar since you first taught us about them on BF. Being of Italian descent, I am excited to learn of the traditions of my ancestors, and you have peaked my interest in the traditional knives of Italy!!!
 
Another fun thread and give-away.

I love the knife; it has such elegant lines. (like many Italian things: women, Ducatis, Ferraris, Vespas, even the humble Fiat 500!)

I remember the first thread I read of yours, which featured some shots from the Sardinian countryside. I saw your screen name, and thought: "That sounds Italian. I wonder if it is some American guy who is proud of his Italian ancestry, and has researched some Italian words to find a fun and meaningful screen name?" Then, I saw your location. I wouldn't have known where it was, except for my grandfather's stories from his time there during World War II. I'm a shooter, and own several guns. Once in a while, it will come up during conversation with my grandfather. He is not much of a gun person at all. He shot them in training for his service in WWII. He shot them qualifying for the Hometown, IL police force in the 1950s. But he has never been as avid a shooter as I have been.

(hopefully, you will forgive my wandering off the knife topic a bit here...)

He has two shooting stories from Sardinia from some time between 1941 and 1945; I don't recall when he was there. But he was a radio repairman and he had a "Tommy Gun." (Thompson submachine gun) He jokes that they gave him a Tommy Gun because he was a terrible shot with a rifle, but I think it was standard issue for soldiers who would often be in cramped quarters, like a truck or airplane, where a full size rifle would be very hard to maneuver. His buddies had the standard issue rifle, the M-1 Garand. He said that in Sardinia, he would do favors for pilots, fixing their non-Army stuff, and they would give him a box of ammo for the Tommy Gun that he didn't have to account for. So they would hang bottles in the trees, and he got to use automatic mode, and his buddies got to use tracer ammo. It made me a little sad to hear that, as it meant they left broken glass all over the countryside, and probably also shot up a lot of trees.

He said they also use to have contests as to who could hit the ceramic insulators on the power poles soonest. I asked him: "But weren't you destroying their electrical equipment?" He said: "No, the lines were down, and the place was all bombed-out already anyhow." It still seemed a little sad to me, but there are the bits that made it so I knew where Sardinia was.

Skip ahead many years, and I saw your post of walking through the Sardinian countryside, I was fascinated to see what the place looked like, and also a little flattered that a Sardinian would like classic American knife patterns so much.

Now, after seeing that knife in Post #42 I am stereotyping different European classical knife designs:

German - clunky-looking, but high quality
Swiss - A bit more elegant, and seemingly always with implements other than a single knife blade.
French, Spanish, and Italian - Slimmer, with graceful curves, and often only one blade. Simple mechanisms, which lead to low prices even though the blades are seemingly of high quality. Good for cutting food!
Scandinavian - Plain, but sturdy and well-made.
Others? I don't know yet.

Maybe I'm not being fair to certain nationalities, I don't know.

Thanks for the opportunity.
 
Interesting story about your grandfather during WWII.
Many Americans and Canadians passed around here back then (actually, there was an American navy base here until a few years ago).
Weird enough, your grandfather didn't tell you any story about men bringing around bottles of red wine, bread, cheese and sausages... :D

Thanks for entering guys. This will run for some time (until Easter). I'm sure that, whoever will get this knife, will at least enjoy discovering a totally different pattern and style...which is my goal, apart from thanking this subforum :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
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Update...I will keep this running until Easter is over (maybe someone else will join and take the chance). On Monday I will be posting the winner.
Meanwhile...I know it's a pretty weird "extra" for a giveaway but...the winner of this giveaway might get a chance to try something like this too :rolleyes:

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Good luck!

Fausto
:cool:
 
That looks delicious! If I am honest I would say at least 50% of my knife use is for cheese and cured meats when I go on hikes.

EDIT: This is not my entry post(I have already entered before), just a comment on the cheese :)
 
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I thought I'd entered into this one already, guess not lol. Thanks for this giveaway. I haven't seen too many traditional knives out of Italy, though there were a few that leaked into France when I was there. Please count me in on this one.
 
Thank you for your generosity Fausto! I would be proud to own such a wonderful Italian traditional knife.
 
Okay, the meat and cheese just makes this give-away awesome! I always seem to see posts of yours, Fausto, and agree with your post ideas. And then I'll see that it's "quattromori" and think "Oh, him again. Why do I always seem to have the same ideas as this feller..." And you do usually beat me to the punch, too! You actually joined here a month after I did, and I still don't have 300 posts, and I follow this forum almost religiously. Good job, Fausto, and I can see a great, unique idea when I see one. This give-away is really cool, thanks for counting me in. It's like combining peanut butter and jelly: sharp objects and food!
 
GLDNDomer said:
Okay, the meat and cheese just makes this give-away awesome! I always seem to see posts of yours, Fausto, and agree with your post ideas. And then I'll see that it's "quattromori" and think "Oh, him again. Why do I always seem to have the same ideas as this feller..." And you do usually beat me to the punch, too! You actually joined here a month after I did, and I still don't have 300 posts, and I follow this forum almost religiously. Good job, Fausto, and I can see a great, unique idea when I see one. This give-away is really cool, thanks for counting me in. It's like combining peanut butter and jelly: sharp objects and food!
Click to expand...

I think we are at the same point. Thank you Fausto for the chance!

Kind regards
Andi
 
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