1/8Lovespoons, A Welsh TraditionA short drive from Tenby, Wales, is the Lovespoon Workshop, a family-run business that sells hand-crafted lovespoons and teaches about the tradition. // © 2014 Mindy PoderPreviousNext2/8Lovespoons, A Welsh TraditionLovespoons are believed to have originated in Wales in the 17th century as a utensil gifted at weddings. // © 2014 Mindy PoderPreviousNext3/8Lovespoons, A Welsh TraditionWhile courting, young men would present a hand-crafted lovespoon to the woman they were interested in. // © 2014 Mindy PoderPreviousNext4/8Lovespoons, A Welsh TraditionKerry Thomas, also known as Thomas the Woodcarver, explains the art form to groups who visit his Lovespoon Workshop. // © 2014 Mindy PoderPreviousNext5/8Lovespoons, A Welsh TraditionKerry is joined by his son Dai, here shown telling the stories behind several of the family’s annual lovespoons. // © 2014 Mindy PoderPreviousNext6/8Lovespoons, A Welsh TraditionSome of the lovespoons on display at the workshop took hundreds of hours to complete. // © 2014 Mindy PoderPreviousNext7/8Lovespoons, A Welsh TraditionStudents can begin carving after about a week of training, but due to the extensive variety of woods available, true mastery can take many years. // © 2014 Mindy PoderPreviousNext8/8Lovespoons, A Welsh TraditionBecause of the hours of work required to carve lovespoons, there are few real lovespoon shops in Wales. // © 2014 Mindy PoderPreviousNext
