Many years ago, I was gifted a calligraphy set. It came in a smart wooden box with a fountain pen, calligraphy nibs, different coloured inks and an instruction book. I loved this set and treasured it. It would keep me amused for hours practising my calligraphy. I’m left handed and I certainly don’t have the neatest handwriting, but I do love to write, doodle and draw.
During my school years, I wrote so much that I always had a “writing bump” on my middle finger (did you ever have one of these?). I truly thought that it would always be a part of me but when I went to university I began to write more on a word processor, then a computer and now a laptop (well Chromebook to be precise). The bump gradually lessened until one day I noticed that an integral part of me was there no more.
Although I “write” a lot of words every day, I actually mainly “type” them. This means my scrawly, lopsided left handed script is untidier than ever. It is such a let down when I start a new notebook or planner and spoil it with my messy writing. I’m often encouraging my kids to practice their handwriting, so I need to take note and improve mine too. We all know that the right pen is sacrament to our writing. I remember this quote in Anne of Windy Poplars as Anne wrote to her beloved Gilbert:
“In daylight I belong to the world . . . in the night to sleep and eternity. But in the dusk I’m free from both and belong only to myself . . . and you. So I’m going to keep this hour sacred to writing to you. Though this won’t be a love-letter. I have a scratchy pen and I can’t write love-letters with a scratchy pen . . . or a sharp pen . . . or a stub pen. So you’ll only get that kind of letter from me when I have exactly the right kind of pen.”
Therefore, when I was asked to choose a gift to begin a new hobby, I chose this lovely Calligraphy Wooden Pen and Ink Set from Qwerkity. It means I can practice my handwriting in a fun and creative way. It is also so handy for labelling, gift tags, cards, letters, writing poems and quotes.
The set is well presented in a lovely gift box. It contains one wooden calligraphy pen, two nibs and 8 different colour inks (I’m excited about trying all of these lovely colours).
Apart from on a school art course, this is the first time that I’ve used a dip pen so I wasn’t sure how I’d find it.
It was actually just as easy as using a cartridge pen and quite satisfying to drop the nib into the ink to refill (in primary school I used to love our old school desks with the ink holders).
As always, I got covered in ink (I always do!) but loved practising these cursive letters. I want to buy more wider nibs now for practising more calligraphic fonts.
The thin nibs that come in this set are great for everyday fonts.
Qwerkity sell lots more gift ideas. If you’re looking for a Valentines or Mother’s Day present then check out the gifts for her section.
Collaborative Post
I learnt the art of calligraphy many years ago – amazing how much I use it too