Winner!

The online community over on KnifeForums is pretty cool. Beyond lively participation by rank-and-file users, it benefits greatly from the active involvement of retail dealers and real-deal experts, cutlery-company execs and small-scale artisans. Like BladeForums, JerzeeDevil and similar boards, it's a great place to learn.

I spend most of my KF time in the Bark River Forums, but the other day I learned that WoodStabilizer.com was conducting a Christmas giveaway. The lucky winner would get a set of gorgeous crotched maple scales with feathered figuring. On an optimistic whim, I made my post and entered the contest.

When Mike and Christina (aided by their little girl and a pair of housecats) held the random drawing late yesterday, they decided to give away not one set, but five -- and I won!

I don't yet know what kind of wood will be coming to me from British Columbia, but when it arrives I'll be sure to post a photo on KintlaLake Blog. And when I decide (eventually) what knife those slabs will grace, I'll unveil that here as well.

Merry Christmas, Mike and Christina -- and thanks!